Round 16 – Adelaide v Western Bulldogs: Are the Crows back?

 

ADELAIDE                    2.2   5.5   12.5   16.8 (104)

WESTERN BULLDOGS   2.4   4.8   4.11   5.15 (45)

 

GOALS

Adelaide: Jenkins 4, Walker 3, Betts 2, Knight, Sloane, Atkins, M.Crouch, B.Crouch, Douglas, Cameron

Western Bulldogs: Stringer, Redpath, Suckling, Dale, Dahlhaus

BEST

Adelaide: Walker, Jenkins, Lever, M Crouch,Sloane,Laird,Kelly,Betts, Otten, Atkins,B Crouch 

Western Bulldogs: McLean, Bontempelli, Macrae, Hunter

Malarkey Medal Votes: T Walker (Ad) 3, J Jenkins (Ad) 2, J Lever (Ad) 1 

 

Umpires: Chamberlain, Fleer, Meredith

Official crowd: 41,948

 

The Adelaide Crows have run out convincing winners by 59 points over the reigning premiers the Western Bulldogs at a rain swept Adelaide Oval further establishing their credentials for a top 4 spot while the Dogs are a huge chance to miss the finals, after missing the 8 points out of this game.

 

1 The tactics of the Western Bulldogs were bewildering to say the least. The blueprint has been well and truly written by other clubs in that you must tag Rory Sloane and play men behind the ball with extras in defense depriving the Crows of the easy over the top goals.  Yes we all might like the purity re no tagging but every one is judged re win-loss record and the tactics used by the Dogs were not the best to try and achieve a win by the Scraggers.

 

2 There has almost hysteria over here in Adelaide re recalling Scott Thompson. Having seen him play at SANFL level I could not have disagreed more. Yep we all would love our favorite players to go out holding the cup up like Shane Crawford but in reality it doesn’t work out that way. The pace of the game at AFL level has gone past Thommo, a great warrior that he has been, and is, but at times it felt almost cruel watching him trying to keep up. For those arguing Scott freed Rory Sloane up, that’s absolute garbage, as not being tagged did that. Unless Thommo is allowed to use a motor bike that must be his last AFL game.

 

If the Crows had decided that Scott’s ability to teach and fast track youngsters playing  SANFL was of more value than having a youngster on the list I have no problem with that (apart from highlighting the stupidity and incompetence of the AFL not to have a national reserves comp) but for goodness sake Scott’s days as a AFL player have passed him by.

 

3 Ray Chamberlain, the Kath and Kim look at me, look at me of the umpiring fraternity turned in a true Chaplinesque performance (thanks Smokie and all the best from the Knackery in your recovery, some of the photos you have posted on Facebook have been as gross and disturbing as watching Razor Ray umpire or heaven forbid Chaplin playing!). As an umpire Razor Ray disgusts me. He seems to want to be noticed more than just actually umpire the bloody game. He was putrid. Also we have a score review system yet we do not use it to see who the correct recipient should be re out on the full. It is ridiculous. How three umpires could get that so wrong last night wow spec savers!

 

4 Taylor Walker and Josh Jenkins were sensational last night with their physicality and attack on the ball exactly what Crows supporters have been crying out for! Walker seemed to move better than he has for weeks bending down for the ball, his touch and gives were exquisite with the handball to Douglas a highlight. Josh Jenkins is finally showing some desperation and intent ability with Josh has never been the question crashing a pack and one percenters has been the problem. There has been a MASSIVE improvement in the last two weeks I am sure the return of Mitch McGovern has helped both players markedly.

 

5 The decision to rest and manage Hugh Greenwood? Mmmm, considering also we have only come off a bye 2 weeks ago. Also yes while I will blame Kyle Hartigan last week to some extent re he had felt his hamstring go, but stayed on the ground only to then ping it properly, where was the attention to detail by the medical staff in not getting him off the ground earlier. Those decisions re contradict each other imo.

 

6 The Crows desperately need to keep Jake Lever and Mitch McGovern and while we mustn’t sell the farm obviously we have to do our utmost to keep them and if either do decide to depart we MUST drive a hard bargain BOTH are worth two first round draft picks. We were way too nice re what we accepted for losing the best player in the game in my view and we MUST not buckle over and yes if we have to force then to go to the pre-season draft on principle so be it. Yes we lose out in that instance but make sure we as a club are never taken lightly and for granted ever again.

 

7 Matt Crouch must surely be playing himself in to the all Australian squad of 40. He has had a remarkably consistent year and continues to grow and develop towards being an A grade midfielder.

 

8 Jake Kelly is developing beautifully. He did a very good job defensively on Jake Stringer when they were matched up. It is more than a touch of irony in that Liam Picken from the Dogs and Jake could have been Collingwood father son selections. No they have got high paid superstars like Chris Mayne and Jesse White on their list instead (diabolical recruiting kills you sorry Luke, OBP and Damian)

 

9 Our defence combined the best as a unit for a long time and while Andy Otten pace issue was exposed a couple of times his footy smarts, composure and ball use was a more than handy addition in defence.

 

10 From a Crows perspective it was a very good overall team effort with Wayne Milera the other player who struggled and seemingly due to return and develop at SANFL level while it is fine to be a outside player in general when it’s your turn to go every one must do so he must add some vigour to his game.

 

11 The Dogs seem to be on a slippery dip with no signs of being able to arrest the slide. What has happened to that manic kamikaze attack on the ball and body and amazing quick hands from 2016. The Premiership does seem to have satisfied so many, and it is the Premiership hangover from hell. It was very hard to find one good four quarter player. Toby McLean and Jack Macrae were good contributors and the Bont in the first half threatened to take the game away from the Crows (and expose resting Greenwood) but the dogs were monstered by JJ and Tex and the pace of the game seems to have raced past Matty Boyd (he will end up just short of 300 games) and Dale Morris.

 

AFL in that regard is ruthless and doesn’t like fairytale finishes.

 

So the Crows are off to Darwin to hopefully get some revenge on the Dees.

 

(Simon Goodwin and the Dees coaching box annihilated Adelaide earlier in the year re positioning, roving off Sam Jacobs ruck dominance) while the Dogs play the Blues hoping to give some mouth to mouth resuscitation to their season.

 

Are the Crows back in town baby ?

 

Comments

  1. Jill Tathra says

    I wish the Crows could play like this every game, but then most other teams tag my boyfriend, err I mean Rory Sloane. Wether it was that reason or not the captain played his best for ages and Josh Jenkins seems to be back in top form too.

    I agree we must sign up Jake Lever and Mitch McGovern but if we do loose them I` sure we will find others to take their place. Yes it will be a big loss but like previous lost players we have managed to mostly cover them.

  2. Sharon Coad says

    Lever and Kelly are the intercept players allowing Talia to play the defensive fullback. Sauce rucked differently in the sense of smashing the ball forward, allowing the outside players to run onto the ball. Tex and JJ worked together the best this season, McGovern’s mobility and hands added another option, when Lynch comes back , having two “link” players will be hard to defend. Crows pressure was their best since round six. Charlie needs to know to run 10 then bounce, NOT the other way round. Crows best game regarding marking and movement of the ball since round six. The trick is to continue in this form, especially when opposition play more defensively.

  3. Campbell says

    Great article! Good to see Sloane get a chance to run around untagged for a change. A very good performance by the Crows all around, but the Dogs are really struggling, definitely suffering from a premiership hangover.

  4. Thanks Mal.
    How good was it to see JJ attacking the footy? Geez, I just wish he would do it more often.
    I don’t like to but have to agree re Thommo.
    I thought Atkins had his zing back and no doubt Tex looked to move more freely.
    $ign Shooter and Lever ASAP. We look a different side with Shooter up forward.
    Bring on the Dee’s.

  5. steve bland says

    At the risk of triggering depression in some highly talented and highly paid player, coach, administrator, umpire, ex-player, bar staff, canteen staff, gate attendant, security guard or spectator I have no comment to make at this time or any time into the future.

  6. Good work Mal.
    Agree completely about Point 3, and Umpire No.26 is a shocker as well, as he just guesses!
    Point 7 re Matt Crouch. He was the one who had the first three clearances in the second half and got us going. Vastly underrated in my opinion, as he continues to improve and excel! Can’t understand the media hysteria over our midfield with the quality we have in there.
    Like you said, we can’t sell the farm for Lever, but he is significantly more value to the Crows than Jenkins, and we paid for him, so we have to do what it takes to keep Lever.

  7. Martin Rumsby says

    Agree that it was bewildering that the Dogs did not attempt to adopt the “beat the Crows” template. It will be very interesting to see the approach that Melbourne take next week in Darwin and also the tactics used by the Crows. The form of Jenkins and Walker is a key to continued strong performances.

  8. I think your first point is spot on. Whilst as Crows fans we enjoy the win but not get carried away as they allowed us to play our game which has proven to demolish sides if allowed this freedom. This won’t happen next week and we will need to be more prepared for an ugly win. Sloane will be tagged and they will have extras behind the ball to stop our easy fwd entries.

  9. Love your insight. Yes we are back in town the signs were there last week also. Thommo out for Greenwood leave rest alone or rest Milera. Everyone else were good-great.

  10. Western Wendy says

    I enjoyed your article and agree with most of it. I am however not that surprised with Bevo not putting a tag on Rory. (I guess he can’t justify complaining about the harsh tagging attention JJ gets if he puts his own hard tags on other teams’ players).

  11. Luke Reynolds says

    Rulebook, was looking forward to sitting down and watching a great contest last night. While I didn’t get that, was very impressed with your Crows.
    Join you in wishing Smokie a speedy recovery, some of his photos have been nearly as disturbing as Razor Ray, and equally as disturbing as many of the performances from the men in fluro I’ve seen this season.
    Spot on with your Jake Kelly and Liam Picken observations. Hurts seeing those guys do so well after they were rated not good enough by our recruiting guru Derek Hine. Ditto for James Stewart, who played well against us today. Get rid of Hine and make Graham Wright an offer he can’t refuse.
    Well done on getting ‘Chaplinesque’ into an article straight away!

  12. Disagree re Thommo Malcolm, his grunt and presence in the midfield made a difference and will continue to do so at the business end of the season.

    Eddie Betts team play and respect to the opposition after the game was my highlight although missed in your report.

  13. Grwat summary Rulebook. Met and spoke with Greenwood in the Media Box during the 3rd quarter. Being a Tassie boy he said he would have loved to have been out there in the rain with the boys. However he also said he was not playing in the SANFL Showdown on Saturday, so it appears he has definitely being “rested” by the Crows. No injury was evident. Speaking about the umpires, i agree Razor Ray’s performance was shocking – we all know the best umpires are the ones that go un-noticed during a game. What does Ray do? The complete opposite! Loved the improved physical effort shown by Tex and JJ this week. Wonder if Greenwood will return in a team that won by 59 points. Who would we drop?

  14. Great summary Rulebook. Met and spoke with Greenwood in the Media Box during the 3rd quarter. Being a Tassie boy he said he would have loved to have been out there in the rain with the boys. However he also said he was not playing in the SANFL Showdown on Saturday, so it appears he has definitely being “rested” by the Crows. No injury was evident. Speaking about the umpires, i agree Razor Ray’s performance was shocking – we all know the best umpires are the ones that go un-noticed during a game. What does Ray do? The complete opposite! Loved the improved physical effort shown by Tex and JJ this week. Wonder if Greenwood will return in a team that won by 59 points. Who would we drop? Could replace Luke Brown if he does not recover?

  15. While it was a great effort from the Crows unfortunately I couldn’t agree more with your thoughts about
    Scott Thompson that has to be his last ever game and the dogs were diabolical

  16. Mark Duffett says

    Why do we have to fight for Jake Lever and Mitch McGovern as we contemplate their possible departure? If this sort of thing is going to happen every time we draft interstate players who turn out to be half decent, what’s the point? Given our track record of recent years in this area, surely we have to consider giving a higher weighting to SA-bred players in our recruiting. Bring back zones, I say!

  17. Well, I’m a week to week judge in the crows this season. Each team is a threat this year so it’s hard to say the crows are Back but if they string a couple together I’ll be on board. But for this week they were great. I love thommo but unfortunately he has shown that the step up from SANFL to AFL is too much for him. I understand the need to manage players but Greenwood has shown great enthusiasm and plenty of energy. Yes millera needs a bit more time to get intensity. We must bring that aggression to every game now because believe me port will live on the edge against us to bully and intimidate us if they see that as our weakness. Yes umpires think the game is about them. But they look like nobs when the get it so wrong. How could they see that out on the full the way they did? Definately Specsavers. Go you crows..

  18. great comments rulebook…enjoy your wrap every week.
    I had some mixed feelings on the game , firstly i was very happy to see our boys win
    and the style of win with that sort of intensity and physical presence shown was a refreshing
    change.
    Also Tex my number one Crow had a night out, nothing gladdens my heart more then seeing
    the big Texan strut his stuff..he is a highly skilled player for a key forward as his field kicking
    with both feet is elite,and a very smart player, loved the handball over the back to a team mate.
    I did say mixed feelings, yes i was sad to see one of the all time greats of our club exposed to the afl
    when obviously he is past it..he looked slow and cumbersome and i felt sorry for him…he is a warrior who has always gave his best for us, but you cant do that anymore when everybody else has twice or more your leg speed…please crows let him be in his coaching role and if we have a position on the ladder cemented in later in the season then give thommo a farewell game.
    Loved seeing two young guns in Kelly and Knight play great games and also what about Eddie is he the best team man in the comp…well i am going to give him that award, dont care that others might not agree..eddie is a diamond…GO THE CROWS

  19. Malcolm Ashwood says

    Jill the decision not to tag Sloane and general tactics was hard to fathom.Sharon spot on re Jacobs ruck work a refreshing change and re Cameron you have hit on a real bug bear of mine it is stupidity not to run close to the fifteen meters before bouncing the ball and trust me no where near enough sides practice that.Thanks Campbell.Chris yes a lot better from Atkins and he needed to be,McGovern is a vital player( wish he didn’t play against the legs).Blandy absolutely brilliant I couldn’t stop laughing.Fav I have no res pect for Razor Ray what so ever and yes panicking and paying overs re Jenkins was always going to cost us ( Jarryd Lyons ? ) and I worry re the possible domino effect.Martin I have no doubt,Goody will not be so generous and if Walker and JJ operate at close to that in any game we will be hard to beat.TL totally agree.Thanks SP appreciated.Western Wendy interesting point hard to fault your logic just don’t think it was in the dogs best interests but hey we’re not complaining.thanks folks

  20. Malcolm Ashwood says

    Luke poor recruiting hurts we all no that but I reckon even more so when a potential father son is ignored and succeeds elsewhere totally agree re Graham Wright and I have a feeling,Chaplineseque could become a regular.Raj I admit I am stunned re your thoughts about,Thommo to me a honest chat should have happened before hand and if it went pear shaped have a replica of Jason McCartney retirement immediately I wish that had happened agree re totally,Betts his unselfishness and sheer class with both feet are a joy to watch that’s what puts him in front of other small forwards ( that is the area where he annilates Bartlett and Milne in particular) and he is such a quality individual.DGM thank you,Greenwood straight back for Thommo that is a given thanks,Blackie.Mark as much as I hate to say it the area of retaining players recruited from interstate seems to be a area where bloody,Port seem to do so much better geez I hope these 2 stay and McGovern is arguably as imp as Lever.i am still f the view back your culture to keep players but let’s be honest f we were offered a extra 200 grand plus to change jobs who wouldn’t ? While I no we decided,Burton was to big a risk re inj what a blunder.Debbie thank you and I agree with every word.Dave Tex was brilliant I can’t believe how many people think that he will be suspended re Johannisen and the goal post nothing in it apart from arguably a free kick.Dave yep that was how I felt re Thommo it was sad.Kelly a monty for most improved award as I have said above definitely re Sir Edward Betts,Knight huge mistake dropping him re Hawks game thanks folks

  21. AFL umpiring standards constantly impacted by subconscious bias towards interstate clubs – Sydney no free kick for over an hour in an AFL grand final!!
    Thompson – out – Douglas is not good enough now – losing speed/ flexibility and it is showing Greenwood clearly rested – Walker gifted but wet conditions slows It down and helps the great man – We are 1 offensive runner short – Milera lacks competitive instinct so AFL is beyond him – Jenkins has responded and if he keeps his nose down can be a key player – I would prefer Knight plays as he has ticker as opposed to previously mentioned Milera – Cameron definitely impacted by missing a game – McGovern will get better – he is short on match conditioning- Kelly is improving around Lever who is an absolute elite player – He is developing into one of the great players of our game ( sell anything but please don’t let him go – Davis would not blow wind up his ….. ) Burton is just elite .. I can hear them all now … (Matthew Pavlich all over again) B Crouch is showing signs of greater focus and his brother is going to the next level – needs to keep eyes down (Sam Mitchell) When it gets down to it the greater focus by so many has got them back to where they were so in 2017 where we have a definite drop in standards showing the Crows have a definite chance to win a flag – and SANFL standards are appalling ( I went to Prospect last week for the 1st time in a long time) AFl need to do something and quickly – like CA they are feeding the top and killing the bottom – at least CA are trying to stop this continuing- The culture of our sport is being destroyed by greed !!

  22. Matt Zurbo says

    Rulebook, your weekly updates just get better, and broader in your view of the game. I didn’t see it, but reading this, I very much get the gist, and like your bigger observations of the game and clubs and how they operate. Thompson is a favourite of mine. Such a battler for his club. I’d give him a week or two to see if he can re-find the pace at that level. If even close to his best he would be a huge asset come finals when a bit of extra toughness is needed.

    Never scared to give it to umps, mate. haha! would love to watch them as a neutral supporter and see if i agree. some do play if for the cameras, for sure.

    keep up the great work, mate.

  23. Tony Cove says

    Disagree with a couple of posters above on 1 or 2 issues: 1. Richard Douglas is having his BEST season for several years. While Friday wasn’t his best game for the year, it is ridiculous to suggest he should be dropped. 2. Have to agree re Thommo though, maybe time is up. Hugh Greenwood back in next week, & Wayne Milera has a rest or a run in the SANFL, with Paul Seedsman to come back in for his first game of the year. 3. Tex & JJ better each week, keep it up, and GLAD to see Otten back in form after a flat period. 4. Riley Knight MUST stay IN from now on. Elite running capacity coupled with a nose for goals & strong competitive instinct. He has served a long apprenticeship, now time to give him an extended run. 5. I would like to see Rory Atkins re-capture that hunger for goals that we saw early this season. Still played a fair game though. 6. One boy in the SANFL to keep an eye on: He is playing up forward, has an eye-catching mop of blond hair, can take a mark & kick a long goal – watch Elliot Himmelberg. 7. Crows vs Melbourne: Adelaide MUST play 4 quarters, come out firing & maintain intensity around the contest. Our tall forwards need to impose themselves & we need a big game from Eddie. Should be a ripper.

  24. Mariusz Danielak says

    Good comments overall Rulebook. Amazing on a we night best players were key talls. Crows have to improve their centre square work its been a problem for years. Douglas playing well this year. Did not miss Hartigan at all maybe we have been playing 1 tall too many there?

  25. Thompson does not have the pace at SANFL, so cannot imagine where it will come from in AFL. Agree about Chamberlain, as I have said before, take away the numbers and microphones (or Ch.7’s feed of them) and stop chitty-chatting to players. E.G. stop shouting “don’t hold, don’t hold”. If a player is holding, pay a free kick, it will stop quick smart. If he is not holding, keep quiet.

  26. Ben Larsen-Smith says

    Great game and great read thanks book

  27. Cameron Glenn says

    A big win with some fantastic kicking for goal. The Dogs can’t win outside Melbourne and looking likely to miss the 8. The Crows had to win as the remaining home games are 50-50 and the Dees another tough game.

  28. Crows need to push up the ground with sloane tinker with the game plan for the finals because if tagging sloane is all it takes to shut them down with the better teams then they got big problem and a waste of season
    Somethings broke fix it

  29. Bryan Haines says

    Some excellent points as usual, a good win but again the pressure wasn’t really on. But the tackling and pressure by the Crows was much improved. Very enjoyable game.
    I am not convinced on Kelly, had a decent game but misses too many targets and has no right foot which will be costly when the pressure is on. When he got turned around by Stringer for a goal, very poor defending. But he is young I guess.
    Which takes me on to Milera, yes he is not ‘tough’ but he is a teenager still and his distance running is excellent which really spreads the field, and his kicking is good. And simply we don’t have anyone better, so I think it’s better to play him and let him develop.
    And Thommo. Yes, he is slow but again I don’t think we have a choice. When we have lost badly it’s because we have been monstered in the midfield. Big teams like Geelong and Melbourne are too strong for the Crouches to handle. So have him in against them especially on the smaller grounds, or in the wet. I think he has a role to play against the big bodied teams, but not against the quick teams like GWS.
    Finally, it was a pleasure to watch Bontempelli live. What a player.

  30. Nice work again, Rulebook. Pretty ominous for Walker and Jenkins to have games like that in the wet. Crows are very nicely placed…

  31. Malcolm Ashwood says

    Bill I thought the umpiring in last years gf was ok yes the dogs got a couple but overall it was ok,Douglas has had a reasonable year overall yes at times is shown out re his lack of pace.Knight must play and people saying,Burton wouldn’t get a game in our side just pure stupidity.The saddest part of your post and while totally correct re standard of sanfl people are fed up re having afl sides in the comp.Thanks Old Dog I have loved,Thommo but in reality,Fri night was sad it must be it.afl umpiring instructions and interpretations attitude all appalling and that is from a maggot a major lack of accountability.
    Tony yep,Greenwood for Thommo is surely a moral,Galluci is the other player to consider personally,Milera needs to toughen up,Atkins a lot better,Otten footy smarts are fantastic although pace lack of is a problem at times.Himmelberg has promise huge game this week.Mariusz as we have discussed,Jacobs ruck work re his taps lacks thought and decent planning at times I thought this game at least marginally better in that regard for mind losing,Hampton out of our midfield is imp re balance and at times we will miss,Hartigan closing speed a aspect of the game at he is v good,Otten composure with the sherrin in hand far better thanks folks

  32. Yep, congrats to Thommo on his final game, a win, and magnificent career.
    Bernie Vince will get up close n personal with Sloane this weekend.
    If it comes down to one or the other, Crows must keep Lever over McGovern. Future AA.
    Jacobs v Gawn will be great to watch.
    Good to see ‘the connector’ healthy… but unlikely to play in NT heat.
    JJ has finally set the standard for match committee to judge him on.
    OUT!!!

  33. Mark 'Swish' Schwerdt says

    Nice work ‘Book. I’m keeping some of my powder dry for my upcoming piece on the weekend and I have some Ray Chamberlain gold.

    I caught some of the SANFL Showdown on the box, wasn’t too impressed although Himmelberg looked promising.

  34. Malcolm Ashwood says

    Bucko agree with every word thanks,Ben.Cameron we have a very hard run home huge game this week to say the least.Ross our reliance on Sloane is a problem not sure with our list it can be fixed geez,Danger would be a tad handy!Bryan plenty of left footers don’t have a right foot I am also a huge fan of having left footers in the back half especially ( I think it’s vital) while he has weaknesses his rate of improvement has been huge ( most improved award for mine)Milera yes has skill but his lack of physicality mmm
    disappointed,Galluci hasn’t been given more opportunities.Thommo will just get exposed big time re players running off him for me only considered if it’s pouring it was a brutal reminder re the difference between SANFl and Afl.The Bont is poetry to watch.Litza it is ironic and almost a tad bizarre to have key forwards who prefer wet weather,Jenkins physicality a marked improvement the last two weeks
    thanks folks

  35. I agree Mal, as much as I’d like him to be on song Thompson is wayyy off the pace of the game and his disposal was equally poor.
    Fantasia is back at his goal kicking best, the Saints this Friday night will be a true test with both teams matching up well.
    Will I stay at the pub or watch it at home?
    Go the Bombers!

  36. Citrus Bob says

    As usual Book a concise and sometimes biting report. However the truth is the truth.
    Back in town? Yes but the Adelaide Oval and not the MCG.
    Footscray are not up to it this year and it shows. By not tagging the slick haired Sloane they gave the Crows one more player than they have had in recent weeks.
    Do like the work ethic of the younger players like Jake.K, Knight, Atkins.
    Interesting to see how Crouch B goes on the “big stage”.
    July 21st bring it on!

  37. Good one again Rulebook.
    I have te eat my words. I was one of a number who were calling for Thommo’s return but after seeing him live on Friday night I admit I was wrong. He was way too slow even in the wet conditions and gave away too many frees, often when we were streaming down the ground towards goal!
    Also, completely disagree with one posters suggestion that Douglas should be dropped, his experience and quick disposal are vital to the team. Finally, I’m going to go out on a limb a bit and give a big tick to McKay’s game. I thought he provided vital run on the wing and his accuracy of disposals was better than we’ve seen in the recent past as well. He deserves to stay in the side based on Friday night’s performance.

  38. Malcolm Ashwood says

    Riverboy you were entertaining yest go the pub I reckon,Citrus Bob the non tagging was bizarre it shows even at the elite level blatant errors can be made,Brad Crouch is vital whether he can is more than problematical kept Danger and may we’ll be going for back to back,Kelly improvement has been sensational.Big Jim unfortunately it was a brutal reminder of the huge gap between SANFl and Afl re Thommo.Douglas has had a consistent year overall and DMac was ok def stays in the side thank you

  39. Guru I can’t get the amount of publicity the Walker-Johannissen goal post incident has got personally a simple footy accident and that should have been it your thoughts ? Entirely agree with you about
    Scott Thompson the club seemed to listen to the public hysteria re picking him and a complete lack of honesty since about him.

  40. Bit hard on razor while I have seen some interesting decisions over my time I don’t believe there is any AFL umpire that deliberately goes out of their way to be noticed or look for the spotlight.

  41. Mitch McGovern the most important player for the crows? We look a different side when he plays

  42. Malcolm Ashwood says

    Blackie I have been stunned with the amount of publicity the Walker-Johannisen incident copped personally nothing in it what so ever debatable if it is a free kick as the umpire said at the time you are allowed to shepherd should have been no case to answer,Bucko is spot on above,Thommo is just to slow I truly wish honesty had occurred and discussions occurred if it went pear shaped how bout you do a
    Jason McCartney and retire from afl straight after the game I wish that had occurred it would have been a fitting finale.Tub disagree as a maggot I think there are several on the panel who are desperate to be noticed yep you have to have a different personality to umpire but Razor Ray goes way overboard and is v officious as well.Mark he is a vital player our forward line is just so much better balanced with having,Mitch in it with all the hullabaloo over,Lever people are forgetting how good,McGovern is thank you

  43. Agree re Ray Chamberlain. I think that as soon as an umpire acquires a nickname (even one as naff as “Razor Ray”) they should immediately be taken off the roster and be consigned to A6 Amateur League.

  44. I couldn’t help but conclude from last week’s game that the Bulldogs lost the game more than the Crows winning it (due to their tactics and skill blunders.) Whilet I’m convinced that the Bulldogs will not make the finals, the Crows’ will, but their performance last week still has them behind Geelong and GWS- who in my view are clearly the top 2 teams in the competition.

  45. Thanks for the good wishes, Malcolm.
    I have truly made it now – mentioned in the same paragraph as Chaplin !!!!

  46. Malcolm Ashwood says

    Well played,Tiger v clever( I reckon I am a mile better umpire) Paul I can’t disagree what was best re this game was the back 6 combining as a unit I thought that was the best in that regard since round 6.
    Well Smokie your photos were just like,Chaplin’s career putrid ( all the best mate )

  47. Razor Ray shouldn’t even get a mention. I am one of the last to use the umpires as a crutch, but some of those decisions were beyond disgusting.

    How fantastic was it to see the Texan fire up?! When he sizzles, the whole team lifts. And he was on fire.
    Unlike the boring win against St Kilda a few weeks ago, this game was awesome to watch.

    Now – to the issue on all Crows’ supporters minds. Mr Lever.
    Calls for him to be dropped are ridiculous. He is playing his heart out every week, and is a very important player – why wouldn’t we want him in the backlines for the rest of the season!! That’s just common sense. While I hope and pray he stays with us for years to come, I’m grateful he’s here now.

    Hard to believe we’re still top, in such a topsy-turvy season. And while I hate to mention the swampies – has anybody else noticed that it’s possible they’ll make the finals, maybe even top 4, without beating a single top 8 team??

  48. It seems to me, the difference is the crows are playing with a harder more rugged edge and a bit of attitude and if they keep that, they can win the flag for sure. If they don’t play with a little bit of shall we say, nastiness in their game, then teams like the cats, GWS and Sydney can still beat them. Retain that real edge , led by their skipper, who should show the way and did last week, then the flag will fly in Adelaide.

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