Brilliant finishers Eddie Betts, Charlie Cameron illustrate gulf between Crows and Lions

BRISBANE had effort, discipline and commitment — for a quarter-and-a-half, at least. But it didn’t have Eddie. IS THIS GOAL OF THE YEAR?

Hugh Greenwood celebrates a goal with Adelaide teammates.

ONE step forward, two steps back.

That has been the story of Brisbane’s season to date and it was the case in the Lions’ 80-point loss to the Crows at the Gabba on Saturday night.

For a quarter and a half Brisbane had effort, discipline and commitment — it just didn’t have Eddie.

MATCH CENTRE: FULL STATS AND SUPERCOACH

The Lions’ best chance of competing with the Crows was to turn the game into an arm wrestle and, for the large part of the first half, they succeeded.

They won the first quarter.

When Betts kicked a freak goal early in the second quarter it seemed his star power would be the only thing to separate the battling Crows and the dogged Lions.

Then things got ugly.

Nick Robertson tries to ruffle Rory Sloane’s feathers.

When basketball convert Hugh Greenwood got the first of two consecutive goals, the game changed.

The Crows went on a rampage. They booted nine goals straight, four of them to Charlie Cameron in a stunning third quarter, and all the positive notes that had been made about the Lions during the opening quarter stayed on the notepad and did not make it into this match report.

The Lions’ sloppy skills let the Crows into the game. But it was their meek surrender that turned it into a 21.14 (140) to 7.18 (60) rout in front of a disappointing crowd of 13,802.

The Crows must love having Betts in their side, knowing when times are tough and opportunities scarce, he will conjure something out of nothing.

However, forward Tom Lynch could be excused for being a little miffed at his mercurial mate.

Lynch’s goal at the 17-minute mark of the opening quarter from right on the boundary just inside the 50m arc was a worthy contender for the goal of the year.

The Crows forward gathered the ball and off one step with Daniel Rich closing in pumped it right over the goal umpire’s head, a split second before Sam Mayes bowled the poor sod over tying to spoil the ball.

Less than a half an hour of footy later, it wasn’t even the goal of the game.

Charlie Cameron takes a flying mark during his brilliant third-quarter burst.

Richard Douglas crashes to the Gabba turf.

Betts makes the extraordinary ordinary so often it barely surprises his teammates or Crows fans anymore.

But the goal he kicked on Darcy Gardiner seven minutes into the second quarter defied logic.

How he kept his feet with Gardiner doing his best to drag him to the ground is testament to his power and balance.

The way he dragged the ball across the surface like a soccer player, all the while in complete control, highlighted his ingenuity.

And then the grubber goal off the left foot which left Josh Walker spreadeagled in the square like a confused soccer goalie from a penalty would have been considered a fluke had it been performed by anyone but a handful of players in this league.

And that summed up the game.

Adelaide has world-class finishers, Brisbane doesn’t.

Hugh Greenwood enjoys one of his three goals in his first game.

FIVE THINGS WE LEARNT

1. Adelaide don’t just have Eddie Betts. It has the next Eddie Betts, and perhaps the one after that too. Charlie Cameron stole the limelight from Betts with a four-goal third quarter that broke the game open. Wayne Milera is a good player, too.

2. Chris Fagan is persisting with the use of taggers, giving Nick Robertson the job on Rory Sloane. He was well beaten by the Adelaide champ but Fagan will see that as a learning opportunity.

3. Basketball delivers for the Crows again. First it was Josh Jenkins and now Hugh Greenwood has had a debut to remember. The one-time baller who was on the verge of a career with the Perth Wildcats kicked three goals in his first AFL game.

4. The Lions kicked themselves out of the contest. Their effort and intensity in the first half was pretty good and they made the Crows look ordinary. But spoonfeeding a side with the class of Adelaide through turnovers is a recipe for disaster.

5. Josh Schache’s demotion didn’t have the desired effect. He managed just four touches in the NEAFL while Eric Hipwood, Michael Close and Matt Hammelman had dark nights in the seniors.

ANDREW HAMILTON’S BEST

Crows: Lynch, Laird, Betts, Cameron, Lever, Sloane

Lions: D. Beams, Rich, Taylor

Originally published as Brilliant finishers Eddie Betts, Charlie Cameron illustrate gulf between Crows and Lions