Taylor Walker and Josh Jenkins star as Adelaide smash Western Bulldogs by 59 points
ARE the Western Bulldogs cooked in season 2017? After booting just one goal in the second half against Adelaide on Friday night their season is on the ropes as the Crows flex their muscles.
AFL News
Don't miss out on the headlines from AFL News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
TWIN peaks Taylor Walker and Josh Jenkins defied the wet conditions as Adelaide cemented its top-four standing with a commanding win against premiers Western Bulldogs on Friday night.
The two key forwards turned a rained-soaked Adelaide Oval into their playground, kicking seven goals between them in the first three quarters, as the Crows showed for the second consecutive week that they are not just fast-track specialists.
GUTTED: BEVO SLAMS ‘UNACCEPTABLE’ DOGS
VIDEO: IS WALKER IN TROUBLE FOR PUSHING JJ INTO POST?
Their emphatic 59-point win – after they led by only three points at half-time but kicked 11 goals to one in the second half – followed last week’s hard-fought two-goal triumph against Carlton at the MCG.
Fears of Adelaide – smashed in clearances 41-22 - being too top-heavy in the wet were dispelled as captain Walker (three goals) and attacking sidekick Jenkins (four) proved the difference-makers.
They marked, taking 18 grabs between them, and kicked the ball like it was dry and combined for more goals than the Bulldogs (five) managed as a team.
It was only their unselfishness in front of the sticks that denied them more majors, with the pair combining for five score assists.
Key defender Jake Lever showed why he is the most-sought-after out-of-contract key defender in the country – and why the Crows must keep him – with 11 marks while vice-captain Rory Sloane, who ran without a tight tag, bounced back to strong form with 24 disposals and a goal.
Prolific midfielder Matt Crouch had another 30-plus disposals game, finishing with 32, while wingman Rory Atkins illustrated his class and Riley Knight, playing as a defensive forward, blanketed Bulldogs’ Norm Smith Medallist Jason Johannisen.
MATCH CENTRE: FULL STATS AND SUPERCOACH
ANALYSIS: SLOANE FINALLY GETS SOME BREATHING SPACE
While the big win confirmed 11-4 Adelaide’s status as a genuine premiership contender – and lifted it back to top spot - the Bulldogs have slumped to 7-8 and are in danger of missing the finals.
They are now 0-5 interstate this season, after being 5-2 last year.
Veteran Crow Scott Thompson – playing his first AFL game for 293 days because of injury and form issues - started on the bench and had a modest return game with just 10 disposals.
Adelaide sent Knight to playmaker Johannisen at the opening bounce after he had been curtailed by tight-checking opponents in his previous four games.
After averaging 25 disposals in his first 10 matches this season, Johannisen was restricted to an average of just 14 against Sydney, Melbourne, North Melbourne and West Coast.
With Knight trying to get physical and take him out of the game, Johannisen tried to break the tag by running to the dangerous Eddie Betts.
But Betts made the early running for the Crows, setting up both of their first quarter goals with clever passes to Walker and Jenkins.
But the Bulldogs had clearly come to play and had the better of the opening stanza.
With Jack Macrae winning eight contested possessions and three clearances for the term, the Dogs had 10 of the first 13 inside 50s but wasted some early opportunities in front of the sticks.
It took a 50m torpedo bomb off one step from long-kicking defender Matt Suckling to break the visitor’s goal drought.
And when Jack Redpath took advantage of some brilliant play from the talented but erratic Jake Stringer, the Bulldogs had a two-point advantage at the first change.
The lead did not last long.
The Jenkins-Betts double act combined for two quick goals to start the second quarter and when wingman Atkins snapped truly from 30m the Crows had surged to a handy 16-point lead.
But with star Marcus Bontempelli making the ball appear dry and Macrae and Toby McLean winning plenty of midfield ball, the Dogs fought back hard.
They failed to kick a goal with their first 16 inside 50s of the quarter but they struck twice in three minutes just before the long break to stay in the game.
Bailey Dale’s snap reduced the deficit to single figures and when Stringer marked strongly and goaled after the half-time siren, Adelaide’s lead had been cut to three points.
The Crows were fortunate to be in front, having been belted 211-178 in disposals, 33-26 in inside 50s and 22-11 in clearances.
But with Walker and Jenkins leading the way, the second half became a laugher, with Adelaide kicking the only seven goals of the third quarter and 10 consecutive majors before Luke Dahlhaus snapped the streak 17 minutes into the final term.
ADELAIDE 2.2 5.5 12.5 16.8 (104)
BULLDOGS 2.4 4.8 4.11 5.15 (45)
BEST – Adelaide: Jenkins, Walker, Lever, M. Crouch, Atkins, Sloane, Betts, Laird.
Bulldogs: McLean, Macrae, Bontempelli, Stringer, Suckling.
GOALS – Adelaide: Jenkins 4, Walker 3, Betts 2, Atkins, B. Crouch, M. Crouch, Douglas, Knight, Sloane, Cameron.
Bulldogs: Dahlhaus, Dale, Redpath, Stringer, Suckling.
UMPIRES – R. Chamberlain, S. Meredith, C. Fleer.
CROWD – 41,948 at Adelaide Oval.
HERALD SUN VOTES – 3: Taylor Walker (Adel). 2: Josh Jenkins. (Adel). 1: Jake Lever.
Originally published as Taylor Walker and Josh Jenkins star as Adelaide smash Western Bulldogs by 59 points
AFL Draft 2024: Full order, latest intel and the top prospects
Clubs are bracing for as many as 27 players to be taken in the first round of the national draft. Get the latest intel on who your club could pick plus full draft order as it stands.
Robbo’s Top 50: The four aces who could all be named No. 1
Footy’s biggest list is back with Mark Robinson naming his top 50 players of season 2024 and four superstars could barely be split for the top gong. Check out Robbo’s Top 50 and have your say.