It was close to a top versus bottom of the table clash as the Adelaide Crows, who are battling for a top 4 spot, faced off against Richmond, who sit a game and a half behind North Melbourne in 17th position on the ladder. Unsurprising, given Richmond’s current predicament and a small group of fans travelling from Adelaide, this resulted in a paltry crowd at the MCG to watch the match.
It was the Crows that did most of the attacking in the first quarter, as they held the Tigers to one behind, while the Crows kicked two goals. Adelaide’s lead should have been larger, but they failed to make the most of their numerous chances with Rankine, Walker, and Rachelle all wasting chances in front of goal.
In between goals to Riley Thilthorpe, Hugo Ralphsmith kicked the Tigers’ first goal of the game. Sam Banks got the Tigers’ second goal for the quarter as Adelaide continued to waste chances in front of goal before the Crows kicked four straight goals to end the first half up by 41 points.
The Crows continued their charge in the second half, with Taylor Walker and Max Michalanney kicking goals to extend the Crows’ lead to 53 points. Richmond finally broke the string of goals through Luke Trainor, but the margin continued to hover around 8 goals. The Crows continued to waste opportunities in front of the goal with Thilthorpe, Rachele, and Keays missing from gettable opportunities.
Max Michalanney finally broke a run of four straight behinds to Crows with his second goal of the third quarter and third goal of the game. Seth Campbell then kicked a goal from a set shot for the Tigers’ fourth goal of the game that cut the margin back down to 52 points.
Late in the third quarter, Tom Lynch finally got on the board in a game to forget for the Tiger forward. Lynch had been involved in a fight where he took swings at both Jordan Butts and Ben Keays. He was reoprted for striking Butts, however, it was all for naught, as Daniel Curtin kicked the final goal of the third quarter to bring the three-quarter-time margin to 53 points.
Riley Thilthorpe got the first goal of the final quarter from directly in front, pushing the margin out to 59 points. Second-gamer Jasper Alger kicked his first goal unconventionally after the ball spilled over the back of a contest in the goal square, before Sam Berry got the goal back after some undisciplined play from Steely Green. Rhyan Mansell caught Brodie Smith in a tackle in front of goal to again reduce the margin back to 52 points.
Tex Walker kicked his second for the game after pushing out Jacob Blight, and this was followed by a good contested mark by Riley Thilthorpe, who proceeded to kick his fourth of the game, extending the Crows’ lead out past ten goals for the first time in the game. Jasper Alger then kicked his second goal more conventionally than his first from 48 meters out on a tight angle after dropping into a hole in Richmond’s forward 50.
However, Riley Thilthorpe continued to be a thorn in the side of Richmond’s defence with his fifth goal of the game after taking another contested mark from roughly 20 metres out from goal and directly in front. Thilthorpe then turned provider as he found ruckman Reilly O’Brien in front of goal, and the lumbering ruckman kicked truly to become the Crows’ ninth individual goalscorer for the game.
The game ended with the final margin stuck at 68 points, moving Adelaide back into the top 4 in third position, just two points adrift of Brisbane and 12 Premiership points behind Collingwood in top spot.
Lynch is heading on holiday
Late in the second quarter, Richmond’s key forward Tom Lynch appeared to lose his mind. After losing another marking contest, Lynch swung his arm and connected with the head of Crows defender Jordan Butts. This sparked a brawl between Lynch and several Crows defenders. Lynch also appeared to engage with Mark Keane during the scuffle, for which he could be cited.
The commentary and fans online were quick to criticise Lynch’s actions. According to the metric, Lynch is looking at a ban of at least two weeks if not more. The AFL Match Review Officer and panel have not shied away from handing down hefty punishments for striking, with Jack Scrimshaw, Lewis Melican, and Patrick Voss all receiving three-game suspensions for striking. Lynch also has a record, having been previously suspended earlier in the season for Rough Conduct.
After the game, Lynch was quoted as saying he was more frustrated with how Jordon Butts was defending him, and believed it was not within the rules. This, of course, led him to act outside the rules, himself. I guess it is a case of two wrongs not making a right, and Lynch will likely have some time away as a result.
Really, Lynch (and Butts) was lucky that his swing at his opponent’s head ended in just a glancing blow. We hear so much about these types of moments of madness and how they impact lives. Without attempting to sound too dramatic, this could have easily been one of those moments.
Curtin Post-Signing Boom
The Crows announced this week that former number-eight draft pick, Dan Curtin, had signed a three-year extension to stay with the club after rumours circulated of offers coming from Fremantle and West Coast for the talented Western Australian to lure the former Claremont star back west.
Curtin has started off repaying the club immediately with a huge performance against the Tigers. Curtin had 26 possessions, went at 80% efficiency, took eight marks, kicked two goals, and was involved in 11 scoring plays from the wing. Curtin wasn’t the only Crow who dined out on a disappointing Richmond side, but his performance was undoubtedly one of note.
Thilthorpe Kicks a Bag
It’s been a hell of a weekend for forwards kicking bags of goals. The weekend started with Mitch Georgiades kicking five against the Blues on Thursday Night at Adelaide Oval, and continued with Heeney and Melksham kicking bags of fives for their teams in losing efforts. This, before Jack Gunston and Mabior Chol both kicked 12 goals between them for the Hawks, while Larkey also kicked a bag of five goals for North.
Riley Thilthorpe joined the party of forwards, kicking five goals for Adelaide. Thilthorpe led the charge for the Crows today, ending with 5.2 for the afternoon. Michalanney, Walker, Curtin, and Rachele also kicked multiple goals for the Crows, while Alger was the only Tiger to kick multiples.
Unhappy camper?
It was interesting to listen to the Fox Footy crew speculate that Josh Rachele would have liked the opportunity to partake in the feast a little more when he was subbed out of the game.
I get it – all players want to play, and this was an opportunity for Josh to have a bit of a day out against a Tiger defence that was struggling, but Rachele is slowly maturing, and will come to understand that the here and now is just a step on the way to the destination the Crows are eyeing off. They are finals bound, and perhaps top-four bound. That’s where they’ll need Rachele fresh and ready to unleash. Not against a team you’re belting in Round 16.
A healthy Wayne Milera
This is something that Crows fans have been wanting for years, and may have almost given up on at one stage.
Milera has had to fight through a multitude of injuries over the past few years, but has now strung an impressive series of games together, and looks like the player the Crows needed him to be all along. At 27, he is now in his peak years, and is a powerful presence in the back half, with his run and carry providing plenty to this underrated defensive unit.
I get the feeling Milera could be in for a big September.
Mykelti down
This was such a shame. In his comeback game, Mykelti Lefau limped to the bench with a calf strain, after just two touches.
Recovering from an ACL injury is the huge hurdle, and takes a mountain of work, but it is amazing how your body, which has overcompensated for the injury, sometimes reacts. And Lefau’s reacted with his calf muscle giving way under the strain.
Fingers crossed for a speedy recovery, and his next comeback game involves a complete 120 minutes, and a few snags to make him feel as though he is truly back.
The Month Ahead
Adelaide will face off against Melbourne back at Adelaide Oval next week as the Crows will look to further cement their space in the top 4, as well as hoping to keep pace with the Lions and the Pies as the season heads towards finals. Adelaide will then return to Melbourne to face off against the Bulldogs and return to Adelaide to face the Suns. The Crows then round out the next month with the Showdown against Port Adelaide. You would assume the Crows will want to win all four games to keep themselves in the hunt for a top 4 spot come finals.
The Tigers will travel down the highway for a tough test against Geelong at Kardinia Park next week. The Tigers have already outperformed expectations this season with many experts predicting the young Tigers to go winless in 2025. After the Cats, the Tigers will return to the MCG to face the Bombers before heading to Perth to take on bottom-placed West Coast Eagles.
The Tigers then round out the month against Collingwood at the MCG. The Tigers will undoubtedly hope for a win against West Coast, and they will hope to be competitive against Essendon, but even the most optimistic Tigers fan wouldn’t be expecting much out of the games against Geelong and Collingwood.
