Wasteful Crows admit finals hopes gone

Adelaide coach Neil Craig has blamed “amateurish” kicking for virtually ending the Crows’ AFL finals hopes with a 15.10 (100) to 11.14 (80) loss to Richmond at the MCG on Sunday.

The Crows led by 19 points at halftime, after dominating the second term.

But they left the door open with terrible kicking for goal – including four shots out on the full – allowing the spirited Tigers to surge past them.

It was Richmond’s sixth win in nine games, remarkably giving them victories over all six non-Victorian clubs this season, while they are yet to beat a team from their own state.

Adelaide’s loss left them on a 7-10 record, two wins and a big percentage gap adrift of the eight with four rounds to play.

With a horror draw to come, including matches against top four sides Western Bulldogs, Collingwood and St Kilda, Craig admitted the Crows were out of the finals race for the first time in his six full years in charge.

“We had an opportunity to win today and win very well and yet we go away a beaten footy club and any opportunity we had to keep our finals aspirations alive have probably gone out the window,” he said.

“That’s two weeks in a row we’ve had an opportunity, particularly with the way the other results have gone, and we haven’t been good enough to take the opportunity.”

Craig said both in last weekend’s loss to Port Adelaide, when they kicked 9.15, and against the Tigers, accuracy had been the big weakness.

Patrick Dangerfield was the biggest culprit, with 1.2 and two shots out on the full, while ruckman Jonathon Griffin missed with two first-half snaps from the top of the goalsquare.

Ricky Henderson failed to connect with an attempt to soccer through from the goal-line, while a Jason Porplyzia 40m set shot never looked like registering a score.

“Some of what we’re putting on show in terms of kicking for goal is amateurish,” Craig said.

“So what do we do about it? Recognise it first and it’s not a one-off thing and start to really hone in on it and be tough with ourselves and not back away from it and think it will be better next week.

“It won’t be better next week, guys, I’m telling you, the pressure will be on next week.”

While the Crows were missing senior players Graham Johncock (suspension), Andrew McLeod (knee) and Simon Goodwin (Achilles), Craig said that did not explain Sunday’s performance.

He said younger players needed to stand up and show they could be future leaders.

Richmond coach Damien Hardwick admitted Adelaide had the Tigers “on the ropes” in the first half, but said his side lifted in fighting for the contested ball in the second half to take control.

“Our guys, to their credit, fought back and dominated the third and fourth quarters in a lot of areas we were hoping to when we came into the game,” Hardwick said.

“It’s a great lesson to our guys to keep doing the things we go into our gameplan with on a consistent basis.”