Our next opposition, Adelaide Crows, were served an upsetting 41-point defeat by Melbourne last Saturday at Adelaide Oval.
The ladder-leading Crows surrendered their 10-point half-time lead, allowing the Demons to come away with a 17.5 (107) to 9.12 (66) victory.
The Crows showed a dominant second quarter, booting six unanswered goals to come away with a handy 28-point buffer, mid way through the second turnover.
Adelaide’s coach Don Pyke was impressed by the team’s competitiveness throughout the first half of the game.
“We knew it was going to be a fierce start, halfway through that second quarter the game was being played in our half and we were winning our share of the contest,” said Pyke.
The Crows’ desire to play through the corridor at every opportunity proved to be their downfall with a number of high-risk kicks resulting in turnovers.
Melbourne kicked the next nine goals either side of half time and out-tackled the Crows 33-18, leading to a 27-point lead at the last change.
Defender Rory Laird was a standout for the Crows, gathering a game-high 37 possessions and a goal. Laird is ranked second in the league for total disposals this season with 263 disposals.
Meanwhile, ruckman Sam Jacobs won 74 of Adelaide’s 76 hit-outs, blitzing his previous best of 61.
After six straight wins to start the season, the Crows have now suffered their second-straight defeat. The Club is now only percentage ahead of Greater Western Sydney and West Coast in top spot on the AFL ladder.
This Saturday the Crows hit the road to take on the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba.
Injury List
Troy Menzel finished the Round 8 game early last weekend due to a heavily corked quad. Menzel will be assessed day-by-day in the lead up to the match in order to determine his availability for the weekend’s clash.
Meanwhile, Jake Lever (hamstring) continues to progress very well in his recovery. Lever has been training with the group this week and will be available to play this Saturday.
Riley Knight (glute) was deemed as unavailable for last weekend’s match. Knight is expected to train in the coming days before being assessed for availability later in the week.
Lions Health Centre: Injury List
Mitch McGovern (hamstring) is progressing effectively with his rehab and has been reintroduced to football skills and running. McGovern is hopeful to return to the competition by mid-season.
Alex Keath and Kyle Cheney (Hamstring) will both be returning to the SANFL this week after overcoming their injuries.
