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Conor Nash lays out Crows youngster as Adelaide beat Hawthorn in thriller

Hawthorn’s Conor Nash came from Gaelic football to the AFL, but he might well have a future in rugby league with hits like this.

Hawthorn's Conor Nash lays a hit on Adelaide's Jake Soligo.
Hawthorn's Conor Nash lays a hit on Adelaide's Jake Soligo.

Conor Nash has made what has been dubbed as the “tackle of the year”, in a massive hit on Adelaide’s Jake Soligo halfway through a thrilling fixture in Launceston at UTAS Stadium.

Soligo picked out a bouncing loose ball from a stoppage in Adelaide’s defensive 50 and taking the ball on the run, seemed like he was ready to set off on a scorching run off halfback, only to be met by Nash who dumped him hard enough for the ball to spill out and earn Hawthorn a holding call at the top of the 50.

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David King on Fox Footy said Nash should be “(lined) up for State of Origin”.

Social media was ablaze after the tackle.

“Conor Nash, that man has a family!” exclaimed Triple M’s Rudi Edsall.

“Conor Nash just pancaked him,” said another Twitter user.

“How is the footy world going to recover from the best tackle ever from Conor Nash?” said another.

It came as Nash starred for a gallant Hawthorn outfit, racking up 28 disposals and seven tackles as Hawthorn’s leading ball winner, with the men in brown and gold leading at every break only to fall agonisingly close at the death for the second week in a row.

Conor Nash put a huge hit on Jake Soligo.
Conor Nash put a huge hit on Jake Soligo.

The win marks the first time Adelaide have won four consecutive games under Matthew Nicks, and leaves Hawthorn at the bottom of the ladder with one win.

Hawthorn took the initiative early, laying on 32 tackles in the first quarter – the most of any side this season.

With the Crows down two goals with 6 minutes to play in the final quarter, it looked all over for the men from Adelaide, but it was two of the premier forwards in the competition that stood tall for the Crows to bring them home.

First was Izak Rankine with a snap from the pocket, but it was Darcy Fogarty with a late mark on the boundary around 40m out, and not capitulating to the modern trend of coming around the body on tight angles to slot through an ice-cool set shot and put Adelaide ahead by three in the dying minutes.

Originally published as Conor Nash lays out Crows youngster as Adelaide beat Hawthorn in thriller

Original URL: https://www.thechronicle.com.au/sport/afl/conor-nash-lays-out-crows-youngster-as-adelaide-beat-hawthorn-in-thriller/news-story/c54034881fe4954000da61e82aff8b40