Crows hold their own in ruck battle against Magpies’ big man - but lose the war
Adelaide’s decision to bring back Reilly O’Brien to help Sam Jacobs battle Collingwood’s Brodie Grundy delivered mixed results in the Crows big loss. Recap with quarter-by-quarter updates.
The numbers didn't add up for Adelaide coach Don Pyke.
And it's why for the first time in his tenure as Crows coach — his 92nd game in charge overall — he opted to play two genuine ruckmen against Collingwood on Saturday.
Adelaide was spooked by 2018 All-Australian Magpie Brodie Grundy’s last appearance against it in round four last year.
On that occasion at Adelaide Oval, Sturt product Grundy produced one of the greatest games ever seen by a ruckman.
His statistical line read: 33 disposals, including 23 contested possessions, 40 hit-outs, 12 clearances and a goal as he led Collingwood to a stunning 48-point triumph.
So Pyke and his coaching staff, perhaps taking a leaf out of West Coast premiership coach Adam Simpson’s book, threw both his genuine ruckmen — veteran Sam Jacobs, playing his 200th game but just fourth this year after undergoing knee surgery after round two and being asked to come back through the SANFL, and 23-year-old novice Reilly O’Brien at the Magpie powerhouse.
In last year’s grand final, Simpson — with No. 1 ruckman Nic Naitanui sidelined with a serious knee injury — used the tandem of Scott Lycett (now at Port Adelaide) and Nathan Vardy to run Grundy into the ground.
The tactic worked, with the duo restricting Grundy to a below-par 10 disposals while combining for 23 themselves.
Grundy had 20 more hit-outs (49 to 29) than the pair but his around the ground work was diminished.
“We just feel with Grundy’s ability to win the ball not only from the tap but also on the ground we needed extra power around there,’’ Adelaide assistant and midfield coach Michael Godden said in explaining the decision prior to Saturday’s contest.
Brisbane great and Fox Footy commentator Jonathan Brown backed the move, saying: “It’s a good call because Grundy is their (the Magpies’) big weapon and I've said before that you can wear him down late in a game if you put two ruckmen against him’’.
The Crows tried to rough Grundy up from the start, making a concerted effort to ensure it wasn’t beaten by his heroics this time.
At half-time, Grundy had managed a modest seven disposals and 13 hit-outs.
The Crows pair had combined for 10 possessions and 14 hit-outs.
But the injury-ravaged Magpies led by 17 points mostly because of their greater efficiency inside 50.
At the start of the third quarter, the visitors blew the game wide open in the blink of an eye.
Getting on top at the clearances, they piled on five unanswered goals in 14 minutes to blow their lead out to a whopping eight goals.
Four of them came from stoppages, largely due to Grundy’s clean aerial work, which was capitalised on by ace midfielders Scott Pendlebury, Taylor Adams and Adam Treloar.
Suddenly, the two ruck decision was questioned by an Adelaide great.
“I don't think the two rucks has worked for Adelaide by the look of that,’’ Mark Ricciuto, a Crows board member, said on Fox Footy.
But Grundy wasn’t the massive difference maker in this game.
He was good (17 disposals, 35 hit-outs) without being dominant.
More blame should lie with the Crows midfielders, who were well beaten by their opponents.
While the Magpie men ran riot and fed medium forwards like Jamie Elliott (five goals), the usually prolific Crouch brothers, Matt and Brad, and co-captain Rory Sloane did not exert their usual influence, which put the defence under enormous pressure.
And it meant the popular Jacobs did not get the fairytale milestone match he — or the club — desperately coveted.
QUARTER-BY-QUARTER UPDATES
FIRST QUARTER
Crows 0.5 (5)
Magpies 2.2 (14)
Collingwood got the started it wanted on the road when a Jame Elliott centred kick to the goalsquare in the third minute fell into the lap of Josh Thomas who, under pressure, scrambled his kick over the goal-line.
Crow Eddie Betts then wasted an early chance to boot his 600th career goal when, after marking 40m from goal, he handballed to a running Brodie Smith, whose flying shot went out-of-bounds on the full.
It was a costly miss, with Adelaide failing to kick a goal for the term, twice hitting the post in managing just five behinds. The Magpies got a late major through Elliott to take a nine-point lead into the first break.
SECOND QUARTER
Crows 2.6 (18)
Magpies 5.5 (35)
The Crows were dominating the inside 50 count but couldn’t convert on the scoreboard. When Brayden Maynard bounced one through from outside 50m, Collingwood had opened up a 15-point lead.
Adelaide’s first goal did not come until five minutes before half-time when veteran Richard Douglas outmarked Tom Phillips close to goal after good work from co-captain Taylor Walker. But the Magpies, having wasted an opportunity to stretch their lead when Will Hoskin-Elliott dropped a handpass from Travis Varcoe in the goalsquare, then broke to a 23-point advantage following back-to-back goals to Varcoe and Thomas. The Crows reduced the half-time deficit to three goals when young gun Darcy Fogarty kicked truly from a long set shot.
THIRD QUARTER
Crows 3.8 (26)
Magpies 11.8 (74)
This was the quarter that Adelaide was put to the sword. With a finals spot at stake at half-time, the Crows were quickly left battered and bruised and out of the game. Getting right on top at the stoppages, Collingwood booted six unanswered goals in 20 minutes to race nine goals clear. Taylor Adams started the run with a nice set shot in the second minute. Elliott then kicked two in a row, followed by majors to Hoskin-Elliott, Varcoe and Phillips. The run of consecutive goals was finally ended by Tom Lynch just before the final change, when he marked and snapped truly. But the horse had bolted.
FOURTH QUARTER
Crows 6.12 (48)
Magpies 17.12 (114)
The only real highlight for Adelaide came at the start of the final term when Eddie Betts kicked his 600th goal. It was a typical small forward shark from the former Blue in the goalsquare and had to survive a goal review to count. Elliott - having a day out - quickly ended any thoughts of a Crows comeback by kicking his fourth and fifth goals. Adelaide young gun Darcy Fogarty finished the game strongly, kicking two goals for the term to finish with three for the match - a week after bagging five majors in a breakout performance against West Coast.
ADELAIDE V COLLINGWOOD
Saturday 17 August, 4.05pm at Adelaide Oval
Weather: Possible shower, max 20C
TV: Fox Footy, Channel 7 (live)
Radio: FIVEaa, TripleM, ABC891
Live stream the 2019 Toyota AFL Premiership Season on KAYO SPORTS. Every match of every round. Live & anytime on your TV or favourite device. Get your 14 day free trial >
CROWS
B: Laird, Talia, Brown
HB: Kelly, Hartigan, Mackay
C: Seedsman, B. Crouch, Milera
HF: Smith, Walker, Lynch
F: Jacobs, Fogarty, Betts
FOLL: O’Brien, M. Crouch, Sloane
I/C: Jones, Gibbs, Douglas, Murphy
EMG: Greenwood, Otten, Himmelberg
IN: Seedsman, O’Brien, Jones
OUT: Knight (hip), Atkins, Otten (both omitted)
MAGPIES
B: Greenwood, Scharenberg, Howe
HB: Crisp, Madgen, Maynard
C: Phillips, Pendlebury, Mayne
HF: Brown, Mihocek, Hoskin-Elliott
F: Elliott, Roughead, Sidebottom
FOLL: Grundy, Treloar, Adams
I/C: Noble, Thomas, Varcoe, Wills
EMG: Brown, Crocker, Daicos, Keane
IN: Noble
OUT: Daicos (omitted)