Nathan Bock was out of the line up due to an off field indiscretion and the Crows were also without the services of Knights and Hentschel due to injury. This gave some of the younger players a chance to shine once again. Andy Otten and Patrick Dangerfield were particularly impressive.
The Crows played a similar brand of football to previous weeks, but unlike last week against St Kilda the game plan appeared to be executed a lot better. Adelaide got off to a slow start going against the breeze in the first quarter. After trailing by 14 points at quarter time, a strong second quarter effort provided the Crows with an 18 point lead. From there on, the usual ebb and flow ensued with both teams trading goals. Fremantle challenged Adelaide in the last quarter with some quick goals. The Crows responded well and finished off the game with a flurry of goals.
Dangerfield showed his class in midfield and ended up with 20 disposals and a goal. His willingness to take on his opponent often creates opportunities for his team mates. The television coverage even used his kicking smarts under pressure as an example of what the Freo youngsters should be doing. It seemed a curious decision at the start of this year when Dangerfield decided he wanted to wear No.32, possibly the most famous number within the Adelaide Football Club. After seeing him play in the first 3 rounds it makes a little more sense though. Some players thrive under pressure and it looks like Dangerfield might just be one of them. As a nice touch, he was also nominated as a NAB Rising Star for Round 3.
Among the other quality players were Otten who had a superb game in the absence of Bock. Brent Reilly played really well in the back line and provided a number of long kicks which split the defence. Walker was again classy up front with his poise and defensive pressure being rewarded with 3 goals. Tippett and Maric also did a quality job against Fremantle giant Aaron Sandilands.
On a sour note, the Crows will be without the services of Nick Gill after he pulled his hamstring. Scott Stevens could also be out after copping a nasty knock to the face courtesy of Luke McPharlin.
This will leave room for one player to jump into the squad to face Geelong this weekend. Bock has declared himself ready to play and it will be hard for the Crows to resist putting him back into the team. I suspect the inclusion of Bock will be the only change this week. If however he is not cleared, it may be a good opportunity to test James Sellar in the back line.
Geelong will be a good measuring stick for Adelaide. It will also be a good experience for some of the younger players to see how the Cats do things on the field. Could there be an upset on the cards at AAMI Stadium? It's tough to go against Geelong but I'd certainly like to think the Crows can at least make a tight contest.
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