AFL Round 3: Taylor Walker leads Adelaide Crows to thrilling win over Gold Coast
Adelaide had a battle on its hands but one big opportunity opened up just before the final term and Matthew Nicks used it to give a pep talk to one of his key players.
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It wasn’t so much a rev up rather a pep-talk Matthew Nicks had for ruckman Reilly O’Brien at three-quarter time.
Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley may say tap dominance in the ruck is overemphasised, but with Gold Coast’s co-captain Jarrod Witts out of the game after suffering a knee injury Nicks knew the Crows had an opportunity to get a bit of an advantage in a game that looked set to be decided by inches.
The 2020 Club Champion for Adelaide had played the first three quarters at Adelaide Oval on Good Friday much like he started the 2021 season, OK but not at the extremely impressive level he played at last year.
He had an opportunity to change this, and Nicks made sure he knew with his final talk of the night.
“I guess we were fortunate that the opposition ruckman went down, you don’t like to see that but I said to ‘Rob’ (O’Brien) the opportunity is there for you to take this game,” Nicks said.
“You hate to see injuries and it obviously had an effect on the game, we were able to get our ruck with a bit more dominance and get that first look at the ball around stoppages.
“So that’s what I said to him. It might be your quarter for us.”
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At that point the Suns had won the clearance count 29-22.
O’Brien was getting beaten by Witts in the hit-outs, 26-18, had only touched the ball nine times and laid just the one tackle.
Just one quarter later O’Brien’s hit-outs were at 35, his disposals 19 to go with three marks, three tackles and two clearances as Adelaide edged the Suns by 10 points in a thriller.
Western Bulldogs legend Brad Johnson described O’Brien’s fourth quarter as “big” on Fox Footy as the ruckman got to work.
The first two ruck contests after Nicks’ pep-talk, O’Brien won.
He then stripped Touk Miller of the ball to give Nicks a glimpse of his form from last year again.
“It hasn’t quite been at the level from last year (O’Brien’s form) but he was at a very high level,” Nicks said.
“He is playing a really important role for us Rob. He is grinding away.
“He hasn’t found the aerial form that he had last year, he was marking a lot of the footy, but I felt that in the last quarter you saw a bit of what he did last year and I’m hoping he can take some confidence from that.
“Because he is so important for us, and for him to finish off the way he did … he was great which is a great sign.”
FIGHTING BACK
Another good sign for Nicks was the ability of his young Crows side to fight back on multiple occasions.
While Adelaide had four players in its 22 that were eligible for the Rising Star award on Friday night, the Suns had none for just the second time in their history.
And in the opening exchanges of the match it looked like men against boys as the Suns kicked three goals in seven minutes.
The Crows had been the No.1 ranked clearance and pressure team in the competition so far coming into the game, but were getting smashed by the Suns – who opened up a 23-point lead at one stage in the first quarter.
Young midfielder Sam Berry said this was down to a lack of pressure on the Crows’ behalf, but they were able to address this on the field.
“We weren’t probably bringing the pressure that we wanted to so once we brought our heat we showed that we could not only match them but also outplay them,” he said.
“When we brought that heat and pressure I think we got on top of them.”
But while the Crows came roaring back, the Suns fought back themselves to take leads in the third and fourth quarters before Adelaide ultimately ran away with the game.
Nicks said to be able to do this was a big step forward for his side.
“To be challenged and respond it is another step for us,” he said.
“To be in front in games and front run and everyone gets on board that’s great but for a young group like us to be challenged and it was four times. We got to the eight minute mark of most quarters and the screen was lighting up red.
“But we were able to wrestle back the game on our terms and I think we kicked eight goals plus in red time across the game.
“I’m really proud of what we did and as a coach it’s a great sign, it’s added another string to our bow.”
Berry said this was in part due to a focus on fitness at West Lakes.
“We kind of pride ourselves on being one of the fitter teams, outrunning and outworking our opponents,” he said.
LET’S TALK ABOUT TEX
Taylor Walker’s incredible 2021 continued with six goals to lead the Crows to victory.
In 2020 he won the Crows goal kicking award with 15, he surpassed that midway through the third quarter at Adelaide Oval against the Suns.
Berry said it was incredible to be playing with Walker in this form.
“It is honestly a bit surreal, he is just in ripping form so it is unbelievable to play with,” he said.
“I think when he is not marking it he is bringing it to ground and creating opportunity everywhere.
“Tex has been doing it all.”
So far in 2021 he has kicked five goals against Geelong, six against Sydney and now six against the Suns – just a bit of an increase on his previous best after the first three rounds of 11 goals.
If he continues at this current pace, and plays every week, Walker would kick his 100th goal in Round 19.
Rory Sloane described Walker as “like a (Penfolds) Grange”, but Nicks was again keen to maintain that Walker’s form should not be judged on his age.
“We say 30 like it is old, it is not old, there are players who have played past 30. He’s a key forward, he’s not a bash and crash midfielder on the inside,” he said.
“It will come down to how the team is playing, if we have to manage Tex at a point because if we aren’t playing well then we will ask him to do things that aren’t his weapons.
“That will be competing in packs and having to crash packs consistently.
“Tex mentioned something in the rooms, it’s just the cream on top. The boys are doing the hard work, seeking the contest surging the ball forward as often as we can and Tex is finishing it off.”
DARE TO DREAM?
After two heavy losses to Port Adelaide in pre-season, the Crows were expected to have another tough year on the scoreboard.
Yet after three games, Nicks’ side has a better record than preliminary finalists Brisbane, Collingwood, Carlton and GWS and are sitting in the top eight.
And they have a big chance to keep the confidence going with a North Melbourne side that was trounced by the Western Bulldogs next, followed by a home game against Fremantle and then a trip to Tasmania to take on Hawthorn.
The Crows could conceivably be 5-1 by the time the final siren sounds in Launceston in Round 6, and Berry said Adelaide was looking forward to the run.
“Obviously can’t go in and underestimate any of those teams but we do have a great opportunity and I think the belief at the moment can kind of drive that,” he said.
Nicks said getting momentum was the key.
“It’s really important and it’s not all about win loss for us,” he said.
“The way we play our footy is the way we keep momentum going, it’s the belief the boys have in each other, it’s the belief the members have in our group and in the footy club – they can see the direction we are heading.
“That is what we are after because performances come off the back of that. We have that at the moment and we need to stick to that and stay and the space we are in.
“I think the boys should be proud of what we are doing at the moment.”
WALKER RENAISSANCE CONTINUES AS CROWS DOWN SUNS
Taylor Walker has returned to the top of the Coleman Medal standings, continuing his renaissance in 2021 with a six-goal showing to inspire Adelaide to a thrilling win over the Suns on Good Friday.
Walker starred as the Crows shocked Geelong in Round 1 with five goals and then backed that up against Sydney with six.
At Adelaide Oval on Friday night he added six more to his tally.
It means now just three games into the season, Walker already has more goals than the 15 he kicked in 2020 to be the Crows leading goal kicker.
Walker continuing his fine form in 2021 was key in the Crows fighting their way back into the match at Adelaide Oval.
The Suns raced out of the blocks in the opening stages of the match – kicking three goals in the first seven minutes.
But a Walker-inspired Adelaide fought back in a thrilling match.
The 10-point triumph was the second in the opening three rounds for last season’s wooden spooners and offers more promise of a resurgence.
To go with his latest bag of goals, the 30-year-old key forward also set up two more, for James Rowe in the first quarter and a crucial goal by Ben Keays in the fourth.
“For the first 15 minutes Gold Coast was in control but on the back of Tex Walker the Crows are back in this,” Hawthorn legend Jason Dunstall said on Fox Footy.
Western Bulldogs legend Brad Johnson said Walker; “had his agility back”.
After the game Crows captain Rory Sloane said Walker “was in some nick”.
“He’s like a (Penfolds) Grange, he’s like a fine wine the Texan,” Sloane said.
As well as the six goals Walker finished with 23 disposals, nine marks and three tackles as the former Crows captain continued his fine 2021 – a year many thought looked set to be his last.
#AFLCrowsSuns Yeah! Footy really is back. Taylor Walker— unbelievable.
— Graham Cornes (@Cornesy12) April 2, 2021
Tex Walker currently on NBA Jam. #weflyasone#AFLCrowsSunspic.twitter.com/W9ufh6IR2e
— Ryan Fitzgerald (@FitzySA) April 2, 2021
NOBODY can stop TEX in 2021 🔥#AFLCrowsSunspic.twitter.com/ALtcTVYUBm
— AFL (@AFL) April 2, 2021
“I’m enjoying the way he (Walker) goes about it,” Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks said post-match.
“He is getting the rewards he deserves.
“He had a number of contests he was in where you sit back and clap your hands and say that was genuine individual brilliance.”
Nicks also praised the performance of Rory Sloane as one of the best captain’s games he had witnessed and believes the ability of his side to respond when challenged was another big step forward.
“To be the frontrunner and everyone gets on board and performs, that is great,” he said. “But for a young group to be challenged like we were tonight, it was four times we’d get to the eight minute mark and the screen is lighting up red.
“But we were able to get the arm wrestle back on our terms and we kicked eight goals plus in red time across the game. We know we are fit, we know we can run games out.
“I’m really proud of what they did and it is a great sign. It is adding another string to our bow.
“It is putting us in a position where we can be behind and it does not mean we can’t come back and win games.”
COSTLY MISS
Darcy MacPherson had the chance to put the Suns 21 points clear midway through the opening quarter, only to hit the post from 15m in front with his casual attempt.
His miss was further punished when the Crows raced the ball down the ground, resulting in Walker receiving a free for holding and nailing the goal from just outside 50m.
That meant the Crows’ deficit was only 10 points.
Fortunately for MacPherson, he was on the end of a chain of passes, by foot and hand, to kick the next goal and enable the Suns to regain momentum.
FEAST OR FAMINE
After the goal feast of the opening quarter when both teams bagged five, it took 18 minutes of defensive-dominated action for a major in the second term courtesy of Crow Harry Schoenberg.
Just two minutes later, his teammate Shane McAdam gave the Crows their first lead of the game with a set-shot goal.
And then livewire small forward James Rowe extended the Crows lead with a successful snap for goal, and the subsequent trademark fist pump celebration.
TURNOVERS CAN BE SO PAINFUL
Nine minutes into the third quarter, Schoenberg was clumsy with his skills and spilled the ball as the Crows were about to launch an attack from half back.
Wil Powell pounced for the Suns and hit key forward Ben King with a well-weighted pass. King made no mistake from 40 to nail his fourth major.
It was the Suns’ second goal for the quarter, the first also coming from Crows’ mistakes.
INJURY WOES
The Suns’ injury woes with their big men continues after ruckman Jarrod Witts was forced from the field in the third quarter due to a knee issue.
Witts was the sole ruck option in the side, meaning Chris Burgess had to be thrown into the role. Burgess was recruited from West Adelaide as a pre-draft selection in 2018.
Noted for his work in the backlines for West, Burgess kicked two goals for the Suns before being sent into ruck.
It also meant former Crow Hugh Greenwood had to contest the ball-ups at time, so short the Suns were on tall bodies
Nick Holman may just be the AFL’s first medical sub specialist after replacing Witts. He has been used in the role in all three rounds.
The Suns said they think the knee injury Witts suffered was not an ACL but instead a medial ligament. He was able to walk unassisted following the match in a positive sign.
SCOREBOARD
ADELAIDE 5.0 8.2 11.6 14.11 (95)
GOLD COAST 5.6 5.9 9.11 12.13 (85)
BEST
Crows: Sloane, Walker, Laird, Smith, Seedsman, Doedee, Keays.
Suns: Anderson, Ellis, Greenwood, King, Witts, Miller.
GOALS
Adelaide: Walker 6, Rowe 2, McAdam 2, Berry, Schoenberg, Keays, McHenry
Gold Coast: King 4, Burgess 2, Holman 2, Rankine, MacPherson, Weller, Ellis
INJURIES: Suns: Witts (knee).
UMPIRES – Deboy, Stephens, Harris.
VENUE – Adelaide Oval
Originally published as AFL Round 3: Taylor Walker leads Adelaide Crows to thrilling win over Gold Coast
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