Ruthless Adelaide Crows topple AFLW record with 96-point drubbing

Records tumbled at Unley Oval on Sunday where ruthless Adelaide handed an AFLW record 96-point drubbing to hapless GWS.

Anne Hatchard of the Crows. Photo by Mark Brake/Getty Images

Records tumbled at Unley Oval on Sunday where ruthless Adelaide handed an AFLW record 96-point drubbing to hapless GWS.

Dynamic midfield duo Ebony Marinoff and Anne Hatchard starred for the Crows, who booted their highest-ever score (15.7) while restricting the stunned Giants to just one behind.

The whopping margin eclipsed the record set by Melbourne in Round 9 of the competition’s sixth season when the Demons thrashed Fremantle by 88 points.

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The Crows (4-1) charged to second spot on the ladder with their fourth win in a row, while GWS languishes in 16th with a 1-4 record.

The home side had winners across every line, but Marinoff and Hatchard were the clear standouts in slippery conditions.

Marinoff finished with a career-best 36 possessions, laid 12 tackles and kicked a goal while Hatchard had 28 disposals and kicked three majors.

McKenzie Dowrick set a new personal best with four goals and Ash Woodland chimed in with three in a blitz that the Giants simply had no answers for.

Coach Matthew Clarke couldn’t have asked for a better tune-up ahead of the first-ever AFLW Showdown against the Power at Adelaide Oval on Friday evening.

“Our contest numbers were off the charts and we were pretty efficient too … I’m very happy,” Clarke said.

“Showdowns are a bit special so we’ll get amongst it and enjoy that rivalry.

“I think rivalries are really important for footy and we’ve got a cracker here in SA.

“It’s a game of footy and you have to prepare as you do with any other but there’s no doubt that Showdowns are a big deal in this town.”

Stevie-Lee Thompson of the Crows. Photo by Mark Brake/Getty Images

Blazing Start

The Giants had led at quarter-time in each of their first four matches, while the Crows trailed at the first break in each of their opening four games.

But Clarke’s side bucked that trend in no uncertain terms in a record-breaking start, Adelaide kicking five goals in an opening term for the first time.

Marinoff began the jaw-dropping blitz with the sixth goal of her decorated 58-game career, the four-time All Australian stroking home a superb running goal from just inside 50.

Debutant Jess Waterhouse, a former Young Matilda and Adelaide United player, showed off her soccer skills with a sublime kick off the ground that set up a Caitlin Gould goal as the onslaught continued.

The red-hot Crows had the first 10 inside 50s of the game before the visitors managed to wander inside their own attacking zone in a forward foray that was swiftly shut down.

The home side had 28 more disposals in the first quarter to lead the shell-shocked Giants by 35 points at the first break.

Adelaide thumping GWS by 96-points and holding them to just one behind alludes to some growing pains of the women's comp.
But I don't hear anyone calling for the men's comp to be scrapped or that it's in disarray after Geelong walloped Sydney by 81-points in the GRAND FINAL yday

— Marnie Vinall (@marnievinall) September 25, 2022

Brutal. #AFLWCrowsGiantspic.twitter.com/2z2JoN60xD

— Michael Mazengarb (@MichaelM_ACT) September 25, 2022

Dusty-esque

With light rain falling, Adelaide’s scoring slowed in the second term but GWS still couldn’t break through for a score of any kind.

Hatchard put a fend on Alicia Eva that Richmond superstar Dustin Martin would have been proud of to kick the first major of the quarter.

Dowrick became the first multiple goal kicker of the day with a stunning effort off her non-preferred foot in traffic and reigning AFLW leading goal kicker Woodland joined the party with her set shot after the half-time siren making it a 53-point margin.

Woodland kicked her seventh goal of the season soon after the restart, with Dowrick adding a third to stretch the margin to 66 points.

Captains Chelsea Randall of the Crows and Alicia Eva of the Giants. Photo by Mark Brake/Getty Images

50th to forget

GWS skipper Alicia Eva played her 50th AFLW game, but it was a milestone the star midfielder won’t recall fondly despite playing well herself.

Meghan Gaffney kicked her side’s only score of the day after a rare error from Eloise Jones, who kicked the ball into the point post in the third quarter.

Hatchard took the margin past 88 points with her third with just under two minutes left in the game and Waterhouse booted her first AFLW goal to make it 96 points with 1:20 left on the clock.

The dismal display by GWS means Cam Bernasconi’s side has gone seven quarters without kicking a goal.

“It was extremely disappointing … we just didn’t compete,” Bernasconi said.

“So we’ll go back to the drawing board and look at our contest method and challenge the group.

“We need to get better because that just wasn’t good enough.”

— NCA NewsWire

Originally published as Ruthless Adelaide Crows topple AFLW record with 96-point drubbing