Round 3 – Port Adelaide v Adelaide: Crows Go Top Of The Tree

 

 

South Australia woke up a happy and contented state this morning due to the mighty Adelaide Crows defeating Lord Voldemort and his cronies by 17 points to move to the top of the AFL ladder. After all, we ARE the team for ALL South Aussies (that will hopefully upset a few people!).

 

The talk before the game was about how Port’s midfield, especially the bash and crash brothers Wines and Powell-Pepper, may prove too tough re inside ball. This stems from our disappointing finals loss to Sydney, is the footy world reading too much into that game? In reality Sydney have a very strong midfield (the loss of Tom Mitchell may have been bigger than we realised and upset the balance), they were just too good on the night. Sloane and Matt Crouch, in particular, have always been good in the clinches and so it was again tonight, at the end of the game Adelaide dominated contested possessions winning the stat 176-145.

 

Port got away to a flyer, kicking the opening 3 goals of the contest. The first set up by Charlie Dixon, giving off to Robbie Gray. Justin Westhoff and Ollie Wines followed, and as in the opening two games the Crows then responded and through their first real clean entry Taylor Walker kicked long to Sir Edward Betts who outbodied Tom Jonas to kick the good guys first, (there you are Michael Wilson),then a snap from Tom Lynch and we were back in it.
A couple of misses from the dark side and Port were up by 9 points at quarter time.

 

The Crows then completely dominated the 2nd quarter with consistent entries in to our 50 and locked the ball in but frittered away chances as well, kicking 5-6 to 2 straight. The football brain of Andy Otten was on display several times during this stanza, with some of these just innate and can’t be taught, he also kicked 2 goals and was crucial.
Half time arrived with the Crows leading by 9 points in what had been a frenetic and pulsating half of footy.

 

During the 3rd quarter the Crows gradually got on top, with not only the usual suspects in Sloane and Matt Crouch, but Richard Douglas and Curltly Hampton influential on ball. It was Hampton’s most promising game yet in the beautiful tri colors. Taylor Walker, who had been reasonably well held by Tom Clurey, burst in to the game kicked a couple of goals to kick the Crows clear only for Brett Eddy and the well held Chad Wingard to goal, and it was 14 points the difference at oranges time.

 

Port through Wingard had cut the margin to 6 pts but cometh the hour cometh the TEX, with a goal from 52 meters out, with suspense added by waiting for it to be confirmed by goal line video technology. ‘The connector’ the best half forward gut running effectively another mid fielder, the elite Tom Lynch (how’s that magical and half woman?) kicked a goal and then the impressive newcomer for Port, Sam Powell-Pepper kicked a goal (we had the pathetic garbage article in the week re the Crows supposedly asking its players to take a salary cut so Jake the Snake Lever and Mitch McGovern could be accommodated, how about a journo do some inquiries and find out about a Victorian club where there were heated arguments during the week re the non selection by that club of Powell-Pepper in the draft!). The game was effectively iced when Tex Walker
marked and played on and calmly bombed through a huge goal to get the fat lady singing. A dumb free kick given away by Paddy Ryder resulted in Riley Knight goaling, before a soft free kick to Robbie Gray ended the game with a 17 point win to the Crows.

 

The surprising match up of Kyle Hartigan on Robbie Gray was a masterstroke, with the athletic Hartigan winning the majority of one on ones. Luke Brown kept Chad Whinegard under control (deliberate misspelling of his name). Whinegard just doesn’t work hard enough at times as well. Rory Laird was unobtrusively effective as always and Daniel Talia kept his record of Charlie Dixon being his bitch intact. Port wise Ollie Wines was very good, hard at the contest as always, Travis Boak, Darcy Byrne-Jones and Brad Ebert were solid.
Before the game I thought the Crows batted deeper than Port and that it would get a more even contribution than Port with all 22 involved. In the end thankfully that is exactly what transpired!

 

Now to my soap box of the week, GOAL KICKING! Clubs will spend hours and hours on set plays and yet not practice anywhere near enough the aspect which decides more games than not. Richmond have won the first 3 games in which in two of them, Collingwood and West Coast kicked like drunken sailors gift wrapping the win, ditto Melbourne against Geelong yesterday. Hell, anyone would think Dees assistant coach Troy Chaplin was goal kicking coach (thought he’d escaped didn’t you!). Goal kicking should be the most practiced aspect of footy just like fielding should be in cricket, but it isn’t and effectively it is criminal that it is not!

 

In other footy happenings, Norwood got the season away to a good start in the SANFL with a workman like win over North Adelaide with a lot of improvement needed and hopefully to come. On arriving to umpire the Adelaide University FC Scum side and being handed the Payneham team I noticed the buzzing bees in Burrows and Battams, where is an Indian bookmaker when you need one for a plunge on the falcons (only joking)! A shout out to one of life’s great blokes in Damian Tofan who dislocated his elbow, geez it was horrific to look at thank goodness the doctor in hospital managed to put it back in (First dislocated elbow I reckon I have known in any game of footy playing or umpiring I have seen). The bastards defeated Fitzroy easily with Hamish Crouch remarking on the ground “hey ‘Book, surely the front page of the mail tomorrow will be bastards Premiership odds shorten dramatically, bugger the Crows and Power!” (Crouchy, your nonchalant best.) Payneham defeated Adelaide University in the A grade, going a long way to regaining the most prestigious trophy in world sport, The Ashwood-Darrington Cup!

 

So after 3 rounds the Crows are on top of the tree, unless there is a huge win today.
The birds are singing and it is a contented old Adelaide town, Go The Crows!

 

Adelaide 15-10-100 (Don Bradman) def Port Adelaide 12-11-83

 

Goal Kickers
Adelaide: Walker 4, Betts 3, Lynch, Otten, Knight 2, MacKay, Sloane
Port Adelaide: Wingard 2, R Gray 2, Wines 2, Eddy, Powell-Pepper, Dixon, Impey, Westoff, Boak
Best Players
Adelaide: Sloane, M Crouch, Douglas, Lynch, Hartigan, Laird, Otten, Talia, Brown
Port Adelaide: Wines, Boak, Ebert, Hartlett, Ryder, Powell-Pepper, R Gray, Byrne-Jones

Crowd: 53,698
Malarkey Medal Votes: 3. Sloane (Ad), 2. Wines (PA), 1. M Crouch (Ad)

Comments

  1. Luke Reynolds says

    Very good start to the season by the Crows. Agreed on your points on goal kicking, as a Pies fan this has cost us badly the past few years, as well as the the first two weeks this season.
    Great to have a Chaplin sledge back in a Rulebook article!

  2. charlie brown says

    Can’t say i agree with you Malcolm about the North-Norwood result but each to their own!
    A bit has been written about Andy Otten over the past few weeks. I’m thrilled that he’s back in the team and contributing. What do you think about Otten being an AFL coach one day? Footy smarts, resilience gained through recovering from multiple injuries, good communication skills etc.

  3. Great read Rulebook, I was fortunate enough to attend the game last night (my inaugural Showdown), courtesy of a double pass from Sir Edward Betts himself.

    The game had plenty of what you would expect from a Showdown, and as an example of how good our game can be when both teams go full bore for the whole game.

    Was worried initially when I saw Hartigan on Gray but he proved the doubters wrong once again and claimed another scalp.

    Curtly Hampton showed more of the skill and coolness that were on display in his highlights reel. I think he can prove to be a real asset to the team. (Like the Rat, just needs to give the first give a bit more, still getting caught with the ball too often.)

    The return of Andy Otten to the team has been the highlight of the year for me so far. He reads the play so well and makes the right decisions more often than not.

    One other player who has previously been the whipping boy of Adelaide supporters has been David MacKay and this year, so far, he’s shown view valuable he truly is to the side with his run and carry between the arcs. More importantly, he’s finishing a lot better this year and taking his chances when her gets a shot at goal. (The 3 he scored last week equalled his total from last year!)

    One area I was worried about before the game was in the ruck, as Andy Otten as our 2nd ruck was always going to be up against it at centre bounces.
    Fortunately, Port choose not to exploit this by getting Ryder to ruck against him more than a couple of times, I think they would have had easy centre clearances on these occasions.

    Overall, a great team performance from the Crows and now we look forward to the Bombers.

  4. Caz Phillips says

    Well after a nervous week for me at work thinking about the game and talking to work friends about footy ,the Crows have proven they were too good .
    Our slow starts make me very nervous but the maturity in the team see the boys work hard to get into the game and the hard work sees us get on top .At the moment the team is contributing as one all over the ground which is why we’re tackling in numbers and have the numbers around the contest and the run and carry as well .
    In the 2nd quarter we just keep grinding through our work and the stats we’re going our way and the scoreboard also .I knew Port would come back at us and they did ,it got back to 6 points at one stage and the nerves weren’t good .To our credit we dug deep and got back on top especially through a long bomb from Tex that was the sealer .
    Overall some great signs all over the ground ,it’s a pity to see Mitch hurt his hamstring ,hopefully it won’t be as bad as it looked but JJ comes back in next week .
    I’m loving the fact the Douglas ,McKay ,Hampton are playing good footy this year .Sloaney gave it everything yesterday as usual and others played their role which is why we come out on top .
    Next week we have the Bombers ,who will be a good test again ,bring it on

  5. Willow Wilson says

    On the money again Book, an enjoyable game to watch, hard, tough, uncompromising, Couldn’t agree more on your goal kicking comments, Port should have been 4 or 5 goals up at Quarter time, would have made life a lot tougher for the Crows.
    Sloane was magnificent, clearly BOG and Douglas was very important early. Crows backline did a very good job and kudos to Hartigan for controlling Gray, Talia and Brown solid, and some good glimpses of run from Smith and Laird. Agree with comments on Lynch, gut-running personified.
    Two comments on Port, not sure their midfield depth is great, with Boak, Wines, Ebert and Powell-Pepper doing all the work. I don’t think they can afford to leave Gray forward so much (he must be carrying an injury?) and Wingard needs to do more up the ground (and stop playing for free kicks, he is too good for that crap).

  6. Adam Sheridan says

    Good article Malcolm.

    Ryder the week prick should get 4 weeks plus.

    High impact
    Off the ball
    Head
    Deliberate
    Poor record

    Enjoy your holiday

  7. Malcolm Ashwood says

    Thanks Luke yes goal kicking is just so frustrating and I thought it was about time.Charlie re the roosters how Maris Olekalns was playing ressies not league was mystifying to say the least and fantastic point re
    Otten definitely ticks all boxes.Steve and Caz basically agree with every word.Willow yep Gray carrying a groin re round 3 is a big worry for them as he is needed in the midfield and Wingard just doesn’t show his prodigious talent often enough,Dmac goal kicking a mile better than 2016.Adam just dumb by Ryder I fancy a fine depends on the medical report may be 1 week should get another 1 for stupidity thanks folks

  8. Great write up again book.

    Crows look good, seem able to change up their approach to get a result and adapt to challenges presented to them. liked Sauce’s game after ryder got off to a hot start. sloane and crouch good in the guts and Talia kept Dixon on his leash for another showdown.

  9. Adelaide too classy..
    Didn’t get over flustered and made correct moves when required…

  10. Great article Rulebook. Totally agree with “Steve”s” remarks

  11. Barb Jamieson says

    Honestly, My confidence was a bit shaky this week , just knowing how much this game meant to us , and just hiw physical the Showdowns are . From what I’m reading around the traps , there was a bit of action off the ground too , as a very confident crowd watched their game slip away and the Crows up the ante
    I keep throwing accolades at Andy Ottens , and my comments through all of last year about Hartigan just getting better and better still apply, we really do seem to have built a really good balance to the team , Hartigan did a great job on Robbie Grey , who really is one of the games best
    So much has been said about our forward line , but there’s a lot to be said now about our midfield and defence too , and while there were times I was frustrated at the missed mid field clearances , when that lifted, so did the rest of our game . Rory Sloane is a gun, so glad he loves living here , and decided to stay , he just never gives up , and great to see Curtly Hampton having some influence on the game
    Sadly , I didn’t go to the game , I never do the Port home showdown , personally , I’d rather sit in the middle of the Collingwood supporter group at the MCG but as usual , I was banished to another room with the windows shut so I didn’t upset the neighbours, and yes, I do wear my colours even at home when I watch on TV, it was such an intense exciting game .
    Oh so nice to wipe that cocky smirk off Ollie Wines face , too
    We were always going to have to take our best game there last night , and that we did , great to see Tex working back some form , and Carlton must rue the day they let Eddie go , he’s an excitement machine , but two words stand out ,TEAM GAME !!!
    One last comment , I just love the way the Crows and the Adelaide Football Club just quietly do what they do , no puffing out their chests , no telling us how great they are , they just let their boots do their talking for them

  12. Jill Tathra says

    Another great article mate and I`m with you all the way as regards goal kicking, it is shocking. Congrats to my boyfriend, Rory Sloane, well a lady of 70 can`t have too many boyfriends can she!

    But I must say one of the most under-rated Crows must be David MacKay. He gets in there and always seems to get the ball to another Crow without difficulty but we never hear much of him, although I notice you do have him in your bests, thank you.

  13. Amazing how port supporters build it up ‘biggest showdown ever’ why? It was because power put up 2 consecutive wins for a long time? Andy Otten is a real natural footballer love his work. Goal kicking huge problem . Walker kicks goals from 70 m but set shots from 30 become points??!! David McKay has kicked more goals in 3 games this year then in last 3 years? Maybe u should not put fringe players on 4 year contracts to get the best out of them? Good start to the year overall

  14. Thanks for the report, Malcolm.
    I enjoy your style and wit as always.
    I really think the Crows area genuine chance this year.

    Thanks so much also for the Troy Chaplin mention.

  15. Can never overdo Tom Lynch love booklet… as we know the half forward line is the hardest one to break in footer, and he does it via gut run, marking, penetrating 50m dobs inside 50, and lace out darts on the tit. I may be a scratched record, but the man keeps delivering the goods with consistency.

    That aside, am pleasantly surprised by the midfield, who with 1 recognised gun are getting it done. Hopefully Sloandog’s not cooked by Rd 23.

    Oh, and I h8 Port… happy days!

  16. Good write-up, mate. Not afraid to show your bias! Flad to see you mentioned Hampton, would love to hear more of your thoughts on whi struggled. I feel like Atkins and Milera were far off their brilliant best.

  17. Love it Book. Good to see you get a Troy Chaplin dig in – he gives us TCs a bad name!

  18. Another great read Malcolm, i choose not to go to the Port home showdowns….we seem to trend with a not so great 1st quarter and the find our feet in the next 3 quarters, hopefully Pyke is working on that….the highlight for me…that goal from Tex in the last quarter, why i love him as a player, because when hes good hes damn good…shame about McGovern, hopefully its only a short recovery, and great to see the leggies start the season with a win…looking forward to Thursdays match.

  19. Thanks Book.
    I wholeheartedly agree in relation to Otten, I’d actually forgotten how good he is, he does so many things right instinctively.
    I thought Jacobs fought back well after being towelled up early on.
    Tex’s game not to be underrated and Hartigan on Grey…..Who would’ve thought!
    Now I can go to work on Monday with a smile.

  20. Lord Voldemort and his death eaters seems appropriate to me.

  21. Martin Rumsby says

    An important win for the Crows, not only for premiership points but also for their self-belief. McGovern’s injury poses another challenge for the forward line which has already had to cover Walker in round 1 and Jenkins for most of round 2 and round 3. Now for Essendon and avoiding the post-Showdown letdown!

  22. Scott Knowles says

    Thanks Malcolm. Hampton was great in traffic and will only get better. Pleasing to see our leg speed to break away is right up there with tbe best of them now. Big question now is who comes in for Mitch McGovern. IMO toss up between Menzel and Jono Beech…. or do they just bring JJ in ???

  23. Malcolm Ashwood says

    Thanks Holsty yes it was a good comeback from Sauce after being pantsed early,.Talia a s starting to get a domination over,Dixon like the truck did over tredrea,thanks,Brenton and DMG.Thanks,Barb I agree and enjoyed your comment I totally understand the being sent to another room part.Thanks Jill nup nothing wrong with a 79 year old lady having another boyfriend loved your comment.Mariusz the natural and clever footballer can never be underestimated yes agree re Dmac it was a panic move by the club and bizarre in that clubs were offering 1st round draft picks.Ambrose Milera has to get fitter to get to more contests and yes be more physical,Rat has been v good so far was prob due for a quieter one
    I like our mix of inside and out re midfield in particular.TC you definitely have more medals than bloody,Chaplin.KDE fantastic goal by Tex and go the legs.Chris yes work is definitely a happier place after a win to the good guys.WS love it and I reckon I may use that line in the future seemed to be a few death eaters in the crowd also.Marin agree post showdown blues also a huge worry and McGovern is a massive loss thanks folks

  24. We have an elite forward line and a very solid defence, our mid range midfielders/picks have been developed amazingly well by the coaching staff but I can’t help but feel we are are a midfielder or two short of a premiership
    Side. We had a great run with injuries last year and if the same happens this year we will be fine, but if one or two key players go down then we will falter later in the season like Craig’s crowbots did. Would nice to have that extra first and second rounder we lost in the tippet saga on the list right now

  25. Malcolm Ashwood says

    Scott if ( and I think it is a big if ) Jenkins is fit he will come in if not,Menzel a worry tho structure wise.
    Jacko the obscene punishment we copped for that compared to Essendon we will never no what would have happened yes being realistic we are probably a midfielder short ( glad we didn’t do the Gibbs deal tho while it would be great to have him it have been massive overs

  26. Crows were simply too good. Essendon will be a good test following an intense Showdown contest.

  27. Dan Hansen says

    Port relies too much on too few. Our bottom end talent isn’t good enough yet.

    I’m not sure how deep the Crows depth goes but if they have a half decent run with injuries they will be there abouts this year.

  28. Melina Mueller says

    What a game!! The first one I’ve been able to watch this season, and it did not disappoint. I had my heart in my mouth a couple of times, especially given how hard and fast both teams came out, but thankfully the footy gods prevailed and the best team won. A true team effort where everyone played a part, especially our Super Star Sloane – that man is an absolute gun! And Betts, and Laird, and Crouch, and Douglas, and Lynch, and Hartigan, and Otten, and Cameron, and Jacobs, and Knight, and Hampton, and Mackay, and Brown, and Atkins, and and and and and ……………… And the rest of the team!! But most of all – my Texan! On the other side, I thought Boak showed why he’s captain, Wingard had his tantrums, Robbie Gray was effectively shut down. I was grudgingly admiring Ryder until his thuggery showed. And now the ledger is even, we are top of the table, and 2017 looks to be a great year! Bring on the drug cheats!! (Ooops – I mean Essendon)

  29. Sometimes I reckon I can play elite football with the in front of goal kicking skills of some AFL players. Then I remember I can’t run or tackle or bounce or handball so yeah nah. I reckon clubs should focus more on set pieces and not goal kicking – it got us top of the leaderboard! /s

  30. Nice wrap, I think it’s poor that in 2017 the footage isn’t good enough to get a definitive answer on goal line decisions (eg. Walkers touched? poster? that was called a goal) and off the ball incidents (eg Ryders love tap). Whose responsible for getting that right? Ch7? AFL? Fox Footy?

  31. Good summary Rulebook. Loved your specific mentioning of Andy Otten. If anyone deserves a medal for sheer perseverance against significant odds then he certainly does. I also agree that Hartigan did a fantastic job on Robbie Gray and his development in a relatively short space of time has been huge. Milera was hardly sighted and he needs to lift his work rate if he wants to be a regular at AFL level. His skills are great but what’s the point if you don’t get to the contest in the first place to show them off?
    As you said, after the match all is good in the world again.

  32. Jeff Milton says

    Well done on getting Chaplin in there. Clearly nowhere to hide from you.A game that could have gone either way but great to see the Crows respond in the last quarter when Port came back at them. Once again a tall forward goes down but Otten really is proving to be versatile.
    Brad Crouch with 40 touches in the SANFL yesterday is likely to come back in. Jenkins for McGovern is an obvious one if Jenkins is fit. Otherwise selection and the right balance of height and speed will be interesting.
    Wouldn’t be writing off the Ashwood-Darrington Cup yet. They did have a win over Payneham last year. Payneham still look wrong in black and white.

  33. Just checked the AFL ladder and Richmond have won 3 out of 3, but no mention of gift wrapping 2 of those. Poor kicking at goal, boo hoo. All teams are guilty of it and yes, it is one of those areas of the game that hasn’t evolved….anyway I am far more impressed with Glenelg’s win on friday night against a team with 19 AFL listed players.

  34. Dave Brown says

    Moment of the match for mine was in the last quarter when the ball hit the deck in Port’s 50, leading to a footrace and one on one between Hartigan and Ebert for the ball. Not only did Hartigan win the race and the contest he then had two clean disposals in the chain that took the ball down the other end of the ground. That was by far the most composed performance I have seen from him and is to be applauded. Browny’s last quarter dance with Wingard was also amusing and effective in equal measure. A good result for a cracking game – Crows still yet to win a first quarter or lose any other quarter.

    Liked the look of the legs’ quick, direct ball movement. Cotton making much better use of Fuller and Zac Richards looks ready to make the next step in his career. Eliminate some of the stupid errors from Friday night and we’ll be competitive against the better teams.

  35. Fair kick by the boy Walker when he dobbed one through from about 70 metres out. Its all ticking along nicely for the Crows but let me just check the calendar…….yep its only April.

    Enjoy RB!

  36. Malcolm Ashwood says

    Paul always worried re a let down after a showdown.Danny that s hoe I felt before the game happy that I was correct and ironically the Crows have had as many ( probably more ) injuries than last season already wouldn’t want to many more.Melina as always love your passion and entirely agree with your last line.Daniel love it how you have taken the mickey out of yourself and sarcasm as well.Tofe probably a combination of all and good luck mate it was truly a horrific injury.Big Jim Otten a huge victory both himself and club re perseverance( love his footy smarts) and Milera must lift his work rate must remember he’s not 20 yet but it is obvious he has got by on outrageous natural ability so far.Milts B Crouch will play several games at SANFL level he was bought back to early last year the club won’t make the same mistake again and the blacks beat the falcons in both A grade games last year.Jags yep a win is a win staggering that goal kicking is not the main element practised agreed a huge win for the tigers over the power reserves.Dave love your key moment and couldn’t agree more it was vital.Some good signs,
    Friday night but a lot to work on big game thurs night against the power res ( rip the maggies)
    Dips in reality I think there is far more improvement left in some other sides but we need the early wins I hope we can rest,Jacobs especially later in the year the fact he was cooked when finals arrived hurt us big time thanks folks

  37. Tony Johnson says

    Loved it book comprehensive as always and a sledge of your favourite

  38. Cameron Glenn says

    Showdown 42 proved to be a winner overall with the first ever one with both teams going in undefeated and biggest AFL crowd at AO ever. Really good to be there for it – love Adelaide Oval! I knew that the Crows, going on previous rounds would likely start slow and dominate afterwards. That is what happened. Overall, Port Adelaide were great but Adelaide were greater. The Power did well to get within 3 straight kicks of victory and the Crows did better to go 3-0 after 3 rounds. First time in Showdown history that the Crows have won away showdowns 3 years in a row. They only ever won 6 away at Football Park.

    About time the AFL give us a Friday night Showdown.

  39. Mark 'Swish' Schwerdt says

    I watched on nervously as always, on the mini AFL Live screen. What’s with the slow starts?

    Crows did a great job of setting up a wall in the third quarter, Port just couldn’t get it out of defence often enough.

    Thought Andy “Ellen” was a ripper again.

    Had to eat my words in the last when Tex’s two captain’s goals made up for his captain’s point in the first.

    How good was Charlie’s run on the Bob Neil #1 side, even when he fumbled the bounce there was no-one within Cooee (or even Penguin for that matter).

    Not coming over this week after all, but we’ve pencilled in a couple of trips in a few weeks.

    When will I get my annual Blacks membership phone call (and last year’s scarf/t shirt/stubby holder/folding chair?)

  40. Malcolm Ashwood says

    Thanks Tony.Cameron couldn’t Cameron couldn’t agree more the crows and power is the biggest rivalry in there afl Imo.Swish like the Andy Ellen line,Charlie’s run on the Bob Neil side was as Bruce would say,special and not sure what is happening with,Ad Uni FC at this stage thank you

  41. Malcolm- nice job. While the win was important the slow starts are a worry. If this happens against Sydney or Geelong, for example, we could be down eight goals at the first change.

  42. Marcus Smith says

    Cheers for that Rulebook.Great read
    Crows will b in top 3 this year.
    Norwood look good 4 this year 2.

  43. Spot-on about the goalkicking “Rulebook.” It is THE difference. Clubs spend incredible time on stoppages, clearances, structures, cultures, kick-ins and players miss set shots from 20m dead in front. A few reasons why:
    1. Good field kicks often kick around their body.
    2.No margin for error, too close for the breeze to effect.
    3. Players “choke”.
    4. Player tries to guide it through.
    5. Closed skill.
    Can’t recall Rocky Roberts, Tim Evans or the great Roger Woodcock missing to many from 20m out.
    Crows are the real deal.

  44. Malcolm Ashwood says

    Thanks Mickey agree the slow starts are a worry but the coolness in remedying them has been impressive definitely do not want it to become a habit.Thanks Marcus hope so ! Lachy agree totally re goal kicking so bloody infuriating!

  45. Great win pity marred by off field idiots. Crows could be 10 and zero.

  46. Great win for the crows, shame about all the off field drama that’s followed from the game. Surprised Ryder only got one game, his hand seemed to follow through and connect with the head.

  47. Good article Mal, the Crows skills were just too silky for the Power but they will crumble against the BOMBERS!
    Crows goal kicking depth will be tested this week with McGovern and Jenkins missing, Hurley will give Tex a bath and Betts will be given no room at all.
    Bombers by 24pts.

  48. What? no mention of the Mighty Tigers smashing the Port Magoos at the beautiful Bay Oval??

  49. Malcolm Ashwood says

    Thanks Raj yes some disappointing events since but I feel it has also been blown way out of proportion,Dave Brown answered,Robbos dribble perfectly a few idiots seen to give every one a bad name.Campbell Ryder a fraction lucky.Riverboy didn’t the drugs wear off on Sunday ? Tim a great win by the tigers hear enough wah was from the Vic tigers tho thank you

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