Crows coach Don Pyke praises the contested football that beat St Kilda and gets his side’s season back level

Crows coach Don Pyke says a return to contested football was the key to Adelaide’s success against the high-pressure game of the Saints.

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This was a really important win for Adelaide, and after his side’s comfortable 29-point win over the Saints at Marvel Stadium, Crows coach Don Pyke praised the contested football his rejuvenated side produced.

In all the major statistical areas across the ground, the Crows had St Kilda’s measure: disposals (400 to 353), clearances (40 to 28), inside 50s (52 to 45), marks inside 50 (17 to 10), contested possessions (152 to 131) and hit-outs (44 to 25).

It was only in tackles where the Crows were beaten (50 to 71), but their pressure was intense all game.

Adelaide Crows senior coach Don Pyke talks with co-captains Taylor Walker and Rory Sloane on Saturday. Picture: Michael Klein

Pyke said his side was back to playing the football it knew was possible.

“It was a high-pressure game that we expected coming in.

“We knew St Kilda’s first five games had been had been pretty solid in that space in after a pretty fierce opening our guys really adapted well and after our contested numbers really turned around. That was a stand out for me.”

Pyke, who again spent a bit of time coaching from the bench at ground level, said it was pleasing to get the win-loss ratio back to square.

“We started 1-3, so the last two gets us back to 3-3 … but we know we’ve got Fremantle next week and every week is difficult,” he said.

“We’re back playing some footy that we always knew we were capable of and it’s based on some pure fundamentals of how we want to play.

“To the players credit they’ve embraced that and over the last two weeks we’ve got back to playing some of the footy that we know that we’re about.”

Pyke said he enjoyed coaching from the bench after he spent some time there last week and the positive feedback he’d received from the players.

He said coaching from the boundary line allowed him to communicate one-on-one with his players, particularly with the new rules affecting the use of the runner.

“You see the game in a different way down there,” he said.

“It’s easier to coach from there with the lack of the runner … we’ll keep exploring whether we do that. I’m not saying we’ll do that every week.”

Pyke said tall defender Alex Keath was a stand out in defence.

Alex Keath of the Crows takes one of 14 marks on Saturday. Picture: Getty/Julian Smith

“He’s good and he’s got that really good knack about him.

“For a guy who’s played 25 games he’s really evolving, which is great.”

He also saved praised for his valiant co-captain, Taylor Walker, who shrugged off criticism of his form to boot four goals.

“The challenge for Tex coming into the year, if you remember last year he had such an interrupted season both through pre-season and through season and it’s only natural as every player does, at certain points he’s probably sitting there going: ‘When was the last time I played one of those really big games?’.

“He had a good pre-season, it was probably just him trusting that …. and continuing to work on the things that make him a really powerful player.

“He’s taken that next step to be that real powerful presence in our forward line and the way he’s moving at the moment makes him difficult to defend.”