The Adelaide Crows continue their winless streak as they face a strong Melbourne team, highlighting their ongoing issues and struggles on the field.
heading into Thursday night’s Gather Round opener will only intensify now. That’s the reality of being winless in a two-team, one-newspaper, footy-mad town. After last week’s loss, the back page of the local rag had them trudging off under the headline “Easter Bunnies”. They were better on Thursday, and far from disgraced against a well-organised and defensively sound Melbourne .
The other problem was Melbourne’s on-ball brigade. There’s such a good mix and considerable depth in that Demons’ midfield, two things that are conspicuously lacking at the Crows. They have solid, consistent midfielders who rack up good numbers. But they’re all versions of the same footballer. The only one with a real point of difference, Jordan Dawson, has been clamped down on this year and has been unusually tardy by foot, though he played a fine game last night.
The Dees have also found a serious talent in Caleb Windsor. His ability to weave in and out of traffic, gather loose balls and take on and pull off risky kicks is remarkable for a player of his age. He moves like a young Craig Bradley. Harley Reid’s had more column inchesbut Windsor may end up being the steal of that draft at pick seven.
But in a round devoted to all things South Australia, the Crows are the story. Their win in Gather Round last year was a jolly romp. It was hypercharged, all-out attack and it was over halfway through the first quarter. It was the moment they popped after the indignity of the early rebuild years. But they’ve stalled. They averaged nearly 16 goals a game last year. This year, it’s just over nine.
The normally positive Matthew Nicks was a frustrated coach last night. The structure was sound, he insisted, but the execution and decision making were poor, and the ball movement was glacial. It’s a slog from here. Of the 162 teams in the history of the VFL/AFL who dropped their first four games, only five ended up playing finals. Having been on a steady upward trajectory for several years now, they’ve flatlined. It’s the sort of correction most rebuilding sides experience.
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