Media articles and stats: Crows comeback halts Tigers

[one-eyed]

Crows comeback halts Tigers
By AAP
4:10 PM Sat 30 Jun, 2012


ADELAIDE        3.0      8.1    11.2     17.4 (106)
RICHMOND       8.3    10.4    11.7     13.9  (87)

GOALS
Adelaide: Walker 5, Tippett 3, Douglas 2, Knights 2, Porplyzia, 2, Sloane, Callinan, Mackay
Richmond: Riewoldt 3, Martin 3, Edwards 2, Nahas, Cotchin, Delidio, Connors, Grigg

BEST
Adelaide: Thompson, Dangerfield, Jacobs, Sloane, Walker, Porplyzia
Richmond: Tuck, Martin, Delidio, Cotchin, Maric, Jackson,

INJURIES
Adelaide: Nathan van Berlo
Richmond: Jake King (knee)

SUBSTITUTIONS
Adelaide: Brodie Martin replaced Nathan van Berlo at half-time
Richmond: Daniel Connors replaced Jake King at half-time

REPORTS
Adelaide: Nil
Richmond: Nil

Umpires: Ryan, Nicholls, McInerney

Official crowd: 33,780 at AAMI Stadium

---------------------------------------------------------

SPEARHEAD Taylor Walker kicked five goals to help a fast-finishing Adelaide down Richmond by 19 points in Saturday's AFL match at AAMI Stadium.

The Crows trailed by 33 points at quarter-time but overcame the Tigers to win 17.4 (106) to 13.9 (87).

Richmond stunned the Crows with an eight goal first quarter, headlined by three majors to Jack Riewoldt.

But the Crows restricted the Tigers to just five more goals for the remainder of the game to post their 10th win of the season.

Walker's haul was decisive for the Crows, onballer Scott Thompson was dominant and Jason Porplyzia celebrated his 100th AFL match with an eye-catching display.

Riewoldt didn't score again after his early trio of goals inspired the visitors to an 8.3 to 3.0 lead at quarter-time.

But Adelaide charged into the game in the second quarter, booting four goals in a 13-minute burst.

Walker kicked his third - and the last of the sudden scoring spree - to bring Adelaide within eight points of Richmond.

The Tigers steadied to lead by 15 points at half-time, 10.4 to 8.1, with both sides losing injured players at the break.

The Crows substituted their captain Nathan van Berlo with a possible leg injury and Richmond's Jake King was helped from the field with an apparent left knee injury.

Both sides found scoring more challenging in the third term, with Adelaide posting three goals to one to claw their way within five points at the last change.

And despite kicking into a strong breeze in the final term, the Crows logged the initial three goals to create a 13-point break.

Tiger Dustin Martin goaled on the run to get Richmond within seven points before Porplyzia capped his influential game with the sealer for Adelaide.

http://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/6301/newsid/139989/default.aspx

[one-eyed]

Five talking points: Adelaide v Richmond
By Harry Thring
Sat 30 Jun, 2012


1. The blitz
The contrast in starts by Adelaide and Richmond could not have been starker. The Tigers smashed the home side in nearly every KPI; contested possessions, marks, inside 50s, tackles…it was an absolute mauling that resulted in eight first-term goals for the visitors. Adelaide looked sluggish and without direction as it continually turned the ball over in its defensive half. A 33-point quarter-time lead for Richmond meant the Tigers won their seventh first quarter in eight games.

2. Old headed errors
The children are the future…so it was nice to see two of Adelaide's most experienced heads gift two of Richmond's young stars crucial goals. After the Crows exploded into the second term, booting the first four goals and reducing their 33-point first-term deficit to just eight, Michael Doughty mistook Dustin Martin for a Crow and the tattooed youngster took full advantage. Minutes later Brent Reilly coughed the ball up deep in Richmond's attack and Trent Cotchin extended the margin back out to 20 points.

3. Crouching Crow, hidden Tiger
While it's impossible to account for the "Crouching Crow" part of the title, the Tigers certainly appeared to go into hiding in the second half. Up by almost six goals at quarter time and with all the momentum, another few goals would have just about killed the match. But after the Crows started to fight back in the second quarter, Richmond completely disappeared at the main break. After half-time, Adelaide kicked nine goals to three, to complete a remarkable 52-point turnaround. The Tigers' first term was amazing and their second was decent, but you certainly don't win a game of football with just one good half.

4. Home disadvantage?
It was a remarkable comeback from the Crows on Saturday and they did it without the help from the men in bright green. Despite a vocal 33,780-strong Adelaide crowd, the umpires certainly didn't bow to peer pressure, giving 20 free kicks to Richmond compared to Adelaide's 11. But, while it wasn't the umpires' best day, the lopsided count was hardly an atrocity with the Crows' sloppiness often penalized, as expected. It was safe to say the crowd disagreed.

5. Walker in hot water…again
After being rubbed out earlier in the season for a sling tackle on Geelong's Harry Taylor, most would have thought Taylor Walker would have taken a close look at his tackling technique. Apparently not. Walker is sure to attract the close attention of the match review panel for a tackle in the final quarter in which he picked up Tiger Steven Morris and dumped him straight on his head. If the tackle does get Walker in trouble, it would be the only blight on what was otherwise a great game from the crowd favourite; his five goals were crucial in Adelaide's fight back.

http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/139986/default.aspx

[TigerLand]

We kicked 5 goals in 3 qtrs of football. After kicking 8 in the first qtr.

Unacceptable.

[Tigeritis™©®]

We kicked 5 goals in 3 qtrs of football. After kicking 8 in the first qtr.

Unacceptable.

correct.

Unacceptable.

[one-eyed]

Team Stats

Disposals           376 - 332   
Efficiency%          72 - 67
Kicks                 216 - 197
Handballs           160 - 135   
Con. Possies      150 - 150
Uncon. Possies   222 - 182
Marks                  98 - 77   
Con. Marks          17 - 18   
Uncon. Marks       81 - 59
Tackles                73 - 58   
Clearances           36 - 42   
Clangers             44 - 56   
Frees                  20 - 11    
Hitouts               53 - 43 ........ ( I.Maric 39, Miller 6, Tuck 4, Grigg 2 // Jacobs 32, Tippett 8 )
Inside 50s           57 - 47   
Marks Inside 50     6 - 13
Rebound 50s       26 - 39
Assists               11 - 8   
1%ers                49 - 49
Supercoach     1737 - 1562
Dreamteam     1679 - 1424

Individual Stats

PLAYER              D     K      H     CP     DE%   M   CM    T   CL   FF  FA I50 R50  G   B   GA   SC

S.Tuck               31    15    16    18    68%      6    0    9    9    1    1    7    0    0    2    1    137
D.Jackson          30    16    14      7    70%      7    0    4    3    1    2    6    3    0    0    1    110
B.Deledio           29    14    15    16    55%      7    2    3    4    2    0    3    3    1    1    0    110
T.Cotchin           25    15    10    10    88%      3    0    7    4    3    0    5    1    1    0    2    136
S.Edwards         23      9    14    12    70%      1    0    4    3    1    0    4    0    2    0    0    111
S.Grigg             23    14      9      3    83%      5    0    3    1    0    0    2    1    1    0    0      79
D.Martin            23    15      8      5    78%      4    0    5    1    0    1    5    3    3    1    0    134
D.Grimes           20    15      5      6    85%    10    2    3    0    0    0    1    2    0    0    0    115
C.Newman         18    13      5    13    78%      6    4    1    2    3    0    1    3    0    0    0    104
B.Griffiths          17    11      6      3    88%      7    0    1    1    0    0    2    2    0    0    0      70
I.Maric               17      8      9    11    59%      8    4    4    3    0    0    2    1    0    1    1    115
B.Houli              15      9      6      3    80%      3    0    0    1    1    1    0    1    0    0    0      35
S.Morris            15      9      6      3    87%      1    0    3    1    1    2    3    1    0    0    1      48
M.Dea               14      8      6      1    64%      8    0    3    0    1    1    2    2    0    0    0      41
B.Ellis               13      7      6      7    62%      3    0    2    1    0    0    1    1    0    0    0      44
J.King               13      7      6      9    54%      4    1    2    1    2    0    5    0    0    0    1      47
R.Nahas            12      7      5      1    58%      3    0    3    0    0    1    2    0    1    0    2      54
B.Miller              11      6      5      5    64%      4    0    3    0    1    0    2    0    0    0    2      62
J.Riewoldt          10      8      2      7    80%      3    3    5    1    1    1    3    0    3    0    0      78
A.Rance              8      4      4      6    87%      2    0    2    0    2    1    0    2    0    0    0      37
D.Connors          5      3      2      2    80%      1    0    2    0    0    0    0    0    1    1    0      34
T.Elton               4      3      1      2    50%      2    1    4    0    0    0    1    0    0    1    0      36

http://live-footy.heraldsun.com.au/StatsCentre/Index/20121420120141403
http://www.afl.com.au/tabid/16931/Default.aspx#fixtureid=7770&tab=Stats

[one-eyed]

Adelaide powers home to pip Richmond by 19 points at AAMI Stadium

    Steve Larkin and Jesper Fjeldstad
    From: The Advertiser
    July 01, 2012

RICHMOND blew a major chance to put pressure on a final-eight spot after being overrun by Adelaide at AAMI Stadium yesterday.

The Tigers were 33 points ahead at quarter-time before a stunned and silent Crows crowd.

But they couldn't capitalise on the fast start and the Crows eventually prevailed by 19 points, 17.4 (106) to 13.9 (87).

Spearhead Taylor Walker kicked five goals to help the fast-finishing Crows over the line.

Richmond stunned the Crows with an eight-goal first quarter, with three majors to Jack Riewoldt.

But the Crows restricted the Tigers to only five more goals for the game to post their 10th win of the season.

Walker's haul was decisive for the Crows, onballer Scott Thompson was dominant and Jason Porplyzia celebrated his 100th AFL match with an eye-catching display.

Riewoldt didn't score again after his early trio of goals inspired the visitors to an 8.3 to 3.0 lead at quarter-time.

But Adelaide charged into the game in the second quarter, booting four goals in a 13-minute burst.

Walker kicked his third - and the last of the sudden scoring spree - to bring Adelaide within eight points of Richmond.

The Tigers steadied to lead by 15 points at halftime, 10.4 to 8.1, with both sides losing injured players at the break.

The Crows substituted captain Nathan van Berlo with a possible leg injury and Richmond's Jake King was helped from the field with an apparent left knee injury.

Both sides found scoring more challenging in the third term, with Adelaide posting three goals to one to claw their way within five points at the last change.

And despite kicking into a strong breeze in the final term, the Crows logged the initial three goals to create a 13-point break.

Tiger Dustin Martin goaled on the run to get Richmond within seven points before Porplyzia capped his influential game with the sealer for Adelaide.

The Crows warded off concerns about spiralling form through workrate, contested ball, hunting in numbers and a willingness to take the game on.

Nobody typified it better than Porplyzia, whose mark and goal nine minutes into the third quarter sparked the home side and whose steadier in the 24th minute of the last put the Crows 13 points in front.

Porplyzia is in his seventh season of AFL football and it has taken him that long to reach his 100-game milestone.

Yesterday, he was a microcosm of the Crows. He never shortens his steps, never thinks twice about putting his head over the ball and nobody handles the ball more cleanly.

Others turned their games around. Mick Doughty, Ben Rutten and Richard Douglas got better the longer the game went, David Mackay continues to build and Sam Jacobs was the one who changed the complexion of the match.

The early passages belied the preparations. Richmond had had a week off; the Crows had been under a searching spotlight for their loss to North Melbourne the previous week, with suggestions the previously unflappable Adelaide had the staggers.

But it was the Tigers who jumped Adelaide through the work of their quick little men and the style they use, which is based on staging attacks with weight of numbers.

The ruck contest was close enough: Sam Jacobs and Ivan Maric, a former Crow, had a captivating duel but there seemed to be more Tigers at ground level.

Gritty King crashed through heavy traffic, Shane Tuck was involved in every chain, the polished Brett Deledio glided away to find some space and Trent Cotchin was something to behold. He can do the lot: sell a dummy, take off on a burst and deliver the ball with precise and cutting footpasses while still having his smarts about him.

Having him, Shaun Grigg and Martin streaming out of the midfield was a welcome sight for Riewoldt, a Coleman medallist who can play both as an old-fashioned key forward and use his imagination to create something when there's barely anything on offer.

He gave Rutten a hard time, turning him inside out after leading him under the ball and then slipping away like a thief in the night.

But the Crows had to wear much of the blame for slipping behind. They pushed up the ground to put pressure on Richmond when the Tigers were happy to keep chalking up uncontested possessions and set themselves.

But gradually, the Crows worked themselves back into the match, largely through the efforts of Jacobs. The former Blue had a purple passage when he kept winning taps to advantage and the Crows were able to move it forward to Walker with a sense of purpose and conviction.

with AAP

FOUR POINTS with Scott Walsh

1. TAYLOR Walker has learnt to tackle - he just needs to work on his method. The five-goal Crows hero slammed Steve Morris with a monster tackle in the last term that will likely come under review. Morris was lifted off his feet before being dumped into the turf.

2. ADELAIDE has failed to shake its "imposter" tag. The stuff was impressive, but that lacklustre opening term - at AAMI Park with the Crows' fanatical fans behind them - will still concern coach Brenton Sanderson.

3. RICHMOND doesn't deserve to finish better than its customary ninth. The Tigers have been impressive in patches this season and they looked majestic in the first term, but early positives count for little if players can't go on with it.

4. THE Crows went into the game as the No.1 contested possession team - a statistic they are heavily reliant on. The Tigers belted them in this area in the first half by 17. They then equalised it in the third quarter (31 apiece). But in the last term, the home side won convincingly, 46 to 29.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/afl/more-news/adelaide-powers-home-to-pip-richmond-by-19-points-at-aami-stadium/story-e6frf9jf-1226413009474

[one-eyed]

Crows soar back to top form

    Jesper Fjeldstad
    From: Sunday Mail (SA)
    June 30, 2012 10:30PM

The Crows have also warded off concerns about spiralling form.

They turned it through work rate, contested ball, hunting in numbers and a willingness to take the game on.

The Crows were frozen like rabbits in the first quarter and it looked like the poor form from the North Melbourne loss would continue, but they worked hard and their luck changed.

Nobody typified the hard work ethic better than Jason Porplyzia, whose mark and goal in the ninth minute of the third quarter sparked them and whose steadier in the 24th minute of the last put the Crows 13 points in front.

Porplyzia is in his seventh season of AFL and it has taken him that long to reach his 100th milestone. Injuries have conspired against him and he was forced to work through them.

But he never shortens his steps, never thinks twice about putting his head over the ball and, when he's away, nobody handles the ball more cleanly.

Mick Doughty, Ben Rutten and Richard Douglas got better the longer the game went, David Mackay continues to build and Sam Jacobs changed the complexion of the match.

It wasn't the Crows at their best, but eking out wins tends to fuel confidence.

The early passages belied the preparations. Richmond had a week off; the Crows had been under a searching spotlight for their loss to North Melbourne the previous week with suggestions the previously unflappable Adelaide had the staggers.

But it was Richmond that jumped Adelaide, and it wasn't long until it prised open a five-goal lead against the wide-eyed Crows.

It was through the work of their quick little men, and the style they use, on possessing the ball and staging attacks with weight of numbers.

The ruck contest was close enough: Sam Jacobs and Ivan Maric, a former Crow, had a captivating duel but there seemed to be more Tigers at ground level.

Gritty Jake King crashed through heavy traffic, Shane Tuck was involved in every chain, Brett Deleidio glided away to find space and Trent Cotchin was a picture to watch.

He can sell a dummy, take off on a burst and deliver with precise and cutting foot passes while having his smarts about him.

Having him, Shaun Grigg and Dustin Martin streaming out of the midfield was a welcome sight for Jack Riewoldt, a Coleman Medallist who can play as an old-fashioned key forward and create something when there's barely anything on offer.

He turned Ben Rutten inside out after leading him under the ball and then slipping away.

But the Crows had to wear much of the blame for slipping behind. They pushed up the ground to press Richmond when the Tigers were happy to chalk up uncontested possessions and set themselves up.

As a plan, it makes sense, but the Crows tackling pressure was below par and allowed Richmond to get through to one-on-one set-ups further down field.

But gradually the Crows worked themselves into the match, largely through the efforts of Jacobs. He kept winning taps to advantage and the Crows could move it forward to Taylor Walker with purpose. Walker played a super game, whether the ball was in his area or not.

The concern for him is if he'll be cited for his tackle on Steven Morris, who was lifted off his feet before being dumped.

Rory Sloane was indefatigable, Chris Knights proved good for a goal, Patrick Dangerfield came up with outstanding intercepts and Scott Thompson chugged along in his reliable and damaging ways.

There was also a lift from Bernie Vince, who hasn't been himself for much of the season, but at the same time the concerns lingered for the Crows.

They were panicked into turnovers, in particular by hand, and pushed into handballing more than they do when they look their best. By half-time, the Crows had 86 handballs to 77 - too close to a 1:1 ratio when 2:1 is preferable.

An errant Mick Doughty handball - not that he was alone - arrived at Martin's chest deep in defence and Martin snapped one against the flow. The Tigers were away again, but this time, the Crows were ready for them.

Gradually, Adelaide's work rate was turned up, and so was its share of the play.

----------------------------------------------------------

ADELAIDE     3.0    8.1  11.2  17.4 (106)
RICHMOND    8.3  10.4  11.7  13.9 (87)

Best: Adelaide: Thompson, Porplyzia, Sloane, Walker, Dangerfield, Jacobs, Vince. Richmond: Deledio, Cotchin, Jackson, Tuck, Maric, Martin.

Goals: Adelaide: Walker 5, Tippett 3, Knights, Porplyzia, Douglas 2, Mackay, Callinan, Sloane. Richmond: Martin, Riewoldt 3, Edwards 2, Deledio, Connors, Nahas, Grigg, Cotchin.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/afl/teams/adelaide-imposters-back-on-ground/story-e6frf9ko-1226413066391

[one-eyed]

Quick fix saves Crows
Ashley Porter, Adelaide
The Age
July 1, 2012

ADELAIDE 3.0 8.1 11.2 17.4 (106)
RICHMOND 8.3 10.4 11.7 13.9 (87)

GOALS
Adelaide: Walker 5,Tippett 3, Knights 2, Porplyzia 2, Douglas 2, Mackay, Callinan, Sloane.
Richmond: Martin 3, Riewoldt 3, Edwards 2, Deledio, Connors, Nahas, Grigg, Cotchin.

BEST
Adelaide: Douglas, Porplyzia, Dangerfield, Thompson, Jacobs, Mackay.
Richmond: Deledio, Cotchin, Jackson, Martin, I Maric, Newman.

INJURIES
Adelaide: Nathan van Berlo (blurred vision).
Richmond: Jake King (ankle). 

UMPIRES M Nicholls, S McInerney, H Ryan.
CROWD 33,780, at AAMI Stadium.

---------------------------------------------------

THEY say players win games and coaches lose matches, but an obvious change by Brenton Sanderson allowed Adelaide to achieve one of its finest comebacks against Richmond at AAMI Stadium yesterday.

Down 33 points at quarter-time, the Crows clawed their way back to win by 19 points, leaving the Tigers at 6-7 and with an even tougher task to make the finals.

It wasn't Adelaide's biggest revival but given the way it was playing, and on the back of a dismal effort against North Melbourne the previous round, it was significant.

Jack Riewoldt was magnificent in the opening term, kicking three goals to set up an 8.3 to 3.0 opening term - Richmond's best against Adelaide.

He embarrassed 2005 All-Australian Ben Rutten, who didn't have the pace to match the Richmond ace, and there were murmurings among the stunned crowd that the 30-year-old champ may have played his last AFL game. In trouble, Sanderson pitted recent Rising Star nominee Daniel Talia against Riewoldt and the kid held him to a miserable four disposals over the next three quarters, and, importantly, kept him scoreless.

Shaken back to reality, Rutten went upfield and gathered 12 disposals and took eight telling marks to play a big part in the turnaround.

It was an excellent, albeit obvious to everyone, team change but overall it was Adelaide's will to win and ability to turn a huge Richmond tide that won this game, rather than one Richmond player being denied opportunities. Riewoldt's effort was fair in the wash-up.

After an early goal-fest, in between Richmond's 11th and 12th goals the Crows kicked 6.3 to 0.5 in 47 minutes and 43 seconds of play.

Michael Doughty also lifted his game, as did co-defender Sam Shaw.

Also playing a huge role in the comeback was Jason Porplyzia. His 150th AFL goal in this, his 100th AFL game, when he soared towards a pack and took a courageous mark, was inspiring. There were valuable contributions from David Mackay, Richard Douglas, Chris Knights, who had been struggling to get a game, and sub Brodie Martin, who was outstanding in the third quarter when he came on for the injured captain Nathan van Berlo (blurred vision).

Richmond too had a host of valuable contributors, especially Shane Tuck, Daniel Jackson, Brett Deledio and Shane Edwards, who kicked two goals in that first-term blitz in his 100th game.

There were tough tackles from both sides and some brilliant running passages of play but, ultimately, Richmond had every reason to feel shattered at letting slip an opportunity to move into the top eight after having the game by the throat.

The Tigers didn't choke; they just couldn't handle a side coming back so hard and wearing them down. It seemed as if they started to defend a lead rather than take the game head-on, like they had in the first quarter.

Adelaide changed the trend by bridging the gaps, denying Richmond the free run-on play it enjoyed early. Perhaps most agonising was the fact that, for the most part, it clearly dominated Adelaide in most key areas of the game. It finished with more disposals (plus 46), marks (20), tackles (13), inside-50s (10) and, much to the ire of Crows fans, nine more free kicks, in what was an ordinary umpiring effort affecting both sides.

There was huge interest in the duel in ruck between Sam Jacobs and former Adelaide man Ivan Maric, undoubtedly one of the most improved players in the competition. Jacobs seemed to have a slight edge.

Easily - and unfairly - forgotten in Adelaide's comeback win was that, for most part, Richmond played some quality football against a side many rate as top-four material.

As Damien Hardwick lamented, it's a tough game, but there is still a long way to go in this season, starting against Melbourne at the MCG on Saturday. And maybe the jury is still out on the Crows. The machine doesn't quite hum under pressure.

BIG IVAN

Ivan Maric probably lost the "Battle of the Mullet" to Adelaide's Taylor Walker, and according to Damien Hardwick the Crows' Sam Jacobs shaded the former Crow in ruck, especially at the stoppages, an area that gave Adelaide an edge after quarter-time. Jacobs had 14 disposals, five marks and 32 hitouts, compared with Maric with 17, eight and 39.

CHANGED STRIPES

The Crows must have been colour blind in the second quarter. Michael Doughty handballed directly to Jake King - goal. Brent Reilly to Robin Nahas - goal. Matthew Wright to Dylan Grimes - should have been a goal. Colours too close to those of the Crows? Richmond didn't cough the ball up under pressure.

TOUGH INTRO

It was a tough introduction to AFL football for Tiger Todd Elton, who finished with just four disposals - all after half-time. But it wasn't easy for the youngster playing against the experienced Ben Rutton after quarter-time, and the ball rarely coming in well to the Tiger forwards.

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/quick-fix-saves-crows-20120630-219sw.html#ixzz1zIbYgPUI

[Dubstep Dookie]

Newman in our bests? 

[Smokey]

Wasn't surprised he was Dooks, I was happy with his game to be honest.