The Ghosts of 2017 – A Tale of Two Clubs
With Taylor Walker, Matt Crouch and Reilly O’Brien (emergency) all excluded for one reason or another, it left Rory Laird as the sole survivor from that fateful last Saturday in September 2017, to take on the Tigers.
For the Tigers, Toby Nankervis, Dion Prestia, Daniel Rioli, Nick Vlaustin, Nathan Broad, and Kamdyn McIntosh were all playing, and they were all a part of one the finest and most cherished Grand Final victories in Tiger history.
The 2017 Grand Final was the start of a Tiger dynasty, while the defeated Crows have been cursed ever since. Adelaide, who were the minor Premiers in 2017, have not made the finals since the infamous pre-game Power Stance in the 2017 decider, and it would be fair to say there has been some strange happenings at West Lakes ever since.
The fallout from the 2017 preseason ‘Bus Trip to Hell’ haunted the club for a few years afterwards as the Crows plummeted down the ladder, even winning the dreaded wooden spoon in 2020. In 2022 and 2023 it seemed the Crows were improving, and most had them as a club on the rise in 2024, but sadly, the reality is after 13 rounds, they just aren’t. It is a moot point now, but if it were not for a blind goal umpire adjudicating a goal as a point late last year the Crows would have featured in the finals in 2023, but this is the curse of the Adelaide Crows.
Coming into this game, the Crows were fourteenth on the ladder with a mere 4.5 wins to their name – another promising season in disarray. Hawthorn effectively euthanised the Crows 2024 season last weekend, and while Adelaide were fancied to win at Adelaide Oval (95% according to the ESPN app), it remained uncertain as to how they would rebound after last weekend, knowing they are essentially playing for pride for the rest of the season.
On paper, Richmond were going worse than the Crows this year based on ladder position and a solitary win coming into this clash, but who cares, right? Most Tiger supporters are still celebrating the golden era, and most are probably more worried about getting a good seat next weekend for Dusty’s 300th rather than a game at Adelaide Oval on a cold dank Thursday night. The celebration continues.
Tiger Cubs officially end Crows Season
Final Score: Adelaide Crows 10:11:71 defeated by Richmond 12:7:79
This is the second Richmond game I have covered this year, and for the second time this year I am writing about a Tiger victory, this time over a hapless and, at times, listless Crows outfit, who are sadly out of form.
Tim Taranto
The last time I covered a Tigers win, it was rightly pointed out to me that I didn’t mention the game of Tim Taranto, so before I forget, Taranto, along with his mates, Liam Baker, Jayden Short, Shai Bolton, Dion Prestia and Toby Nankervis broke the back of this game in the third quarter from centre clearances as the Tigers slammed on six goals for the quarter.
How did the Tigers win?
Psychologically, the Crows were reminded of their 2017 Grand Final nightmare when the Tigers ran out onto the field wearing their yellow jumper with the black stripe. To sum this match up fairly, the Crows seemed intimidated by the Tigers from the first bounce.
A nightmare tour de force, in the guise of Kamdyn McIntosh, had a blistering start to the game and he seemed to be everywhere as the Tigers jumped the Crows with the first three goals of the match.
Up back, Noah Balta took seven first-quarter marks, repelling any meaningful attacks by the Crows’ runners. The only shining lights for the Crows were Jordan Dawson and Max Michalanney, who were easily Adelaide’s best two players for the first half (and the match, along with youngster Luke Nankervis).
The second quarter was a forgettable one, as both teams continually turned the ball over between the arcs, with only a point in it at halftime. Darcy Fogarty looked dangerous up forward for Adelaide, but he was being well held by Nick Vlaustin and Balta, while youngsters Murphy and Dowling were at least trying.
Rock the Casbah
The only Crows highlight for me, for the entire game, was the opening goal of the third quarter by James Borlase, who kicked his first goal in the AFL. The music which accompanied that goal was Rock the Casbah. He truly impressed with his choice of song, unlike another player who had the Rocky theme as his choice (more about him later).
From the moment Borlase kicked his goal, Richmond slammed on six of the next seven in the third quarter to blow the Crows out of the water, and in the process quash any ambitions the Crows may have had of September action.
Shai Bolton’s third quarter was sublime. He is a player who can turn the tide of a match on his own boot. After a quiet first half, Bolton continually ran the ball out of the middle, and he was the catalyst for the Tigers stunning third quarter. Bolton, Taranto, Baker and Nankervis completely controlled the centre of the ground, leaving Jordan Dawson as the lone Crow putting up any resistance.
Crows’ new-but-old ruckman, Kieran Strachan, had the better of Nankervis in the first half, but the wily veteran outsmarted Strachan after the main break. Strachan was subbed out at three quarter time due to injury, but for a 28-year-old in only his sixth match, his performance against the Big Nank was admirable.
Noah Cumberland was lively up forward with three goals for the match, including two in the third quarter blitz, but if the Tigers had lost the match, it would be fair to say his brain fade late in the third quarter would have been a significant contributing factor. Jacob Koschitzke (who had his own brain fade a minute earlier), worked hard to get into the match, took a nice mark with a few minutes left on the clock only 20 metres out straight in front. However, for reasons only known to Cumberland, he decided to run in and drop Mark Keene on his backside and the kick was reversed.
Harry Schoeberg kicked a nice goal near the break to bring the Crows back into the match, but the irrepressible Kamdyn McIntosh responded just on the buzzer of three quarter to blow the lead back out to 22-points.
The Last Quarter
Jordan Dawson completely controlled the first five minutes of the last quarter, and he was instrumental in Rachele and Fogarty kicking the first two goals of the quarter. Within two minutes the Crows had 12 possessions to the Tigers one. They slammed on two quick goals and it looked for a moment like the Crows were going to overrun the Tigers.
Richmond steadied after the early onslaught, with the battle-hardened players, Baker, Taranto, Short, Balta, Ralphsmith, Vlaustin, Rioli and Broad steading the ship, with the assistance of a few of the younger or more inexperienced players really adapting to the challenge. Tom Brown got better the longer went on, and some of his passes under pressure would have delighted the Tribe looking for the next generation of Tiger coming through. The other youngster to stand up the pressure cooker of the last quarter was Thomson Dow, who ended the match with 19 possessions.
After the Crows last gasp effort had faded, Tiger youngster Seth Campbell kicked a high-pressure goal to effectively kill off any chance the Crows had of winning the match. A late goal to Adelaide first gamer Billy Dowling pushed the margin back under two goals, but the reality was the Crows were not playing well enough to win the match.
Well done to the Tigers, a hard fought and deserved win.
What has happened to Josh Rachele?
Twelve months ago, Josh Rachele was one of the most feted players in the AFL and considered a genuine future star of the game. Move ahead 12 months and Rachele is a shadow of his former self. Maybe the criticism a few weeks ago has affected him, or maybe Matthew Nicks is playing him out of position, or maybe he has lost all confidence.
Rachele did not get his first kick of the game until the 25-minute mark of the first quarter, which to his credit he did slot through for a goal, but for the rest of the match he managed only another eleven possessions and another goal. In a team which desperately needed a win, the output by Rachele was disappointing to say the least.
Is Matthew Nicks under the Pump?
Adam Yze coached the Tigers with an infectious attitude from the boundary line all game, while Matthew Nicks cut a forlorn figure sitting in the Crows coaching box by himself. At the end of the day Yze outcoached his Crows counterpart, who at times looked on at a loss as to what to do.
As good as Dawson, Laird and to a lesser extent Sholl, Soligo and Berry can be, Nicks did not have enough players in form to make effective moves, especially around the centre and up forward.
Defensively, the Crows are sound, with Michalanney, Hinge, Butts and Keane able to hold their own most weeks. Some of the younger and inexperienced players like Luke Nankervis, Billy Dowling, James Borlase are showing good signs, and they all have promising futures, but where is the support from the players who have been around for a while.
Darcy Fogarty is the only Crows forward who looks dangerous this season, and when Taylor Walker and Izak Rankine are absent, the weaknesses of the Crows forward line are fully exposed. Keays, Murphy, Shoenberg and Josh Rachele have been around long enough, but they are not producing enough crumbling goals for this team to be competitive when the stars are absent. Oh, oh they miss Riley Thilthorpe, as well.
Something is amiss at the Crows, and it looks like they maybe bottoming out again. This was always the worry – Tex could not go on forever, and others needed to step up. Sadly, some seem to have stepped aside.
Next Week
The Tigers will be holding a party to celebrate the career of Dusty Martin when he lines up for his 300th match against the Hawks at the MCG. Given the Hawks recent form, the Tigers will again be in a match that decides whether their opponents are contenders or pretenders? It will be a ripper.
Adelaide hosts the top of the ladder Sydney Swans at Adelaide Oval next Saturday night, in a game that must mean something to the Crows, given it was against the Swans late last season when a blind mouse goal umpiring decision handed the Swans the win and a place in the Finals. If the Crows stand for anything they should be breathing fire and brimstone when they run out next Saturday night.
