Adelaide has blown past Fremantle in a blistering 39-point win and big statement to the footy world to surge into the top eight.
The Crows charged ahead with a six-goal first term and didn’t look back, going on to win 17.9 (111) to 10.12 (72) in a contest stacked with highlights from the home side, while it’s a game the Dockers would be eager to put behind them.
Adelaide skipper Jordan Dawson (28 disposals, one goal) led the way in a masterful performance, while Taylor Walker, Josh Rachele and Izak Rankine combined for seven goals in electrifying performances from the Crows forwards.
“They’re scary the way they’re improving, it’s really exciting,” Brownlow medallist Gerard Healy said of Adelaide on Fox Footy.
“They’re playing a really good brand of footy, they’ve got some young talent coming through and some old blokes still hanging in there.
“They’re going to be hard to beat wherever they play.”
It saw Adelaide improve to 2-2, while Fremantle has plenty to ponder, falling to to 1-3 to continue Justin Longmuir’s side’s disappointing start to the season.
QUARTER-BY-QUARTER MATCH REPORT
There were no late changes for either side, with Harry Schoenberg (Crows) and Matt Johnson (Dockers) the starting subs.
While it was Adelaide’s young guns who were all the rage last week, it was the old-timer who sparked the home team on Saturday.
Veteran Crow Taylor Walker was in everything early, snapping Adelaide’s first two goals of the game from difficult angles.
“He’s off to a scorcher,” Fox Footy’s Kelli Underwood said.
Dockers utility Bailey Banfield, who’d started as the Dockers’ sub in 11 of his past 23 matches, made the most of his starting 22 opportunity, kicking Fremantle’s first goal.
“It’s really tight tussle early — as it should be,” Brownlow Medallist Gerard Healy told Fox Footy.
Izak Rankine responded to kick the Crows’ third goal, with St Kilda great Leigh Montagna labelling him the “hottest forward in the game,” while Wayne Milera added another with a crafty banana kick as the home side surged.
James Aish was assigned to Rory Laird in a tagging role and did a great job of restricting the star Crows midfielder in the opening term.
Josh Rachele was everywhere in the first term in his new midfield role, finishing a nice chain of play with his first before punching the air in celebration — a celebration likened to Australian soccer champion Tim Cahill.
The Crows took a 17-point lead into quarter-time, 6.1 (37) to 3.2 (20).
Adelaide kept pushing in the second term with repeated inside 50s but couldn’t hit the scoreboard, until Rankine marked deep inside 50 and kicked a snap goal — his second for the day — to extend his side’s lead to 23.
Jake Soligo followed with a nice finish from deep in the pocket to make it three-straight Crows goals as Matthew Nicks’ side had taken full control of the contest.
Fremantle finally got an opportunity inside 50, with Jye Amiss getting a free kick and and putting through the Dockers’ fourth goal of the day,
“Desperately needed that the Dockers,” St Kilda legend Nick Dal Santo told Fox Footy.
Rachele booted his second goal of the game late in the second quarter and punched the air in excitement as Adelaide took a 36-point lead into half-time, 10.4 (64) to 4.4 (28).
Adelaide had multiple chances in the third term to extend its lead but couldn’t convert its opportunities.
But the home side continued to pay with more energy and intensity including posting a 224 pressure rating in the third term to Freo’s 198.
In one of the highlights of the period, Mitch Hinge caught Dockers big man Sean Darcy holding the ball with a massive tackle.
“Strong tackle, well done Hinge. Adelaide’s pressure is relentless,” Montagna said.
Crows skipper Jordan Dawson meanwhile continued his brilliant game playing more in the midfield, with Dal Santo saying he had the “best kick in the competition.”
It included a huge long-range goal from Dawson, who turns 26 on Sunday, before celebrating with a captain’s salute afterwards.
Adelaide led by 32 points at the end of the third term, 11.8 (74) to 6.6 (42).
Matthew Taberner kicked the first goal of the fourth term to give the visitors a pulse.
Matthew Nicks’ side then had a chance to kick one of the team goals of the year after a blistering chain of play, but Ben Keays couldn’t finish in front of the big sticks.
But Walker wouldn’t miss his next opportunity though, putting through his third goal after a timely handball from Rankine to extend the Crows’ lead to 32.
Luke Jackson kept Fremantle alive by marking inside 50 and kicking his first major of the day.
Tom Dedee wasn’t going to let Fremantle score on its next opportunity, back heeling the ball through the goals to save Adelaide on the last line of defence.
Soligo would near instantly shut the door on Fremantle though with a soccer goal in the goalsquare as it was party time for Adelaide, while the midfielder bizarrely made contact with the goal umpire afterwards in an incident that could get looked at.
THE 3-2-1 (by Jono Baruch) ...
3. CROWS ‘ENTITLED TO THINK BIG’ IN STATEMENT WIN
For all the pre-season talk that the Crows were going to be one of the big risers in 2023, there weren’t many willing to fully buy into the hype surrounding West Lakes.
Despite the addition of boom recruit Izak Rankine, coupled with two defeats to start the season, the Crows were tipped to rise from their 14th placed finish last season but by how much remained the question.
After an impressive performance in last week’s Showdown where they kicked the last six goals of the game to record a comfortable victory over their crosstown rivals, The Crows showed more signs with a complete performance against the Dockers to show that they may be a finals contender in 2023.
New skipper Jordan Dawson led the charge and stepped up in the midfield — further stamping and justifying his position as the new Crows skipper — as Rory Laird was made to work through a James Aish tag.
“He’s starting as an inside midfielder but it’s been his ball use (today),” former St Kilda great Nick Dal Santo said of Dawson on Fox Footy.
“… he’s going at 93% by foot from his 14 kicks (up top three quarter time) and it’s not just short kicks or the easy options, he is going forward and absolutely lacing them out.”
Dawson capped off a stunning three quarters with a long range strike from outside 50 to extend the Crows margin into the final break.
“He’s one of the best kicks going inside forward 50, I love the way they have used him today as well as Rory Laird as those two more mature players in the midfield.” Dal Santo added.
A six-goal opening quarter set up the big win, with the Crows flexing their muscles in every facet of the gam — smashing the Dockers in contested ball (151-137) and constantly piling the pressure.
“They’re not giving an inch the Adelaide Crows,” former St Kilda champion Leigh Montagna said on Fox Footy. “They’re relentless.
Former Brownlow Medallist Gerard Healy added: “They’re entitled to think big in 2023, lots of youth coming through, playing a really exciting style of football. A lot of organic growth to come.”
2. RACHELLE SHINES AS POTENT CROWS FORWARDS ‘SHARE THE LOVE’
Izak Rankine stole the show in last week’s Showdown, while his week, it was his partner in crime Josh Rachelle who grabbed all the early headlines as Adelaide ran riot at Adelaide Oval.
Aided by proactive ball movement from the Crows half backs and midfielders, Rachelle led the charge with two of his three goals in the first half when the game was there to be won to set up the big win.
Former St Kilda champion Nick Dal Santo remarked how the Crows forwards were “sharing the love” as they made the most of the free flowing ball movement — scoring 55 points from the defensive half in the first half, their best since 2019.
“It’s been lively, the ball has been getting in there… yes its going at a really good speed which plays into the hands of these small forwards in particular,” Dal Santo said on Fox Footy.
“… I’ve loved the stability of Tex … I love the way they’ve structured up which therefore allows the small forwards in particular to get to work.
“This is what they’ve done really well. This is a small forward in Rachelle coming up to the stoppage as a midfielder but shooting forward.
“The question now is, who’s on him? Look at his work rate; look at Keays getting in there, nice and tight, there’s Rachelle coming from the stoppage. Keays could easily get that handball over the top.
“That’s one of a handful of examples….That’s one of a dozen times the Dockers midfield has been outworked by either the half forward or the mids of the Crows… Allows the small forward to get to work”
All the Crows forwards hit the scoreboard in meaningful ways with Rachelle, Taylor Walker, Izak Rankine and Lachie Gollant combining for nine goals.
The Crows forward half could be bolstered even further and become even more potent next week if Darcy Fogarty can shake off a knee injury and take his place in the opening game of Gather Round against Carlton on Thursday night.
1. FREMANTLE ‘OUTWORKED’ BY DISJOINTED CONNECTION
It was a dirty afternoon for Fremantle to kick-start a week-long stay in the City of Churches for the Dockers,
The Dockers looked disjointed and struggled to move the ball where the Crows continued to make them pay.
Former St Kilda great Nick Dal Santo noted how the Dockers were overcomplicating their own style of play by trying to play a slow methodical game which was repeatedly punished by the Crows in the first half.
“It sounds really simple, and I think sometimes we overcomplicate the game,” Dal Santo said on Fox Footy.
“There are times you are going to be forced to go slow by the nature of the game or the opposition slowing you up.
“I want to see the Dockers, when they are not forced to slow up, get some lively ball use and a bit of run off the half back line. Take some dare and take some brave kicks through the middle of the ground.
“Because the alternative is, we‘re going to see more of this for the next hour, and they are not going to win with this style of football.”
It comes after Freo has been subjected to ample criticism in the early parts of the season for playing too passively including North Melbourne champion David King saying it had “the worst system” in the AFL.
While Fremantle got on the board last week against a winged West Coast in the derby, the pressure continues to mount on last season’s finalists.
Brownlow medallist Gerard Healy said that there is some soul searching to be done as the Dockers slumped to a 1-3 record to start the season.
“We’ve seen Freo play St Kilda, North Melbourne, West Coast and Adelaide — all sides that didn’t make the top eight (last year) ... and yet they’ve only had a victory against a (West Coast) side that was crippled by seven injuries” Healy said on Fox Footy.
“There is some really serious thinking to be done at Fremantle to get their game back on track.“
Caleb Serong was a rare bright light for the Dockers on the day, racking up 28 disposals and seven tackles, with St Kilda great Nick Dal Santo labelling the midfielder the “lone soldier” for Justin Longmuir’s side.
“He’s doing it all by himself today,” Dal Santo said.
