Top four finish in sight for Adelaide Crows after crushing Gold Coast Suns

The Adelaide Crows’ first half was the stuff of dreams for Matthew Nicks, with finals hopefuls Gold Coast going goalless in a spectacle Damien Hardwick called a ‘kick in the nuts’.

Adelaide’s first-half shut out of Gold Coast was the stuff of dreams for Matthew Nicks, with the ability to handle the increasing hype around the high-flying Crows his players’ next big challenge.

Adelaide moved a step closer to clinching a top-four finish with Sunday’s 61-point win, with Nicks’ switched-on men booting nine first-half goals while keeping the Suns goalless in the first half for the first time in their history.

Damien Hardwick likened Gold Coast’s historic goalless first half and heavy loss to Adelaide to a swift kick to the nether region, but the coach is confident his players will quickly shake off the blow.

After failing to register a goal in the first half for the first time in the club’s history and kicking a club record first-half low 0.4 in a 61-point loss, a typically forthright Hardwick didn’t mince words in his post-match assessment.

“Every good side I’ve been a part of gets a kick in the nuts at some stage and today was our kick in the nuts,” Hardwick said.

“We didn’t kick very well, we didn’t take our chances, and they did.

“You’ve got to take your chances when you play away, and we had some outstanding looks going across the arcs, and we just stuffed them up.

“Sometimes it’s the (crowd) noise and you think you’ve got less time than what you actually have, and we just didn’t execute that well enough.

Damien Hardwick after his side was given a ‘kick in the nuts’. Picture: Mark Brake/Getty Images.

“So, the things we’ll take into account is we’re still a side that is learning how to win those big games.

“This year we’ve been good at stages, but we’ve been disappointing too and tonight was probably one of those disappointing ones.”

For Nicks though, he was stoked to keep a quality side at bay.

“I dream about it a lot, but the reality is it’s not easy to do, and a lot of things have to go your way, and they did in the first half,” Nicks said.

“But you get what you deserve.

“We train that (defensive pressure) a lot, that’s what we work on, we work to have that result at half-time and then be able to do different things in the second half without risking it.

“We were hungry … we brought pressure, that’s where I’d say we’ve been most of the year, and then the scoreboard ticked over.

“I thought we were really efficient with the ball, so when we had our opportunities, which was the difference in that first half to come in nine goals up, and every single other stat didn’t sit in that space.

“It was quite even, but our efficiency with the ball really sort of stood us out as well as the pressure we were putting on.”

Jordan Dawson and Izak Rankine celebrate after the game. Picture: Sarah Reed/AFL Photos via Getty Images.

Making the performance even more impressive was that stars such as Jordan Dawson, Izak Rankine and Riley Thilthorpe didn’t have to shoot the lights out for the Crows to hit high gear.

Adelaide had contributors across every line, but Alex Neal-Bullen and James Peatling stepped up to be key factors in the win that improved t the Crows’ win-loss record to 13-5.

With his side sitting a game clear in third spot on the ladder, with a competition-high percentage, Nicks was asked how he felt his players would handle the growing buzz around Adelaide’s chances heading into a finals campaign.

“I can’t answer that at the moment because a lot of us haven’t been in that position,” Nicks replied.

“And so that will be the challenge when it comes and it’s probably beginning to come now.

“There’s a lot of noise around, but there’s always been a lot of noise, and our guys have done a great job to ignore it.

“There are two types of noise - there’s a negative noise and there’s a really positive noise.

“So, can we deal with the positive noise? It’s a challenge that I can’t answer whether we’re going to be able to do that, but we’ll be having a crack at it.”

Matthew Nicks was stoked with his side’s win over Gold Coast. Picture: Sarah Reed/AFL Photos via Getty Images.

While happy with what his team has built to this stage of the season, Nicks cautioned that the Crows were by no means the finished product.

“There’s still a lot to work on, and we’ve spoken through that, I don’t know if it ever becomes complete,” the coach said.

“I think the challenge is continually rolling.

“We haven’t been anywhere near there yet, you see some of the clubs that have sustained success, like a Geelong, there’s no doubt they’re continuing to improve every year.

“So, I don’t think you finish the jigsaw, I think it’s always going to be a work on, but at the moment where our players sit with their confidence in themselves and their belief in what it is we have built, and what we continue to build is really strong.”

TOP FOUR IN REACH FOR CROWS AFTER SUNS WIN

A top-four finish is within Adelaide’s reach after Gold Coast failed to kick a goal in the first half at Adelaide Oval on Sunday, Alex Neal-Bullen starring with three majors as the rampant Crows slammed through the first 11 goals of the contest on their way to a commanding 61-point win.

The Suns’ own top-four aspirations suffered a blow with their first-half score of 0.4 the lowest in the club’s history and the first time they have failed to register a goal in the first half.

Following on from his ill-tempered post-siren theatrics in his side’s contentious Round 5 win against Adelaide, Mac Andrew renewed hostilities with Riley Thilthorpe, with the key defender enduring a torrid night.

Thilthorpe booted two goals, while Andrew let his side down with some ill-disciplined acts.

The increasingly heated rivalry between the sides ratcheted up another notch with several heated scuffles breaking out, including a willing push-and-shove that erupted after Jake Soligo’s goal with just minutes remaining.

Neal-Bullen, with a game-high 31 possessions, played his best game for Adelaide, the former Demon further endearing himself to teammates and fans alike with his elite work rate, with fellow off-season recruit James Peatling also influential.

Isaac Cumming and Alex Neal-Bullen celebrate after a goal. Picture: James Elsby/AFL Photos via Getty Images.

Despite the lopsided scoreline at the main break, Matt Rowell and Noah Anderson led a midfield unit that troubled the Crows at times.

After its first-half disaster, Gold Coast added some respectability, finding a way to win the third quarter, but Matthew Nicks will be thrilled with the efforts he got across every line as the Crows improved to a 13-5 record, while the Suns slipped to 11-6.

MAC VERSUS EVERYONE

Andrew must have felt under siege at Adelaide Oval, with the tall defender singled out for physical attention by Adelaide players and roundly booed from the stands whenever he went near the ball with every miscue loudly jeered.

Thilthorpe’s teammates let Andrew know all about it when the big Crow marked in front of him and kicked the first goal of the game two minutes in, but worse was to come in the second quarter.

In the push and shove that followed, an ill-disciplined Andrew clearly went high on Luke Pedlar and drew a whistle from the umpire.

Without the ball going back to the centre, Pedlar split the middle to push the margin out to 51 points.

Mac Andrew copped boos every time he went near the ball. Picture: Matt Roberts/AFL Photos/via Getty Images.

MERCY RULE?

The Suns’ first goal didn’t come until just over 10 minutes into the third quarter and it came in contentious circumstances.

Ethan Read did well to outmark Nick Murray just outside 50, but then went to play on.

The big Sun dropped the ball after Murray tackled him, with a 50m penalty putting Read in the goalsquare.

“I’m just trying to find reasons why the umpire would say, ‘That’s 50m’ apart from mercy,” Hawthorn legend Dermott Brereton said on Fox Footy.

Read’s goal came after Neal-Bullen booted back-to-back goals to open the second half to make it a game-high 69-point margin.

Amazingly, it sparked a run of four unanswered goals as the Suns finally started to convert their opportunities.

Ben King had just one handball in the first half, but kicked his only goal of the evening with his third disposal late in the third quarter to make it a 43-point game.

RIOLI CALF CONCERN

A bad day for Gold Coast got worse when Daniel Rioli was helped from the ground with a calf injury.

The former Richmond premiership star had his left calf worked on before testing it in the second quarter.

Daniel Rioli is helped off during his 200th game. Picture: Mark Brake/Getty Images.

But he collapsed to the ground in pain and was helped from the field between two trainers.

Despite his clear discomfort, Rioli still handed out a high-five to debutant Ben Jepson as he lined up for a goal that he would miss.

The Crows also had injury concerns, with Sam Berry assessed for concussion after a heavy collision with Murray in the third quarter.

Mitch Hinge’s day didn’t extend past the first quarter, with the winger subbed out with a hip injury.

Originally published as Top four finish in sight for Adelaide Crows after crushing Gold Coast Suns