The Adelaide Crows hosted Melbourne in the final game of Round 17, with the Demons coming into the game off the back of four-straight losses on either side of the bye, but they had the wood over the Crows in recent years, winning the last four games between the two teams.
The Dees got off to a good start, kicking the first goal through Trent Rivers. However, the Crows were able to fight back through goals to Izak Rankine and Taylor Walker. Melbourne should have gone into the first break with the lead, but issues with accuracy saw them fail to make the most of their opportunities, kicking only 1.6, and one shot that failed to register a score compared to Adelaide, who kicked 2.3.
Melbourne improved at the start of the second quarter, kicking a run of five unanswered goals in a row before the Crows could hit the scoreboard in the second quarter. The run of goals included multiple goals to Kysaiah Pickett and Jacob van Rooyen. The Crows managed to cut the lead down to just five points through goals to Izak Rankine and Taylor Walker, but ultimately the Crows also failed to make the most of their opportunities in front of goal.
The Crows established control of the game again, slotting five goals in the third quarter to wrest back the lead, while the Demons could only manage a single goal again for the entire quarter, coming from Jake Melksham deep into red time. The Crows could have put the game to bed, but continued issues with accuracy also saw them again fail to make the most of their chances.
This set up a final quarter with the Crows leading by only 15 points, but that lead was cut down to just nine early on, when Jake Melksham kicked his fourth goal of the game. Adelaide and Melbourne then traded goals, with Darcy Fogarty kicking his second of the game, before Tom Sparrow cut the margin back to nine, once again. Daniel Curtin then took a contested mark in front of goal to restore the margin out to 15 points.
Ben Keays then kicked a contender for goal of the season, receiving an overhead handball from Riley Thilthorpe, kicking it over his head while caught in a tackle. The goal had to survive a controversial goal review, which is certain to prompt further debate. Bayley Fritsch finally kicked his first goal of the game after winning a free kick deep in the forward line to restore the deficit to 15 points with only five minutes left in the game.
The Demons continued to attack late in the game, with Pickett almost kicking a goal, only to be denied by a desperate, diving Josh Worrell, who got a fingertip on it before it crossed the line. Bayley Fritsch also had a snap-on goal, which was denied by a jumping first on the last line of defence by Isaac Cumming.
In the end, the Crows would hold off the Demons to break their run of losses, which dated back to 2021, and saw them jump back into third spot on the ladder ahead of Geelong and Hawthorn on percentage.
Rankine’s Bag
This season, the Crows have largely relied on their key forwards like Riley Thilthorpe and Taylor Walker to kick the majority of their goals. However, Thilthorpe and Walker were both relatively held in check by Melbourne’s defenders. Steven May held Thilthorpe to just a single behind for the game, while Walker kicked 2.1 against Daniel Turner. During the first half, the Melbourne pair almost seemed impenetrable, taking multiple intercept marks.
With their two main avenues to the goal shut down, the Crows would be raised by a five-goal haul from their enigmatic small forward, Izak Rankine.
Playing game 99, Rankine was responsible for half of Adelaide’s team score before half time, before adding two more goals in the second half as the Crows pulled away. Luckily, he was not completely alone, with Darcy Fogarty and Ben Keays also kicking two goals each, while Zac Taylor and Daniel Curtin kicked singles.
Melksham in form again
Melbourne forward Jake Melksham appears to be in career-best form after kicking his second bag of goals in a row. Melksham kicked five goals against the Suns last week, but probably should have had more, given that he kicked six behinds for the game.
This week, he didn’t have any issues in front of goal, kicking four goals from five shots at goal, taking his total to 9.7 across the last two games. Aside from Melksham, Pickett, and the recalled Jacob van Rooyen were Melbourne’s only multiple goal scorers for the game. Melbourne’s captain, Christian Petracca, particularly struggled in front of goals for Melbourne, kicking three behinds for the game.
Rachele Suffers Knee Injury
The Crows were forced to use their sub early in the second quarter of the game after Josh Rachele hyperextended his knee after landing awkwardly during a marking contest. The Crows have already hinted (or maybe hoped aloud?) that it may not be as bad as it was first hoped. The injury was similar to that suffered by young Western Bulldog key forward Sam Darcy earlier in the season in a game against the Saints.
The Crows had already lost Wayne Milera, who was a late withdrawal from the game. The reason for Milera’s absence was only listed as personal reasons, so hopefully, he can return to the Crows’ side soon.
Interceptions galore
Melbourne’s demise since the Premiership in 2021 should be studied by other sides in the competition, not wishing to go through the same thing. Despite retaining most of their stars since winning the flag, Melbourne has slowly been dragged down the ladder to today, where they currently sit 14th, and a game behind Essendon, who also have a game in hand.
One of the key aspects in Melbourne’s premiership-winning season was their steadfast defence, led by Steven May. May was again a rock down back after a few forgettable performances in the last couple of weeks. May took 12 marks for the game, behind only Daniel Turner, who took 16. Fellow Melbourne defenders Jake Lever and Christian Salem also registered double-digit marks during the game.
While this helped the Demons keep the game tight against one of the team battling for a top 4 spot, their forwards couldn’t put the runs on the board. This meant the defensive efforts were for nothing in the end, as Adelaide kept the four premiership points in South Australia, while Goodwin’s men head back to Melbourne with an honourable loss.
They say flags are built on defence, but when that’s all you have, it doesn’t ring as true.
The month ahead
Adelaide heads to Marvel Stadium next week to take on the Western Bulldogs. The Bulldogs have won their last four games by an average of 52 points per game, but they have not beaten anyone in contention, and the Crows will be the stiffest test since they lost to the Hawks in Round 13. Adelaide then returns home to host the Gold Coast Suns before another Showdown with Port Adelaide, and will round out the month against the Hawks, again in Adelaide.
Meanwhile, Melbourne heads back to the MCG in seven days to take on fellow strugglers North Melbourne. The Kangaroos humiliated Melbourne earlier in the season, and the Demons will be hoping for a chance for revenge the second time around. Melbourne will then play Carlton, St. Kilda, and West Coast to round out a month of games that Demon fans believe their team can win. Anything less than 2-3 wins may just spell the end of Simon Goodwin’s time as Melbourne coach.
