Adelaide Crows coach Don Pyke says no AFL team is unbeatable

DON Pyke will not have his Crows team wear the tag of “The Unbeatables” after Adelaide became the only undefeated team still standing six weeks into the AFL home-and-away season.

DON Pyke will not have his Crows team wear the tag of “The Unbeatables” after Adelaide became the only undefeated team still standing six weeks into the AFL home-and-away season.

“No-one is unbeatable,” Pyke declared after leaving Richmond to digest its first loss of the season with a 76-point thrashing at Adelaide Oval.

But the unbeatable title certainly fits the 6-0 Crows with Tigers coach Damien Hardwick recognising the hard-running, high-scoring Adelaide is setting a pace no other AFL rival can match.

Rory Laird, Rory Sloane and Rory Atkins celebrate the Crows’ big win against Richmond.

“We understand how they play,” said Hardwick, comparing Adelaide to the great premiership dynasties in this century with Brisbane, Geelong and Hawthorn.

“Their ability to score — and score quickly. Their potency to open up the middle of the ground (with handball through the midfield), we understood that. We know how they play. But trying to stop that is a different match.”

Pyke’s warning that his Crows can still get better — even after opening the season without defeat and by breaking the 100-point scoring barrier in each game — will not comfort Adelaide’s 17 AFL rivals that are being left in the wake of a fast-running, high-scoring team.

Adelaide Crows coach Don Pyke congratulates captain Taylor Walker.

“I’ve been around a long time to know no-one is unbeatable,” Pyke said.

“But if we play the way we want to play, we are very hard to beat.”

Adelaide played impressive contested football after being put in a vice by the Tigers in the first term. The dominance of lead ruckman Sam Jacobs (50 hit-outs) and the game-setting ways of midfielder Rory Sloane (30-plus possession for the fourth consecutive week) loaded up the Adelaide attack led by captain Taylor Walker who finished with five goals for the second time this season.

Adelaide’s command of the game after quarter-time — measured with a 15.14 to 4.1 scoreline after trailing by nine points at the end of the first quarter — was so impressive that even Pyke sat back to enjoy the twilight show at Adelaide Oval last night.

Dustin Martin of the Tigers (right) reacts after the final siren.

“It’s exciting,” Pyke said. “I sat back in the box and enjoyed the ball movement. It is a real credit to the players.

“But there is still a lot of work to do. There’s areas where we can keep improving. Self-satisfaction will not lead to progress. We have a long way to go.”

Pyke does not have much further to take his theme of having contributions from all his players in the ultimate team game.

This was highlighted in the workover of the Tigers while Hardwick lamented having too many passengers last night.

For Pyke there is the summary: “One of our strengths is the contributions are really even. And we are getting rewarded for that. We have a team that does not rely on individuals. They rely on each other.”

Adelaide reported no injury last night in the lead-up to the away clash with a winning North Melbourne in Tasmania at the weekend.

Sloane did leave the field — as a precaution say the Crows — after taking a knock that is not expected to cause any concern.

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Originally published as Adelaide Crows coach Don Pyke says no AFL team is unbeatable