Adelaide v Richmond AFL Round 16: Live updates, SuperCoach scores, teams

Early in the season, the Crows’ three-pronged forward line was all the rage. But, over the past few months, it’s gone missing. Can Matthew Nicks recapture the spark?

Can the Crows get their three-headed monster back up and running as well?

At the start of the season the three-tall forward line of Riley Thilthorpe, Taylor Walker and Darcy Fogarty – with Dan Curtin flicking between a wing and attack – looked like it could be a point of difference for Matthew Nicks.

While the question was around how would the Crows’ defence stack up against the good sides of the competition.

At the midway point of their season, the questions have been reversed.

Against the top nine sides of the competition, the Crows defence is standing up quite nicely.

Their clearance to score against is the best in the competition, their score per inside 50 against is third in the competition, while their intercept to score against is seventh in the competition.

It isn’t being reflected offensively though.

The Crows are 16th for intercept to score and score per inside 50 against top nine sides, while their clearance to score is 17th.

Only twice against top nine sides, Round 4 against Gold Coast and Round 5 against Geelong have the Crows scored above 70 points so far this year.

And the weather is only getting colder and wetter, and the ball only more slippery.

Port Adelaide premiership player Dean Brogan said ground ball games became extremely important as the season went on.

Riley Thilthorpe has been a key part of the Crows’ forward line. Picture: Matt King/AFL Photos/via Getty Images.

“The three talls are starting to become a talking point,” he said on Grandstand SA.

“They haven’t performed of late, they were really good at the start of the year when the grounds were dry.

“They are not getting off the chain like they were at the start of the year, it is something they will probably have a look at during their week off.

“Are they getting the output they want from these three talls? Because in the middle of winter and towards the back-end of the season the ground ball game becomes very important and the best teams in the comp have really good ground ball games and if you are two tall you get found out.

“I think the three talls have to be looked at.”

In the Crows’ last game against Hawthorn, Thilthorpe, Walker and Fogarty combined for just the seven points.

The week before against Brisbane just Thilthorpe and Walker finished with a goal, in a pleasing sign that the Crows can win without the three firing on all cylinders.

Darcy Fogarty flies for the ball in Tasmania. Picture: Steve Bell/Getty Images.

But the issue will be can the Crows go so tall – Curtin has been performing well prior to the bye – at a stage of the season where the ball is more on the deck?

Adelaide coaching director Murray Davis said the Crows would take seven shots from their three-tall attack most weeks, and they wanted to have multiple avenues to goal.

“If you look at the last two games, Hawthorn and Brisbane, both teams really struggled to hit the scoreboard,” he said.

“So let’s look at the bigger picture and what we were able to do.

“When we get our ball movement going and we are able to give those guys the opportunities they have shown and we have shown that we are a pretty hard team to stop.

“What makes a really good team is having a lot of difference avenues to goal.

“We don’t want to rely on our three key forwards being the ones impacting the scoreboard each week because I think if you do have that it becomes easier to defend.”

Davis knows just how potent a firing three-tall forward line can be.

Previous side Brisbane won last year’s flag with Joe Daniher, Eric Hipwood and Logan Morris – although he is 191cm – spearheading the Lions’ forward line.

So it can work and bring the ultimate success.

Can the Crows get theirs back to being a strength in the second half of the season?

Originally published as Adelaide v Richmond AFL Round 16: Live updates, SuperCoach scores, teams