AFL 2023: All the news, fallout from Melbourne vs Adelaide Crows
Adelaide’s late charge fell agonisingly short against Melbourne, leaving the Crows’ finals dream hanging by a thread. But Matthew Nicks isn’t giving up on the top eight.
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Adelaide isn’t giving up on finals after falling agonisingly short of toppling Melbourne at the MCG.
The Crows are now 13th and more than a game outside the eight with five games remaining, but coach Matthew Nicks was not willing to concede the season.
“We’re still fighting … we’re confident we can still win every game we go into,” he said.
“So we’ve got five to go ... we like to think we’re in it the next five weeks.”
The Crows coach said he was “disappointed, but no not shattered” about the last-gasp loss to Melbourne.
“Disappointed probably because we gave ourselves a chance and disappointed we probably weren’t able to quite put four quarters together,” he said.
“We were confident we were going to come rolling home and we did, but we’re disappointed we didn’t win the game of footy.”
He admitted the loss “sort of summed up our year a bit” to this point.
“That’s been our season, we’re right there and for whatever reason just not quite getting the job done at this point.
“So we’ve got to be better … (but) we just never give up and we kept coming.
“Execution in the end is what’s cost us the game.”
Melbourne forward Kysaiah Pickett warned the AFL he is officially back as his Demons survived a late scare from a fast-finishing Adelaide at the MCG on Sunday.
It’s been a patchy season for the premiership livewire, but he backed up his three goals against Brisbane last week with a scintillating display in a four-point win over the Crows on Sunday.
Pickett was electric and his pressure immense to finish with 20 disposals and two goals in a performance that will have plenty of Melbourne’s rivals worried as we get closer to September.
For fourth-placed Melbourne, the win was a reminder to its rivals it is still well in the premiership hunt.
For Adelaide, it was yet another reminder of its horrendous away record after another loss at the MCG that has all but killed its finals hopes.
The Crows rallied late to kick the final three goals of the game, but a final surge forward from Wayne Milera couldn’t find a target within range.
It was a low-scoring, dour opening with the Demons leading by four points at quarter-time.
They went up a notch in the second term, kicking four goals in a row to open up a 29-point lead against an inaccurate Adelaide side that went 1.8 before Taylor Walker kicked the Crows’ second.
That sparked the Crows, with the visitors going into the main break trailing by just 13 points.
The Demons kicked five goals to three in the third term to lead by 24 points at the final change.
It looked like Melbourne by how far until the Crows turned the game on its head early in the final term.
A Shane McAdam goal, two quick ones to Ben Keays and a snap goal to Walker evened up the scores early in the final term.
The Demons responded with goals to substitute Joel Smith and Taj Woewodin, and Kade Chandler’s third goal looked to snuff out the Crows’ run.
But two more goals to Walker and one to Brodie Smith made it a four-point margin with 1:30 remaining.
The Crows could come no further, and to add to the heartbreak they had an injured Izak Rankine helped off the field in the last two minutes.
TRAC UP FORWARD AGAIN
Josh Worrell would have been arguably the most nervous person at the MCG on Sunday when he jogged up to play on superstar Christian Petracca in just his 12th game.
The Demons’ bull again started up forward, where he spent most of the day, and finished goalless but presented well.
He was more effective when moved to the midfield, and it’ll be interesting to see if Simon Goodwin persists with Petracca in attack going forward.
A LONG WAY BACK FOR GRUNDY
Brodie Grundy still faces an uphill battle to force his way back into the Melbourne side.
Playing for Casey in the VFL on Saturday, Grundy kicked a modest 1.3 as part of Melbourne’s bold plan to reinvent him as a deep forward.
Skipper Max Gawn dominated last week playing a lone hand in the ruck, and he finished with 13 disposals, two goals and 38 hitouts on Sunday.
LATE CHANGES AND A DEBUTANT AT THE G
The Crows swung a surprise by debuting 20-year-old defender Luke Nankervis as one of two late changes.
Illness forced Ned McHenry and Patrick Parnell out of the side, with small forward Lachlan Murphy joining the debutant in the final 22.
Nankervis, who was taken with pick 2 in the 2021 pre-season draft from Sandringham Dragons, showed plenty to finish with 16 disposals.
SCOREBOARD
MELBOURNE 2.2, 6.4, 11.7, 14.13 (97)
ADELAIDE 1.4, 3.9, 6.13, 13.15 (93)
SMART’S BEST
Melbourne: Viney, Pickett, Brayshaw, Chandler, Petracca, Gawn,
Adelaide: Walker, Rankine , Hinge, Schoenberg, Crouch, Dawson, Smith
GOALS
Melbourne: Chandler 3, Melksham 2, Pickett 2, Gawn 2, Van Rooyen, Viney, Neal Bullen, Smith, Woewodin,
Adelaide: Walker 4, Rankine 3, Keays 2, Murphy, Fogarty, McAdam, Smith
INJURIES
Melbourne: Nil.
Adelaide: Nick Murray (knee/ankle), Izak Rankine (hamstring)
Crowd: 33,122 at MCG
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Nick Smart’s votes
3. Jack Viney (Melb)
2. Kysaiah Picket (Melb)
1. Taylor Walker (Adel)
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