High-scoring Adelaide Crows draw comparisons with Hawthorn of 2014

DON Pyke’s Adelaide is everything we love about this game. Speed, aggression, corridor play and a swashbuckling style that delivers goals by the bucketload, writes SAM EDMUND.

Eddie Betts runs past Alex Rance. Picture: Sarah Reed

IF WE marvelled at the resilience of the Western Bulldogs in last year’s flag fairytale, we should also embrace the showtime Crows.

For if Adelaide does go on to win the big one, it would be a premiership for the good guys.

Don Pyke’s Adelaide is everything we love about this game. Speed, aggression, corridor play and a swashbuckling style that delivers goals by the bucketload.

Eddie Betts is one of Adelaide’s fleet of exciting goalkickers.

Regardless of where your allegiances lie, you can’t help but take a liking to the brand they play.

While the Dogs’ flag drought was snapped with admirable coalface grit, the Crows could light up September like a Griswold Christmas tree.

Adelaide is the only team averaging more than 100 points a game. In fact, they’re still churning out 112.7 points a week — 23 points more than the AFL average of 89.5 points after 20 rounds.

The Crows’ nearest challenger on the scoreboard is Geelong, which is going at 99 points a game.

UP FOR GRABS: JON RALPH RANKS ALL 50 AFL FREE AGENTS

SURPRISE STAT: THE DUSTY FLAW THAT COULD COST TIGERS

The last time this sort of scoring discrepancy existed was in 2014 when Hawthorn steamrolled everyone in its path before thrashing Sydney by 10 goals in the Grand Final.

Adelaide’s freewheeling fleet of attackers — Taylor Walker (46 goals), Eddie Betts (45), Josh Jenkins (35), Tom Lynch (26) and Charlie Cameron (22) — have propelled the Crows to the No. 1 side in the competition for goals per inside 50 (28.5 per cent) and points scored from turnovers (73.4).

There is a perception that the Crows are something of an offensive one-trick pony and if the opposition keeps its defenders at home they can be suffocated.

The numbers say this is a myth.

While Adelaide ranks No. 1 for points launched from its defensive half (41.9 per game), the bulk of its tally is generated from the forward half (58.7).

Basically, the Crows can score from anywhere, but coach Don Pyke says that is the result of other factors falling into place ahead of a likely shootout against a similarly attack-minded Essendon at Etihad Stadium.

It should be noted that the Crows also concede only 79.6 points per game — the fourth-best defence in the AFL.

“It’s not about scoring, it’s ultimately for us about the way we want to play in all our phases,” Pyke said this week.

“Our scoring is off the back of winning our fair share at the contest and defending the ball really well. That’s going to be a challenge on the weekend because Essendon are good in both those areas and obviously they’re a scoring team.

“We need to defend the ground really well and when we win it back that will give us our opportunity.”

@SammyHeraldSun