At around this time last year, the Adelaide Crows looked as though they were compiling a forward line capable of kicking huge scores.
Tex Walker, Darcy Fogarty, and Riley Thilthorpe were the marking targets. At ground level, it was Shane McAdam, Izak Rankine, and Josh Rachele.
They looked like world beaters.
Two of that mix are now gone, and the rest… well, they were handled with apparent ease by a Fremantle defence that collapsed on them like a building.
The Dockers’ defence was outstanding, restricting the Crows to just four goals for the game, which was kind of handy, because Freo had a fair bit of trouble in front of the big sticks, as well. But the Dockers were irrepressible. Their pressure, their commitment to the contest, their run… it was all too much for a Crows team who seem to have entered the 2024 season with the belief they were destined for finals.
And now it seems that it may be Freo, who are willing to do the work, might be the ones to leapfrog them and take their place.
It was not a pretty game. It was not one you’ll save on a hard drive and rewatch later this season. But it was the game that sent Freo to a 3-0 start, and dropped the Crows to 0-3. If you need 12 wins to make finals, the Dockers are already a quarter of the way there. And I am quite enjoying this Purple Reign, thus far in 2024.
Let’s jump into The Mongrel’s Big Questions
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