Even though they win 90% of the awards, I cannot say I have often gone to the footy with the intention of taking in the performance of a midfielder. There are just so many, and on any given day, you know one of them is going to pick up 30-35 touches and have a big day.
But a big forward… that’s what puts arses on seats and keeps eyes on screens, and in this game we were blessed to have plenty of them.
It’s not quite main event status, just yet, but the Riley Thilthorpe versus Sam Darcy clash will highlight games between the Crows and Bulldogs for years.
And whilst this one saw one of the two truly flex his muscles, there were plenty of others in the “big forward” department that got in on the act, as well.
This had been the game I was most looking forward to of the round. Yeah, the Suns and Pies was a ripper, but the Dogs and Crows under the lid at Marvel… you had the feeling we were going to see both clubs throw it all at each other in perfect conditions – a great way to spend a Saturday arvo.
Adelaide were looking to secure a top-four spot, whilst the Dogs were looking to claim a victim in contention, for a change. They’d been belting those below them, as they are supposed to do, but that big win against a contender was missing.
With inspirational captains on both sides, young stars stepping to the fore, and the big forwards giving supporters what they paid for, this game had a bit of everything.
Let’s jump into The Mongrel’s Big Questions stemming from the Crows big road win over the Dogs.
Usually, at this point, I would cut the review off for members, but today… I am feeling good. I love a good game of footy, and that’s what we got in this one. Soooo, I am leaving this open for everyone. Good on me, right?
If you like this, and want more, you can join at the link at the bottom of the page. Or, if you don’t like commitment, there is a link there where you can buy me a coffee. Maybe even two if you’re feeling generous.
WHAT IS THE CEILING FOR RILEY THILTHORPE?
Let’s not get hyperbolic.
Let’s keep a lid on it… even if we allow it to bubble and overflow from underneath it.
There will never be another Wayne Carey, but watching the way Thilthorpe played in this contest, it was difficult not to start making comparisons. The power, the hard attack on the footy, and those hands… that ripping pair of hands that enable him to clunk big grabs as either a lead-up target, or heading back to goal… it makes it difficult not to see the similarities.
Truth is, if Thilthorpe ends up half the player Carey was for North Melbourne through the mid-to-late 90s, the Crows will be thrilled, but at the moment, he is a very important part of a very potent forward setup that was the clear difference in the game.
The Dogs were always going to be stretched in defence. I looked long and hard as to why Liam Jones wasn’t brought into the team to combat their size and power, and can only surmise that he has not got enough footy under his belt to warrant a full game in the seniors. His size would have been very handy against any of Tex, Fog, or Thilthorpe inside 50.
Alas, the Dogs were forced to go with Rory Lobb on Thilthorpe, which took away their best interceptor.
Lobb is no slouch, and has had a great year, but standing next to Thilthorpe, you can see what a monster the Crow is. They’re close in terms of height, but Thilthorpe’s body looks like it is built for power. Lobb is more rangy and long.
Thilthorpe had five marks inside 50, and kicked six massive goals – a career-high in a game that everyone in the AFL Media were too busy talking about the big bloke at the other end.
It was a statement game from him; a moment in time that he, and his team, decided that this season is as much about them as it is about any team in the game. And whilst it has been Darcy causing commentators to drool all over themselves, when push came to shove, and the young key forwards of the league went at it, it was Riley Thilthorpe emerging victorious.
He is a colussus, and if the eastern state is not yet aware of what a force he is becoming, this might be the game that wakes them up.
I cannot wait to see what happens the next time these blokes take the same field.
CAN WE GIVE SOME CREDIT TO MARK KEANE?
Oh yeah, we can – a heap of it.
The way he played Sam Darcy in this game needs to be studied and distributed to key defenders across the league.
Whilst I am happy to pat Keane on the back and state that he was able to keep Darcy on a leash after he was moved onto him following the unfortunate “chest injury” to Jordon Butts, Darcy did himself no favours by dropping several grabs where those sure hands suddenly weren’t so sure.
Darcy finished with two goals for the game. One of them came when he was able to work a mismatch against Josh Worrell, whilst the second was a freakish goal after paddling the ball to himself (and some will say taking a couple of dribbles, and maybe using a crossover). Neither of them were the fault of Keane, who stepped up his game and had 12 one-percenters for the afternoon.
Keane timed his run at the contest well, and took great delight in taking part of Darcy’s body as he flew at the footy.
SPEAKING OF BUTTS’ INJURY… WHAT HAPPENED?
Surely there is more to it than the shove to the chest Sam Darcy gave him that’s doing the rounds, right?
I hear a few people calling for Darcy to be suspended due to this shove, like he is some sort of Shaolin Monk using the touch of death, but we cannot suspend players for a shove to the chest, guys. Come on… if the shoe was on the other footy, you’d be arguing the opposite.
THAT WASN’T THE ONLY THING THAT CHANGED WHEN BUTTS GOT HURT, WAS IT?
Nope, it wasn’t, and before I continue, I should take a second to say I have not yet heard the extent of Butts’ injury. It looked so innocuous, but whenever someone is taken to hospital with an injury to their torso, it is enough for me to be concerned. Hell, I fell over at home, carrying my son a few months back, and I cracked a couple of ribs and thought I was dying! So, if the docs want him assessed, I wish him all the best.
Back to business – with Butts off and Keane switched over to play on Darcy, it meant that Josh Worrell had to play tall, and he got the job on Aaron Naughton – the bloke who’d kicked four in the first 35 minutes of the game.
Naughton looked like the potential matchwinner.
With Darcy drawing a heap of heat, he was able to find space early on, and clunk marks inside fifty. It was clear that he required more attention, and Worrell was the one to take on the job.
And now we see the silver lining of the positional shifts.
After halftime, Naughton was restricted to just three disposals.
He kicked no goals, had one score involvement, and was more-or-less blanketed by one of the best young defenders in the game.
I know some Crows supporters are hopeful that Worrell gets a place in the 2025 All-Australian team. They’re a little blinded by those Crows-coloured glasses, but he is every chance to make the squad.
He was able to close down the space of Naughton, stifle his run at the footy, and move him, gently, under the footy and out of the contest. He did this whilst zoning off when necessary and providing run from defence.
Worrell is one of the players many footy fans could have walked past in the street and not recognised at the commencement of the 2025 season, but it will not remain that way. He is fast emerging as a brilliant and versatile defender for the Crows, and if they are to mount a serious challenge this season, his efforts will be central to how it plays out.
ARE WE SEEING A GLIMPSE OF WHAT DAN CURTIN COULD BE?
Last season, I remember a fair bit of angst from Crows fans regarding when and where Dan Curtin was playing in the Crows outfit.
He didn’t play until Round Eight, and was subbed either in or out in each of his first four games, but as is the case in most instances, it was largely just fans expressing their displeasure with the way things were going, in general. Matthew Nicks knew what he had, with Curtin, and was happy to be patient.
And it has paid off.
Playing on the wing in the second half of this season, Curtin has developed into a weapon. Big and strong at just 20 years of age, both he and Isaac Cumming put the Bulldogs’ wing duo of Ryley Sanders and Sam Davidson to the sword in the early going.
At the end of the first quarter, the Crows’ duo combined for 16 disposals, six marks, and two goals. Their opposition managed just seven disposals. No marks. No goals.
They obliterated them, and played a huge role in the CRows’ early advantage.
Curtin got better as the game went on, drifting down into defence to take bug contested intercept grabs, and was also used as the get-out-of-jail option several times down the line.
Is his future as a wingman?
I doubt it. He has been inserted into the role as it suits the Adelaide game style right now, but there will likely be plenty of opportunities through the midfield and up forward as he continues to develop.
As it stands, I don’t think there would be one Crows fan with a complaint about how he’s being used now, would there?
And if there is, perhaps it’s time to give watching footy away. The bloke is becoming a star, in his own right.
WHO WON THE BATTLE OF THE CAPTAINS?
This is like picking your favourite child.
Early in the game, it was Dawson doing the damage. It didn’t matter where it was – winning the footy in the guts, drifting down to half back to distribute, or getting forward as a target and distributor… the Adelaide skipper was “on”, and everything he touched turned to goals.
But late in the game, it was Bont’s turn to take centre stage, as he tried his guts out to get his team over the line.
Dawson is the type of player that can do as much damage with 25 touches as other players can do with 35. His ability to get forward, provide an aerial presence, and hit the scoreboard, make him one of the most dangerous mids in the game.
And yet, he was opposite a bloke just as lethal in most of the same areas.
Dawson kicked two snags and two goal assists amongst his 12 score involvements.
Bont had a monstrous six goal assists amongst his 11 score involvements (the record is ten, held by Steve Johnson… ask him, he’ll tell you about it).
Bont had eight clearances, Dawson had six… these blokes were too hard to split.
It’ll be easy for some to point to Bont and the way he finished the game – we’re funny like that. It’s the same with AA selectors; they rate the last eight games a lot more highly than the first eight for some strange reason (it’s recency bias… we all do it). They’ll probably do the same with the captains in this game.
Dawson was incredible.
Bont was incredible.
Bont’s numbers were slightly better.
Dawson led his team to the win.
I know which result I’d choose.
I also know which one will get votes.
It’s the way of things.
IS THAT THE BEST REILLY O’BRIEN GAME OF THE SEASON?
I loved what I saw from the big fella in this one – thought he put in the hard yards all game, and made those around him a lot better for his efforts.
O’Brien’s intercept work inside defensive fifty was probably the best I’ve seen from him. He took a couple of contested grabs, laid six tackles, and had 17 touches for the game, as he matched the output of Tim English.
English finished with a 20/20 games, notching 20 disposals and 27 hit outs, but had no scoreboard impact, as ROB ensured he took his space and competed hard when the footy was in the area.
ROB has some scalps this season. Just last week, his efforts opposite Max Gawn were rather unheralded, but the All-Australian favourite returned figures well below his average.
I am pretty sure no one is ever going to come out and state that Reilly O’Brien is the best ruck in the league – hell, there was a point last season where some believed he wasn’t even the best ruck at the Crows! However, Reilly never plays a weak game. He never drops his head, and he never whines and complains.
He is a workhorse, and he went to work in this one.
Well done, big fella.
WHAT HAPPENED TO MATT KENNEDY IN THIS ONE?
I’m sure Luke Beveridge is asking the same question.
Kennedy has been huge for the Dogs this season, but he couldn’t get near it in this one. He was stuck across half-forward for long periods of the game, and struggled to get involved. He did cop a boot to the face at one point, which would be enough to upset anyone’s equilibrium, but for the most part, it just seemed as though he was having a very dirty day.
Two things I always use as a barometer when a player has a quiet day is their tackling and their pressure, and given that Kennedy was down in both areas, I’m looking forward to seeing how he responds.
DO YOU PREFER RILEY GARCIA OR JOEL FREIJAH ON-BALL IF YOU’RE A DOGS SUPPORTER?
Well, I’m not a Dogs supporter, but I’ll answer, anyway.
Gimme Joel Freijah every day, and twice on this particular Saturday.
I get the Dogs had Garcia in the guts so often to add something different, and he did have a couple of moments where he was able to zip through traffic late in the game, but I felt as though Freijah was wasted in this game.
Garcia’s pace saw him collect four centre clearances from 15 centre bounce attendances, whilst Freijah attended just two for the entire game.
This’ll make an interesting watch over the next month.
ARE THERE TOO MANY NOODLE-ARMS AT THE DOGS?
I don’t know whether it was the Dogs being too easily despatched, or the Crows just being so savage when they fought tackles.
Maybe a bit from Column-A and a bit from Column-B?
I have to point out, I saw Jake Soligo shrug off a tackle from Tom Liberatore in this game. Guys… nobody shrugs off Libba, but Soligo did!
It kind of summed up the way the Crows went about their business. They took on the best the Dogs had, and they were better than them. They crashed through tackles, stood in them and allowed the tackles to fall off them, and dismissed anyone who did not apply himself with 100% effort.
Hell, even 20-year-old Daniel Curtin felt as though he could take on tackles in this one.
This is an area the Dogs have to address if they want to play finals. They can’t just beat up on weak teams. The good teams are good for a reason – they don’t allow teams to get away with things. The Dogs tried to get away with half-hearted tackling (Bont and a few others aside), and the Crows made them pay.
QUICKIES
Remember a year ago when they were suspending people for laying chicken-wing tackles? Some poor bloke from Freo got weeks for one.
And now, we’re celebrating them and awarding free kicks to Marcus Bontepelli when he almost ripped James Peatling’s arm out of the socket?
I’m going over the top, obviously, but it definitely highlights how quickly the AFL decides that something is of the utmost importance, and 12 months later, nobody gives a shit. That tackle could have done real damage to Peatling, and I wonder if we’d be being so flippant if the roles were reversed and it was the Bulldogs captain writhing on the ground with a hammerlock on him?
I look forward to some of you dismissing the above statement, and that’s okay. I am not fussed if they pay the free kick, report the bloke, or whatever, as long as they are consistent in whatever they decide. You don’t make decisions based on reputation.
Put it this way – what would happen if Toby Greene did it?
I liked the defensive game of Wayne Milera, he is a bit of a forgotten man in the AFL, but his 2025 is reminding a few people of the trajectory he was on before injuries derailed him. Loved his work against Aaron Naughton in a second quarter, getting back with the flight to contest and spoil whilst battling out of his weight division.
Ryley Sanders looks like he’s 12. Seriously, is there a bigger babyface in the game?
Some wonderful cameos in this game – Ed Richards kicking back-to-back goals, Darcy Fogarty snagging two in the first quarter, and Alex Neal-Bullen’s defensive pressure in the last quarter all stand out in my mind.
Time to make an apology?
Maybe… you see, about four weeks ago, I published a list of players dubbed the ‘Bottom 20’ in the game. This was more than just dropping names who weren’t performing – there are plenty of them. This was based on how they were performing as compared to their reputation.
Aaron Naughton rated very highly on that list.
Since then, he has basically told me where to go, by kicking 13 goals across the last three weeks. So yeah, I’m sorry, Aaron. I should not have doubted you.
Chayce Jones back in the team… with that moustache, he looks like Tex’s Mini-Me.
And finally, if they do a remake of The Life of Brian, I reckon Biont could play Brian of Nazareth and nobody would know it’s not the same bloke.
The only difference is, he is the saviour.
And that might just do me.
Next week, the Dogs get to try desperately to get a win against a finals team, as they head to the Gabba to face the Lions. They lose that, and they’re in trouble. Of course, they may continue to fool people out the other side of that, as they play bottom ten teams.
As for the Crows, they have a ripper on the horizon, as they face the Suns at Adelaide Oval. This should be a belter. The Suns, like the Dogs, are undermanned in defence, with Sam Collins out. If they don’t get him back, the big boys might start licking their lips at the thought of another feast.
As always, massive thanks to those who support this work. You can see the amount of care that goes into it. I love footy, I love writing about it, and I hope you enjoy reading it. Without you, this whole thing falls over. Sincerely… thank you – HB
Like this content? You could buy me a coffee – I do like coffee, but there is no guarantee I won’t use it to buy a doughnut… I like them more. And I am not brought to you by Sportsbet or Ladbrokes… or Bet365, or any of them.
