Pre-Game Expectations
For teams like the Suns and the Crows who aspire to make the finals in twenty-five weeks’ time, the battle starts now and endures for the entire the season. I say teams like the Suns and the Crows, but you also include another six or seven teams trying to fight it out for a position on the September starting grid.
The Suns have openly stated they want September action, while the Crows believe they will make the finals. This is a fascinating match up for both clubs. A win for either team will bolster their credentials and ticks off one of the thirteen or more wins they will need for the year.
The Suns played irresistible football last week for half a game and had enough points in the bank at half-time to get their season off to a solid start. Any first up win is a good win, but I still have question marks over the Gold Coast’s stamina and ability to play out a solid four quarter game. More will be revealed tonight. It is the inconsistency of form within games that has killed the careers of many coaches over the journey at the Suns.
As the Dimma era begins, my early watch on them is whether they have the ability to run games out and become relevant.
Adelaide firmly believes they should have been in the finals last year if an errant goal umpire blunder had gone their way, but therein lays the problem for the Crows; their whole season got down to depending on one umpiring decision – let’s not forget they lost numerous games by under a goal.
Since losing the 2017 Grand Final for one reason or another the Crows have failed to deliver. Injuries, bad training camps, bad culture, lack of form, losing close games, and bad umpiring decisions, are just a selection of some the excuses that have been trotted out from West Lakes since the start of the 2018 to the end of last season.
2024 is the start of a new year for the Crows and the past should well and truly be in the rear-view mirror by now – the time for excuses is over.
First Quarter
About ten minutes into this game the heavens opened up, and the best way to describe this game is, it became a ‘slug fest’ as the Suns and the Crows fought hard for territory and even harder for goals.
The future of the Suns was on display in the first quarter as the Crows still looked like they were going through a pre-season training drill as they continually turned the ball over.
The highlight for the quarter occurred just before the heavens opened-up, when, from a boundary throw-in Witts’ tap pinpointed Bailey Humphrey, who under tackle pressure, handballed to Matt Rowell, who was under even more tackle pressure as he precision handballs to the silky Touk Miller, who handballs to Noah Anderson on the outside, who slots the goal from about 45 metres out. It was pure class by the quartet. If this quartet stay on the park all year it will take the Suns deep into the season maybe even September.
The Crows forward line looked in disarray, and it was obvious they were missing the leadership of Tex Walker, with the only player looking dangerous being Ben Keays. Time after time, the Suns backline, led by Will Powell and Sam Collins, repelled with ease any forward attack by Matty Crouch, Rory Laird and Jordan Dawson.
The Suns should have further in front at the break.
Second Quarter
This quarter of football was as boring as boring can be. The Suns piled on a massive two goals, two behinds while the Crows scored a poultry single behind.
The midfielders from both teams amassed massive numbers as the ball lived between the flanks with both teams forward lines looking inept.
Ben Ainsworth was the most likely forward during this period, while the Crows star medium-small, Izak Rankine was forced up the ground to get possessions, with the only presenting target for the Crows being the banged-up Luke Pedlar.
As stated, the midfielders were dining out in the scraggy conditions, led by Sam Flanders, Noah Anderson, Braydon Fiorini and Tuok Miller for the Suns, while Matt Crouch, Jordan Dawson, Rory Laird and Wayne Milera were the standouts for the Crows.
Special mention to two players here, Josh Rachele had a half of football he would never want again, while Matt Rowell was starting to flex his muscles late in the half.
Third Quarter – A Comedy of Errors
Jarrod Witts misses a kick altogether, he tunnel-balls a throw through his legs, and he is the victim of one the best full-face falcons the game has ever seen. To be fair to Witts, his battle with Reilly O’Brien was one of the more intriguing duals of the night. The changes to the ruck rules make the man-on-man ruck duals are relevant to the game again. Honours were about even for the night, but their battle was entertaining.
Bailey Humphrey was gifted the easiest goal he will ever kick in his life from an errant goal kick-in, and at this stage of the game it looked how far the Suns.
Matt Rowell was brilliant during this quarter, not only with his toughness in and under, but also with his outside skills. There one passage of play where his pinpoints Malcolm Rosas amongst a murder of Crows was sublime. Rosas completed the deal and goaled.
By midway through the third quarter, it looked how far the Suns, but from nowhere, Ixak Rankine and Josh Rachele came to life and started to win more possession, and the Crows suddenly looked dangerous.
As good as the grunt players are, and ever club needs a few, when the chips are down it the class players who lift. Suddenly Matt Crouch and Jordan Dawson were getting more support and they looked sharp for the last five minutes of the quarter.
A relatively easy missed shot by Bailey Humphrey which would have put the game well and truly beyond doubt was countered by an after the siren goal by Rachelle, which psychologically put the Crows back in the game.
Final Quarter
As a result of more Rowell brilliance, Rosas kicked his second goal early in the last and it looked how far the Suns. As good as Sam Berry was in the first half, nullifying the brilliance of Matt Rowell (and he was), Rowell was well and truly off the leash in the second half, and he was putting on a clinic.
The Suns led by nearly 40 points eight minutes into the last quarter and the game is as good as dead, until, well, the Suns did a Suns and nearly lost the game.
The Subs
Lachlan Gollant was subbed out of the game for Jake Soligo, while Brandon Ellis was subbed out, for the second week in a row (more about him later), for Darcy Macpherson. The most telling change here being the fresh legs of Jake Soligo and his eight last quarter possessions.
This was not a night for big forwards with Ben King looking out of sorts at one end and Darcy Fogarty looking lost at the other end. The torrential rain quelled any impact the big forwards could have on the game.
Quick goals to Ben Keays and Sam Berry and suddenly the Crows could sniff a chance of victory, and all their players lifted, especially the defenders. Josh Worrell, Mitchell Hinge and Jordan Butts started holding their marks in defence and improved their delivery to players like Milera, Rankine, Sholl, Crouch, Dawson, and the rest of the Crows’ runners.
As the switch flicked on, the Crows suddenly realised the pre-season was over and started playing AFL quality football.
With four minutes left to play, the Crows needed four goals and that number quickly tumbled after two quick goals to Rachele and a classy goal by Rankine.
With 42 seconds left on the clock the Crows needed a goal to steal a draw. In the end the deficit was a just, and I mean just, a bridge too far.
Post Game Wrap
The Suns
The Suns have now won their opening two games, a historical first for the club, and they do need to celebrate small achievements along the way as they strive for the finals.
Do they find another 11 wins to make the Finals?
It is way, way, too early to be making bold predictions, but they have forced their way into the conversation by the virtue of a couple of good wins.
The Suns still let big leads slip and become vulnerable the longer the game goes on. This team need to learn to bury teams and not take their foot off the jugular when they have an opponent by the throat. They need Mongrel.
A trip to Ballarat will test them next week, with predicted temperatures hovering around 13 degrees with wind and rain, against a Western Bulldogs side who are yet to play a game this year at the time of writing.
Dimma believes he has 80 percent of his Premiership team at the club already, which sounds great in theory, but it must put the fear of God into the job stability of the fringe players. I fear for Brandon Ellis as he has already been subbed out twice this year. Ellis has the knack of getting the pill, but he looks nervous or not sure of himself when has the ball and makes clumsy mistakes and turnovers.
The Crows
Looking at the results this weekend already, it seems the teams that won in Opening Round have carried that form into Round One and won again. I am not using this as an excuse for the Crows, but in the first half of the game they looked like a team playing their first game of the season, while their opponents looked match toughened.
After half-time, players like Rachele, Rankine, Crouch, Dawson, Sholl, Hinge, Butts, Worrell and others suddenly found form and nearly snatched the game from the Suns, and that is my frustration with the Crows – they are the nearly team.
I am giving the Crows a low pass this week even though they lost, but they must redeem themselves against the Cats next week at home if they are to be taken seriously this season. The Crows, like the Saints, and the Hawks (already lost at the time of writing), cannot afford 2 losses to start the season as the season just gets harder and harder – just ask Richmond.
Ps: Soligo should be an automatic selection next week – he was wasted on the bench.
