Gather Round folks, the Crows are too plain, too sloppy and too predictable | AFL

The stress that was on Adelaide heading into Thursday evening’s Collect Spherical opener will solely intensify now. That’s the fact of being winless in a two-team, one-newspaper, footy-mad city. After final week’s loss, the again web page of the native rag had them trudging off beneath the headline “Easter Bunnies”. They had been higher on Thursday, and much from disgraced towards a well-organised and defensively sound Melbourne. However the issues which have plagued all of them season had been nonetheless evident – the dinky 9 irons, the sideways kicks, the plain midfield, the stodgy ball motion, the willpower to make life as simple as potential for the opposition interceptors.

Their deficiencies are well-documented. However their largest drawback was their opponent. Oh, for a simple kill. As an alternative, they drew a really completed, in-form Melbourne, a staff recent off a win over Port Adelaide, and whose strengths had been at all times going to bother them. The Crows have been unable to circumnavigate the higher intercept defenders to date this yr. They served up a feast to Tom Stewart towards Geelong, whereas Freo’s Alex Pearce and Luke Ryan picked them off repeatedly on Good Friday. You may’t bomb and hope towards Melbourne. Their complete system is designed to gobble up sloppy ahead forays. It’s important to be good, preserve your head, work your angles, and choose your holes. At varied phases, the Crows did that. However too usually they blasted, and Steven Might and Jake Lever, with a dozen intercept marks between them, did the remainder. Together with his damaged ribs, Might was as resolute as ever. He’s the goalkeeper, the organiser, the thumper, the thwarter, and the hardest of opponents.

The opposite drawback was Melbourne’s on-ball brigade. There’s such a great combine and appreciable depth in that Demons’ midfield, two issues which might be conspicuously missing on the Crows. They’ve strong, constant midfielders who rack up good numbers. However they’re all variations of the identical footballer. The one one with an actual level of distinction, Jordan Dawson, has been clamped down on this yr and has been unusually tardy by foot, although he performed a superb sport final evening. However Christian Petracca was a category above. He’s giving a cooking demonstration at Central Market as we speak and gave a footballing masterclass final evening. He’s in all probability the perfect participant within the nation proper now. There’s actually no more durable participant to sort out.

The Dees have additionally discovered a severe expertise in Caleb Windsor. His capability to weave out and in of visitors, collect unfastened balls and tackle and pull off dangerous kicks is exceptional for a participant of his age. He strikes like a younger Craig Bradley. Harley Reid’s had extra column inches dedicated to him than Bruce Lehrmann however Windsor could find yourself being the steal of that draft at choose seven.

However in a spherical dedicated to all issues South Australia, the Crows are the story. Their win in Collect Spherical final yr was a jolly romp. It was hypercharged, all-out assault and it was over midway by means of the primary quarter. It was the second they popped after the indignity of the early rebuild years. However they’ve stalled. They averaged practically 16 targets a sport final yr. This yr, it’s simply over 9. They chose too many talls within the moist towards Gold Coast, spent the evening kicking to the Cats every week later, and by no means appeared like scoring towards Fremantle in a turgid sport final week. They’d much more appears at it on Thursday, however had been too lairy and too inclined to bomb.

The usually constructive Matthew Nicks was a pissed off coach final evening. The construction was sound, he insisted, however the execution and determination making had been poor, and the ball motion was glacial. It’s a slog from right here. Of the 162 groups within the historical past of the VFL/AFL who dropped their first 4 video games, solely 5 ended up taking part in finals. Having been on a gradual upward trajectory for a number of years now, they’ve flatlined. It’s the form of correction most rebuilding sides expertise. Melbourne is a staff that exhibits you precisely the place you’re at and the Crows bought their reply – too plain, too sloppy and never but able to contend.