Round 21 – Adelaide v Hawthorn: Fill ‘er up!

 

FILL ‘ER UP!

Footy sometimes brings out many surprises and the clash between the two birds of prey in Adelaide last Friday certainly gave me one.

It didn’t happen on the field but down the road in ‘guzzle town’ – Main Road, Prospect.

Petrol $1.52 cents a litre!  Only in Adelaide would you find those prices as I paid $1.79 cents on the way down from Victoria and I know that is a fairly reasonable price but the Adelaide takes the cream. Just like their footy team.

The way the Crows are faaarking at the moment they just might have the team to fill up the premiership cup this year.

The game was expected to be one of the highlights of the year and in particular for an independent observer such as me.

The first three quarters was more like a tennis match with Hawthorn’s fleet of foot and Jack Gunston up forward made the home side look ordinary in the first term.

In the second term it was the reverse with Adelaide dominating particularly with skipper Jordan Dawson and man mountain Riley Thilthorpe outstanding.  Mark my words, number 7 will either make or break his team during the finals but on recent form would have to be the key factor if the Crows are to win their first flag since 1998.

The third term saw Hawthorn again take control and I remarked that all bar 3 goals had been obtained at the scoreboard end of the ground. Was this in deference to the crowd at that end who always stand to watch the footy? The real footy supporters.

The last quarter was what the great crowd of 50,654 came to see. Given the rhythm of the game it was expected that the Crows would waltz home and three early goals showed that. It was not to be as the irrepressible  Jack Gunston kicked 2 more goals against the team he deserted as a teenager to give the Mayblooms the lead.

Rankine, as usual stepped up with a ripper and then Adelaide’s ancient Taylor Walker sealed the game with 2 wonderful kicks.  It is amazing this year how some of the older players in the competition are dominating and Walker and Gunston have been no exception.

The Crows got the petrol with a high octane performance in the last term when needed. The Hawks were not far behind and were not disgraced although Gunston did play a lone hand against a resolute Crows defence.

I have seen four of the final aspirants in the last couple of weeks and the Crows and to a lesser extent Fremantle look likely contenders. The Hawks could bow out and the Pies dependence on players from other clubs could back-fire in four weeks’ time.

For the sake of the Crows supporters, I will never use the word starting with F(1.), because we all walk away when the team is down, that Walker and co don’t forget 2017.

Don’t fill ‘er up yet Addie!

 

1. ‘faithful’ to the non-football and political fans!

 

ADELAIDE                  1.1    7.7     9.9     15.11 (101)
HAWTHORN               5.3    5.3    11.5    13.9 (87)

GOALS
Adelaide: Thilthorpe 4, Rankine 3, Walker 3, Dawson 2, Fogarty, Neal-Bullen, Soligo
Hawthorn: Gunston 4, Ginnivan 2, Moore, Watson, Chol, Nash, Day, Lewis, D’Ambrosio

BEST
Adelaide: Dawson, Thilthorpe, Curtin, Rankine, Neal-Bullen, Worrell
Hawthorn: Day, D’Ambrosio, Ginnivan, Sicily, Impey, Battle

INJURIES
Adelaide: Nil
Hawthorn: Nil

SUBSTITUTES
Adelaide: Chayce Jones (replaced Brayden Cook in the third term)
Hawthorn: James Worpel (replaced Calsher Dear in the third term)

Crowd: 50,654 at Adelaide Oval

 

 

More stories from Citrus Bob Utber can be read Here.

 

 

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