AFL 2024 Round 2: Geelong Cats defeat Adelaide Crows 96-77 at Adelaide Oval to mark Stewart’s 150th game

A nightmare for the Crows, but it was a dream outcome for Tom Stewart on Friday night, with the Cats interceptor equalling the record for intercept marks as Geelong put Adelaide to the sword.

Adelaide is still searching for its first win of the season after failing to find a way past star Geelong defender Tom Stewart at one end of Adelaide Oval and struggling to contain Tom Hawkins at the other.

In his 150th career game, Stewart was a constant thorn in the Crows’ side in an intercept defending masterclass on Friday night, while Hawkins booted four goals as the Cats opened the season with back-to-back wins.

Matthew Nicks’ men trailed by 24 points at three-quarter time and had their chances to steal the points late.

Darcy Fogarty had the opportunity to slice the margin to 10 points with six-and-a-half minutes remaining, but hit the post running into an open goal, and Taylor Walker missed to the right with a quick snap a minute later in a frantic finale.

It mirrored much of an engrossing contest where the home side failed to grasp scoring opportunities, while the visitors were deadly accurate when it counted.

Shaun Mannagh celebrates a goal with Brad Close during the clash between the Crows and the Cats at Adelaide Oval. Picture: Sarah Reed/AFL Photos via Getty Images.

MANNAGH FROM HEAVEN

Geelong mature-aged recruit Shaun Mannagh’s first goal in AFL footy was the third in an unanswered four-goal opening-quarter blast that rocked the Crows back on their heels.

The 26-year-old stroked home a stylish right-foot snap as the energetic visitors got the jump on the Crows, who struggled to maintain possession early, with just two marks in the first 10 minutes.

Geelong poured on the pressure with 30 tackles in the first quarter, which stymied the home side’s efforts to move the ball with any fluency.

A week after managing just one goal in the first half in a season-opening loss to Gold Coast, Adelaide looked rusty early again, trailing by as much as 26 points before going into the first break 19 points down.

FLIP THE SCRIPT

The Cats led the inside 50s 18-10 in the first term, but Adelaide flipped the script in the second.

The rejuvenated Crows went inside 50 24 times to 11, but failed to capitalise on that advantage with poor kicking for goal and bad decision-making going inside the attacking arc that allowed Stewart to intercept time and again.

At one stage Adelaide peeled off 10 inside 50s in a row, but that burst yielded just three behinds, including a poster to Chris Burgess after a 50m penalty put him 15m out.

The former Sun kicked his first goal in Crows colours in the first quarter and added another in the second, with his miss costing him a career-high third.

Ben Keays knocks a ground invader to the ground at the Adelaide Oval on Friday night. Picture: Mark Brake/Getty Images.

INVADER VANQUISHED

Play was disrupted midway through the third quarter by a ground invader, who was ducking and weaving through a stoppage before play was halted.

Matt Crouch grabbed the intruder, although he didn’t stick the tackle, but Ben Keays didn’t miss, the forward throwing the young lad to the turf where he was apprehended by security staff.

Tom Hawkins celebrates a goal with Brad Close and Shaun Mannagh during the Cats’ win over the Crows. Picture: Sarah Reed/AFL Photos via Getty Images.

HAWK HITS BACK

The home fans were roaring when the Crows hit the front in the third quarter after Izak Rankine snapped a cracking goal in traffic.

Resurgent Adelaide had booted six of the past eight goals at that stage and looked set to run away with it.

Enter Tom Hawkins.

The star veteran slammed through three of his side’s four unanswered goals to finish the term in a pivotal salvo that set up a 24-point lead at the last change.

CROWS 3.2 5.5 8.7 11.11 (77)

CATS 6.3 7.5 12.7 14.12 (96)

PHELAN’S BEST CROWS: Crouch, Laird, Dawson, O’Brien, Hinge, Soligo. CATS: Stewart, Hawkins, Blicavs, Dangerfield, Miers, Holmes.

GOALS

CROWS: Fogarty 2, Burgess 2, Walker 2, Rankine 2, Soligo, Rachele, O’Brien.

CATS: Hawkins 4, Miers 3, O Henry 2, Cameron 2, Stengle, Mannagh, Close.

INJURIES

CROWS: Nil.

CATS: Duncan (Late withdrawal – personal), Atkins (Late withdrawal – injury).

44,758 at ADELAIDE OVAL

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

JASON PHELAN’S VOTES

3 Stewart (Geel)

2 Crouch (Adel)

1 Hawkins (Geel)

Originally published as AFL 2024 Round 2: Geelong Cats defeat Adelaide Crows 96-77 at Adelaide Oval to mark Stewart’s 150th game