Crows fall short in a thriller

Umpires will again be a hot topic in the AFL after Ben Howlett's controversial goal for Essendon

THE roller-coaster ride continues for the Adelaide Football Club.

Brenton Sanderson's outfit last night blew a golden opportunity to win consecutive games for the first time since rounds four to six, crashing to a nine-point defeat to under siege Essendon at Etihad Stadium.

The loss means the frustratingly inconsistently Crows have followed a win with a loss for the past seven matches, leaving their finals hopes hanging by a thread.

This one hurts the most.

The upset result sees Adelaide again falling behind in the win-loss ledger, at 6-7. It has not been in front in the win column all season.

If North Melbourne beats Melbourne tonight, the Crows will be two games out of the top eight, leaving them with a mountain to climb to force their way into playing in September.

Adelaide last night didn't come to play and paid a heavy price. In an inexcusable start, the Crows conceded six of the first seven goals to quickly fall 33 points behind.

They never completely recovered.

Crow Tex Walker provided a spark up forward. Picture: Michael Klein

Adelaide fought back strongly in the second half and drew within nine points early in the final term but it could never gets its noses in front.

The Crows had their chances in the dying stages but Taylor Walker dropped a simple mark, Daniel Talia missed a kick and Patrick Dangerfield turned over a handball, blowing any chance they had of a famous comeback win.

Adelaide — playing Essendon in Melbourne for the first time in five years — came with a plan to shut down the Bombers' uncontested style of game.

At the start of the round, the Dons were ranked No. 1 in the competition in uncontested possessions, uncontested marks and short kicks.

The Crows stationed Brodie Martin and Matthew Wright as forward line taggers on Essendon defensive playmakers Michael Hibberd and Courtenay Dempsey while the Bombers tried to nullify Adelaide running backman Brodie Smith.

The task of stopping him fell to Heath Hocking.

Adelaide super stopper Sam Kerridge lined up in the middle on Essendon ball magnet Dyson Heppell.

Patrick Dangerfield looked to be struggling with a thigh problem. Picture: Michael Klein

But any plans the Crows had early were blown out of the water by their lethargic attitude.

They clearly did not come to play and were chasing their tails as soon as Brendon Goddard won the first clearance and sent a long bomb inside 50 which was marked by Hocking.

Hocking goaled and Essendon had a second on the board — through a Paddy Ryder snap after an errant handball from Scott Thompson — while Adelaide had managed just two disposals.

Far from building slowly from the backline, the Dons were playing fast, direct footy and the visitors had no answer, falling three goals behind after five minutes when Brent Stanton was inexplicably left free 50m from goal and he kicked truly on the run.

Former Bomber Josh Jenkins booted the Crows' first goal after nine minutes but he couldn't steady the ship.

Essendon — dominating the clearances — continued to run hard and kick straight.

A week after booting a woeful 10.17 in a one-point defeat to Melbourne, it kicked seven goals without a miss in the opening term to break to a 33-point lead after just 22 minutes.

Crows star Eddie Betts reacts to the loss. Picture: Michael Klein

Adelaide huffed and puffed late in the term and drew to within 18 points early in the second.

But its inside 50 entries were scrappy, it missed goals and continued to turn the ball over at half-forward.

This allowed Essendon the chance to set up its run-and-gun breaks from the back half and hurt the Crows on the scoreboard at the other end. Adelaide found some momentum late in the third quarter after a brilliant goal from Jenkins when he took the ball from the centre bounce, tucked the ball under his arm and kicked a long bomb from 65m.

The Crows booted four goals in succession before the final change to reduce the deficit from 36 points to 15 points but ultimately they left their run too late.

Adelaide forward James Podsiadly leads the Crows from Etihad Stadium. Picture: Getty

Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang

Crows fall short in a thriller

Dengan url

http://beritaandalan.blogspot.com/2014/06/crows-fall-short-in-thriller.html

Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya

Crows fall short in a thriller

namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link

Crows fall short in a thriller

sebagai sumbernya