Round 21 – Adelaide v Hawthorn
The Great Unknown
In Round 14 this year Hawthorn pipped Adelaide by three-points at UTAS Stadium in one of the worst games of the year, with a scoreline of Hawthorn 47 to Adelaide 44 – it truly was dreadful to watch.
Hawthorn got the four-points and sometimes that is all that is required.
A three-point margin in the midst of June at Launceston doesn’t really tell us much about either team, however, since that Round 14 slog Adelaide have won five straight games while the Hawks only loss came against Fremantle at Optus Oval. As such, expectations were high for both clubs coming into this match.
The weather conditions in Adelaide for this game were almost perfect, with no rain expected and only a slight breeze, as such there were no excuses for this game to be a stoic, staid slog.
Adelaide have been one of the highest scoring team at 101.9 per game this year along with the Dogs, while the Hawks have averaged a respectable 88.2 points per game, as well. Defensively, both teams have performed well to this point of the season with the Crows conceding a miserly 69.1 per game just pipping the Hawks at 73.6.
My only pregame predication was Jack Ginnivan and his band of small-to-mid-size minstrels will get really riled up by the hostile reception they will receive from the less-than-welcoming Adelaide crowd, who will be salivating every time their beloved warriors touch the ball and baying for blood every time a Hawker gets near it.
On paper, this should be one of the games of the year.
So, Adelaide, let’s get it started.
‘This is it folks, over the top…’
(Take a Long, The Angels, 1978 from the
Album ‘Face to Face’ – Albert Productions, Neeson Brewster & Brewster)
Crows: 01:01:07 / 07:07:49 / 09:09:63 / 15:11:101 defeated the
Hawks: 05:03:33 / 05:03:33 / 11:05:71 / 13:09:87
Goals:
Crows: Thilthorpe 4, Walker 3, Rankine 3, Dawson 2, Fogarty 1, Soligo 1, Neal-Bullen 1
Hawks: Gunston 4, Ginnivan 2, Moore 1, Watson 1, Mabior 1, Nash 1, D’Ambrosio 1, Day 1, Lewis 1
Best:
Crows: Rankine, Dawson, Thilthorpe, Worrell, Keane, Milera, Walker
Hawks: Gunston, Battle, Day, D’Ambrosio, Ginnivan, Newcombe, Ampey
Who Blinks First?
In a game of huge momentum swings, the result of this match literally came down to a case of the team that blinked first, lost. Sadly, for the Hawks, they blinked numerous times in the last fifteen minutes, as the Crows held firm for a well-earned earned 14-point win.
It was stated in the opening that the Crows average approximately 101 points per game this season, while the Hawks average approximately 88 points, which was kinda spot on for this game.
There are reasons why Adelaide won, and there are reasons why Hawthorn lost, so without further ado, let’s break this classic down.
A Day in the Life of Will – the First Quarter
The major positive Hawthorn can take out of this game was the first quarter and a half performance of Will Day, and while he tired a bit late in the game, his first quarter and a half was something special.
The Hawks came out breathing fire with the first five goals of the match, as they put the Crows to the sword. They dominated early position on the field to start the game.
Will Day, Massimo D’Ambrosio and Karl Amon had the ball on a string as they danced and weaved their way around a listless Crows outfit. Jack Gunston kicked two early goals, while Dylan Moore, Nick Watson and Mabior Chol all chimed in with a sausage of their own, in a powerful display. However, it was the work of the onballers up the field who kept the ball in the Hawks forward 50 for much of the quarter which made life a lot easier for the forwards.
James Sicily got away to flyer taking four marks, picking upeight possessions, and driving the ball forward on every occasion with 277 metres gained. Also, the performance of the much maligned, but the very talented, Jack Ginnivan as the link-up player across half-forward was crucial to the Hawks’ early dominance.
The Hawks should have led by more at the first change, however, what seemed like a little miss at first by Mossimo D’Ambrosio (more on D’Ambrosio later) with minutes left on the clock, opened the door for Darcy Fogarty to pinch a late goal for the Crows on the rebound.
What should have been a 37-point lead at quarter became a 26-point lead and it gave the Crows hope. D’Ambrosio’s miss seemed minor at the time, but it parlayed throughout the course of the match to something larger.
The door was left ajar.
Riley O’Brien, Daniel Curtin and Mark Keane fought hard in the first quarter trying to stem the flow coming their way.
Dawson’s Creek – the Second Quarter
If you are catching on here, each quarter belongs to different player, and in the second it was Jordan Dawson. He lifted, and turned the screws on the Hawks. After a forgettable first quarter, Dawson snapped back to life taking his team along with him for the ride.
As good as the Hawks were in the first quarter, they were just as bad in the second, as the Dawson-led Crows banged on six goals and six behinds for the quarter to run all over the now-listless Hawks.
Before I forget, I want to mention a few Adelaide players who really lifted their intensity after quarter time as they fell in behind their captain’s leadership. Daniel Curtin, Alex Neal-Bullen, Wayne Milera, Issac Cumming (he is a beauty when he drifts into defence) and Hugh Bond may not be household names, but if the Crows are to win the flag this year, then it will be on the back of the aforementioned players playing their roles.
I digress, but most of this review does revolve around the stars of the competition.
In an extraordinary couple of minutes, Dawson took the game from Hawthorn’s grasp with a couple of quality goals of his own, as well delivering the ball to his bearded big forward mate on a platter. And Thilthorpe ate it up.
Dawson’s little acts of bravery throughout the second not only shut down the Hawks midfield brigade (a bit of poetic licence as Berry, O’Brien, Soligo and others did do their bit), but it also awakened the giant down forward who had had a good snooze for first thirty minutes of the game, as the majority of the first quarter had been played down the other end.
What’s the old saying; something about not poking the Bear, or a Thilthorpe, or something to that effect? Whatever, but Riley Thilthorpe was stung into action in the second quarter, and he ripped the game apart up forward.
Riley Thilthorpe attacks the ball with the same fearless ferocity as Tony Lockett, yet he can kick the ball with the same precision accuracy as Peter McKenna (look him up). Josh Battle, Tom Barrass and James Sicily all fell victim the brutality and grace of Riley as he slammed on three goals for the quarter in an awesome display of forward craft.
It was impressive that he picked his spots. When matched up on Barrass, he got on his bike and made the play with strong leads and mobility. Against Sicily, he went back to the goal square – too big, too strong, ttoo good in that one-on-one contest. Intelligent play by the big fella, who played the game on his terms and refused to fall into the trap of wrestling with Barrass.
Worrell and Keane – All Australian?
While Thilthorpe was putting on a display at one end of the ground, Josh Worrell, who was missing in action in the first quarter, sprung back life to help his partner in crime, Mark Keane, tighten the clamps on the Hawks’ forwards. Hinge, Curtin, Cumming and Smith all played their roles as well, but it was Worrell and Keane who outclassed, outmuscled and outplayed the impotent Hawks in the second quarter.
At the start of the season, the odds of Josh Worrell and Mark Keane making the All-Australian team would have massive, but the way they have played this season, both should now be locks for selection, not just in expanded list, but in the final team.
Keane is a ripper, and he was on from the first bounce at Adelaide Oval, while the performance of Josh Worrell cannot be underestimated in this game. He was well beaten in the first quarter, but he had the fortitude and belief in himself to fight his back into the match and ended up being one of the Crows best on the night.
There is not much that can be said about the Hawks in the second quarter, except for tips of the hat to Josh Battle, Jarman Impey and Jai Newcombe, who never gave up trying.
Crows up by 16-points up at halftime and given the non-appearance of the Hawks after quarter time, it looked like how far the Crows.
The Godfather – James Sicily
When the irrepressible showman, Izak Rankine, kicked the opening goal of the third quarter, and the Crows eighth goal in a row, Hawthorn would have been entitled to pick up their bat and ball and go home, but there is something about the Hawks attitude of never giving up that is impressive.
The hero for the third quarter was James Sicily who refused to give up and like Dawson in the second quarter, he led from the front.
The first half of the third quarter was a dour struggle, but that often plays into the hands of the team who is behind as they figure out how to get work their way through the other team’s defensive game. Hawthorn slowly fought their way back into this match and at the 13-minute mark of the quarter they took off.
James Sicily had done the hard yards in the third quarter, rebounding the ball from defence along with Jack Scrimshaw who also had a good quarter, as Barrass and Battle held tight on the Crows dangerous big men. As they did, momentum swung the Hawks’ way.
While Ginnivan, Newcombe, Day and D’Ambrosio also toiled hard, the Hawks forward line had kept going from where they left off in the second quarter – impotent. Halfway through the third quarter, Jack Gunston, Mitch Lewis and Calsher Dear did not have one possession between them, so no matter how good the work was upfield, the Hawks forward line needed to be zapped back into action.
Calsher Dear was the unlucky forward to be subbed in favour of James Worpel, and shortly after Conor Nash kicked the Hawks first goal since the first quarter.
There are some players who should never be the sub, while there are other players who do not only excel once injected into the play, but they also thrive. James Worpel fits that bill perfectly. If Hawthorn happens to make the Grand Final, remember the performance of James Worpel in Round 21 as a true impact player when he is subbed into a game.
Enter the Villain
Nash goaled early in the term, but the Hawks needed some inspiration from somewhere… someone to really get up the nose of the opposition and the crowd – who could that heel be? Enter stage right, a great 15-minute cameo performance by the master of villainy, Jack Ginnivin.
For reasons I don’t quite understand, people have very strong opinions about Master Jack, but unlike most mere mortals, he is gifted enough as a footballer to play in the AFL. With a premiership medal and 84 games already under his belt at 22, the kid is good, and he is only getting better.
Personally, I like the characters in the AFL like Ginnivan, but then again, I always wanted the Coyote to catch the Roadrunner, or Sylvester to permanently catch Tweety Bird, or Boris and Natasha to have the last laugh.
When Ginnivan slotted the first of his two goals for the term that inspired the Hawks to action, and for the last half of the third term, the Hawks outplayed the Crows as it was their turn again to control momentum.
Goals to Will Day and Massimo D’Ambrosio put the Hawks back in front, and when Mitch Lewis kicked truly for another, it seemed the Hawks would steamroll the Crows.
But a game like this didn’t deserve such a mundane finish.
Our bearded anti-hero at the other end of the ground wanted some say in proceedings, and close to three-quarter time Thilthorpe kicked his fourth goal to bring the margin back to a point or two.
With our anti-hero at one end of the ground receiving utter adulation and love from the crowd, little Dick Dastardly had one more villainous trick left up his sleeve for the quarter.
In true villainous style, Jack Ginnivan was greeted with a hail of boos when he kicked one of the best around the body, from 40 metres out, near the boundary line, to stretch the Hawks lead at the final break to eight points. It was pure Ginnivan. He loved it. The crowd hated it. How good is footy!
At three-quarter time the pro-Adelaide crowd were baying for another hero to stand up in the last and take the fight back to the Hawks.
Guess who’s back, back again, Izak’s back, tell a friend…
The hero in the fourth quarter of this gripping and enthralling contest was the enigmatic and charismatic Izak Rankine.
Some players were born great, while the rest of us can only look on with envy and question why one person could be given that much natural talent.
The last quarter was Rankine’s moment, as he put on one of the best last quarter performances seen this year. I am fully aware what Nasiah Wangaeen-Milera did last weekend, but I rate Rankine’s last quarter higher.
Izak Rankine kicked a point to start the last quarter, but there was an edge about him and the crowd could sense something big was coming, and it was.
Alex Neal-Bullen kicked the first goal of the last quarter for the Crows, followed by a goal to Jake Soligo (I hope I have finally spelt his name correctly… I’ve got your back – HB), before Izak Rankine started to put his imprimatur on proceedings with a goal to stretch the Crows lead.
But, at the other end of the ground, the player that time forgot, Jack Gunston, kicked two quick goals to put the Hawks back in front, and again the Adelaide faithful were begging for their hero to give it one last effort.
Gunston’s Goals
For Gunston’s first goal of the last quarter, he pushed his body back into Keane as they both went for the same ball, but the umpire deemed Keane had a hold of his jumper and old-man Gunston slotted truly. I am being pedantic here, but it annoys when the player playing for the free kick is rewarded. The free was there, but the optics aren’t good – it’s all about the vibe man.
Gunston’s second goal should have been a point any day of the week. I think I’ve heard something similar happening at Adelaide Oval in 2023, except the other way around, the point that should have been a goal (sorry for bringing up the war). Gunston was given a free kick, however, Mitch Lewis decided to continue play, ran at the loose footy and tried kicking it throygh for a goal. His dribble kick hit the post. The ball should have never been given back to Gunston, as Lewis opted to take the advantage.
It would have been highway robbery, grand larceny, if that point/goal was the difference at the end of the match.
There was an audible groan around the ground as the Crows supporters feared it was going to happen again, the same as 2023. It is hard to not see the worst side of such things when you have been kicked repeatedly in the crown jewels before.
At the other end of the ground, our fourth quarter hero had a trick up his sleeve to counterpunch the howler at the other end. Izak Rankine’s used a bit of skullduggery, himself, to suck the umpire in to paying him a mark he which had been touched, and then he sucked James Sicily into running over the mark to get a fifty-metre penalty.
Our hero had landed a left right combination which floored the Hawks. The success of Izak’s slight of hand was worth it just for the look on James Sicily’s face – priceless.
The umpires did not have a good couple of minutes, here, but at least their screw ups were balanced, I suppose.
Straight after kicking his second goal for the quarter, Rankine was again involved in the Crows next goal as he danced his way around a couple of Hawks defenders who resembled rabbits caught in the headlight, before he dished off a dainty little pass to the Old Crow, Taylor Walker. Walker kicked truly to give the Crows a healthy, but not insurmountable lead with a few minutes left on the clock.
Let’s rewind back to the first quarter, and the missed opportunity by Massimo D’Ambrosio, and see if it had any impact on this match?
The errant behind in the first quarter did not in any way effect the result of this match, but it did play with the head of Massimo.
With a few minutes left it looked like momentum was swinging back in Hawthorn’s favour again as they controlled the play by maintaining possession in their forward fifty. D’Ambrosio took a mark when he found himself alone about 20 metres from goal on only a slight angle.
It would have been harder to miss the goals from that range than kicking the goal, but Massimo found a way. My old Nana could have kicked that – bless her.
In tight games, little things matter. A fifty-metre penalty here, a missed goal there, a tackle that doesn’t quite stick, all have an impact on the result, especially with only a few minutes left. Nick Watson kicked two behinds in the last quarter he would normally eat for breakfast. and even Gunston missed a goal late which may have sparked a miraculous win, but the mistakes up back mounted and the bad misses up forward hurt.
To D’Ambrosio’s credit, he was one of the Hawks’ best players on the day and I only use him as an example (it could have been Nick Watson I chose) because it shows just how much this game is played between the ears, and an errant mistake can play with the head later in the game. Self-doubt begets doubt.
From the kick-in from Massimo’s point the Crows went the length of the ground and the Texan put the Hawks to sleep.
Goodnight Hawks.
A great game of Australian Rules Football.
Yesterday’s Hero (from the third quarter)
Playing James Sicily loose both works and doesn’t work for the Hawks.
When the Hawks needed some potency in the first and third quarters, Sicily was brilliant as he dragged his charges into the match, as he has done before. However, when the game was tight in the second and last quarters, he needed to be tight, as well.
In the last quarter, the Hawks needed a lockdown general, especially down back, as Rankine made Sicily, and the entire Hawks defence look ragged as he and Walker got off the chain and won the match for the Crows.
Having Sicily floating around is wonderful, but there are times when he has to forego the loosy-goosey aspect of his game and knuckle down. In close games, it might be the difference between winning and losing.
All Not OK at the Corral
When Izak Ranking has the footy, corraling him might seem like a good idea. You go left, he goes right. You zig, he zags. He preys on mistakes and can make a defender foolish.
But is it a great idea when you need to force the issue and force an error? Izak wants to take the game on. he wants to take the player on, and if he gets half a chance, he will. But that also does soemthing else – it puts pressure on teh footy.
However, to corral, as Josh Battle did late in the game, is even more dangerous, because it offers one of the true Wizards of the game (sorry Nick) the opportunity to find something that is always in short supply.
Time.
With time to assess, Rankine simply glanced around, picked the best option and, under very little pressure (corraling is not pressure – it is mostly standing still with your arms out to the side), he was able to chip a nice little pass to the Texan to ice the game.
This moment was all of nothing, and Battle chose nothing as the best course of action. I would have preferred he was beaten and made to look foolish in an effort to dispossess Rankine. Instead, he saved individual face, and the team copped it in the neck because Rankine did as Rankine does, and hit a target.
File this one away – you simply cannot give wzards time to enact their spells. They’re wizardly for a reason.
In Summary
This was a great game of AFL football, and it may well possibly be a Grand Final preview, who knows? Given the calibre and temperament of both clubs, it would make for an enthralling Grand Final as there is not much separating these teams.
Point of Order – Stopping Play for a Player with Cramp?
Umpires stopped the play in the last quarter when Will Day went down with cramp, I mean really, play stopped because a player had cramp. I would hate to think it was strategic, but even if it was, the onus is still on the umpires to read the room and let play continue.
Everyone agrees that when a player is genuinely hurt, you pause the game as he gets out of the way, but for cramp?
Play on!
Adelaide Crows Tidbits
Adelaide is on a run of six straight wins and are currently sitting atop the ladder, albeit with Collingwood still to play this weekend.
Nice place to be this late in the season, Adelaide, and to the credit has to be afforded to your coach Matthew Nicks and his team. You have leapt over your first major hurdle running into September – beating Hawthorn.
Crows mid-range and lower rung players
On Grand Final day last year Brisbane ran onto the ground with a list that batted down to the 23rd player (the sub), including some youngsters and inexperienced players, but they all stood tall as a group for the common purpose. Looking at the Crows tonight, their mid-range and lower rung players are getting nicely primed for the finals, and it will be those players who will make difference on the last Saturday in September.
Finally, it was pleasing to see Nick Murray up and running again playing good footy.
I don’t think I am reviewing another Crows match this year, so good luck.
Next week the Crows fly to Perth to take on the hapless Eagles, followed by Collingwood at home, and finally North Melbourne at Marvel to complete the home and away rounds.
Hawthorn Titbits
Hawthorn, this is the one that got away, and for all the hard grind it has taken to get to this position, it is now going to take a herculean effort to stay in the finals hunt, let alone being in a position for the double chance.
For reasons that are hard to understand, playing in Tasmania holds no fear the Hawks, but any other trip interstate routinely ends in tears.
Also Hawthorn selectors, play a new recruit some time before the end of the season, even just for a point of difference. Hawthorn is the only club not to offer a debutant a spot on the team this season.
The four big men up forward did not work at Adelaide Oval, and on exposed form, Calsher Dear and Mitch Lewis will be competing for the same spot within the team.
Competition for spots is healthy.
For all the dumb mistakes Mabior Chol makes, he has an upside that is worth persevering with as he does compete hard (at times) and he does get to the fall of the ball. Maybe one day he may realise he has the ability to take a mark.
Balance in the forward line is Hawthorn’s Achilles, and it is something they need to work on over the summer, but they have three weeks left to figure out the right formation that gives them half a chance this season.
Next week Hawthorn host Collingwood at Collingwood’s home ground, the MCG, followed by hosting Melbourne at Melbourne’s home ground, the MCG, and finally the home and away season concludes with a trip to the Gabbatoir to take on the Lions.
Relax Hawkers, you’ll make the finals, with the only real question being what position do you land.
This was a great game to watch and a pleasure to review – this game showcased the best our game has to offer in prime time.
It is to be hoped next season we don’t have a run of putrid games on the Thursday and Friday nights as we have had this year courtesy of AFL House.
