Round 6 – Adelaide v St Kilda: Crows take the points in see-sawing thriller

Round 6

Adelaide v St Kilda

7.35pm, Saturday 18th April, 2026

Adelaide Oval

 

Pre-game thoughts

The Saints have stayed in Adelaide all week after their gritty win over Port last Sunday.

Hopefully they have avoided too much Farmers Union Iced Coffee, West End and Coopers, Pie Floaters, Wine, Hindley St, and any Sharks and Serial Killers. I’m all out of clichés at this point.

At this stage of the year coaches are looking for four quarters of effort and less of the spasmodic.

Terrible record against the Crows especially at in Adelaide. Need a 100% team effort.

This week only one change with the consistent Liam Stocker coming in for The Flying Viking Tauru who is having a rest. Matteus Phillipou plays his 50^th, a young South Australian with great class and future leadership qualities.

The Crows have lost their skipper Jordan Dawson due to the dreadful family news he received this week, along with a couple of significant losses in Seligo and Hinge both injured. This has opened the door for the return of the experienced Butts and Pedlar and debutant Edwards.

As a Saints supporter its vital to remain rational, humble, resilient and never getting ahead of yourself after a win. Saints by 94 points.

Special comments tonight from Collingwood tragic Lynda.

1^st Qtr

Keyes marks and goals after 2 mins from a straight forward 50m entry. Better composure from The Saints. Garcia busy and drives a long ball inside 50 to TDK who marks and misses. Wilson stuffs up twice (something I‘ve heard often in my own life).  Nice movement and Flanders finds Sharman 25m out on a 30 degree angle and misses. Garcia and Sinclair set up Ryan on an impossible angle and goals. Saints killing The Crows in clearances 5 to 1 and Nas gets it to Wilson who goals on the run. Marshall looking much more energised tonight. Big turnover in defence and the transition starting with Sinclair ends up with Higgins goaling. 15 possessions to Sinclair with 5 mins to go, Wilkie 12. Another good transition ends up with Ryan who catches the defence asleep and Ryan passes to Higgins 20m out and goals. Crows look flat. Qtr time and it’s the Saints by 20 points.

Lynda – Wilkie brilliant. Saints connecting well. Multiple options going forward.

Saints defence rock solid led by the co-captains Wilkie and Sinclair. Crows getting smashed around the ball applying little pressure that we know they are capable of.

2nd Qtr

Early good forward pressure from the Saints and Owens kicks a banana goal. Crows centre clearance goes deep and Thilthorpe too strong one on one for Silvagni and goals. Crows a bit more active. Brilliant burst from Wilson through the midfield and he passes to Butler who goals. Ticky-touch free to Rankin at a throw in and he doesn’t need an invitation. Goal. TDK hurt. Crows ruckman McAndrew has been on top. Walker take a contested mark dead in front and goals. Nas quiet. Crows pressure lifting. STK slick transition starting with Nas ironically. Owens marks but misses. Maley ‘The Moose’ takes a speccy on the goal line and goals. STK under siege. Rankin and Rachele combine at a fwd throw in and goal. Danger signs. Walker benefits from another CB clearance, goals and the Crows hit the front. Silvagni caught and Crows goal on the siren. Crows by 8 points.

Lynda – Crows have found their mojo and are smashing the Saints in the centre. Oh, and I can’t stand Tex Walker.

What is immediately evident is that we have two experienced ruckman getting annihilated by a rookie in McAndrew (hit-outs 16 to 8 Crows). NAS and Hall have been terrific this year but are well down. We need their creativity in a hurry. The defence is under all sorts now that the centre clearance differential has changed. There’s a telling stat that says it all for The Crows, 13 inside 50 tackles v STK-2.

3^rd Qtr

A minute in and Walker earns an Oscar nomination for a high tackle and goals and hopefully will never being able to look at himself in the mirror again. Wood caught in the Crows fwd pocket and Walker rubs salt in by kicking another one. STK flat as a tack. McAndrew continuing his dominance in CB’s. Young Cook kicks a killer banana. Crows well on top. 4 CB clearances to zip. 10 to 2 since qtr time! For goodness sake Lyon throw Sharman in there…anything! Finally Butler kicks a scrappy goal but we need to lift big time. Great vision from Hall and he finds Wood just on 50 and goals. Keep fighting boys. Brilliant aggressive defence from Stocker, quick transition and Ryan marks but misses from 40. Umps ignore a holding the ball and a ‘Crow throw’ and it ends up with a Thilthorpe goal. Same man marks and goals from a good kick from Cook. STK momentum dries up. Quick movement from Sinclair and Higgins crumbs and goals. An unexpected transition the length of the ground and TDK marks on the siren a goals. Crows by 15 points but feels worse.

Lynda – See-sawing qtr depending on who gets it out of the middle. Will come down to who can make the most of the swings. STK still in touch.

The CB’s are killing us. I’m putting it on the on ballers who need to adjust because sometimes you just can’t have the dominant ruckman. Make no mistake we should be winning the hit-outs (losing 27 to 13 and centre clearances 15 to 8) but full credit to McAndrew. Work it out boys!

4^th Qtr

A nervy few minutes followed by good STK forward pressure and Wilson goals. Butler drops a sitter at the psychological moment (insert profanity here). Suddenly a great transition starting with Nads and Sinclair who’s had a beauty and Sharman marks and goals. Hill from a stoppage kicks one reading it from a McAndrew tap (halleluiah!). Scores even. Saints pressure up.  Brave contest from Marshall inspiring. Keyes crumbs and goals after much twoing and frowing. 5 mins to go and Crows up by 7. Desperate play from Nas ends up with Higgins running into an open goal. Crows by 1 point. Incredible tackle pressure and combination from STK and Sharman kicks a point. Scores even. Neale- Bullen kicks a point. Crows +1.  2 mins left. Wood makes a terrible contest error and Walker kicks an easy one against the tide. Crows +7.  Bile entering my throat. Owen kicks an incredible goal from a stoppage. Crows +1 with 10 seconds left. All over. Crows by a point.

Lynda – STK were killed in the middle and nothing was done about it.

Much better game from Flanders. TDK I just don’t know. The defenders were very good despite being undersized and being flooded from CB entries. We are desperately undersized in the forward line and I hope some reporter has the intestinal fortitude to challenge Lyon over the debacle that was the centre bounces. 18 to 10 is unacceptable.

 

ADELAIDE   1.2   8.4   13.7    15.13 (103)
ST KILDA    4.4   6.8   10.10   15.12 (102)

GOALS
Adelaide: Walker 5, Thilthorpe 3, Keays 2, Rankine, Rachele, Peatling, Maley, Cook
St Kilda: Higgins 4, Wilson 2, Butler 2, Owens 2, Wood, Sharman, Ryan, Hill, De Koning

BEST
Adelaide: Milera, Thilthorpe, Peatling, Worrell, Walker, Cook
St Kilda: Wilkie, Flanders, Wanganeen-Milera, Sinclair, Wilson, Higgins

INJURIES
Adelaide: TBC
St Kilda: TBC

Crowd: 45,854

 

Read more from Ian Wilson HERE.

 

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