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Round 1 AFL preview: Adelaide vs North Melbourne

Roar Guru
30th March, 2015
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Roar Guru
30th March, 2015
7
1171 Reads

The first clash at Adelaide Oval for 2015 should be an intriguing one, with the Adelaide Crows taking on North Melbourne.

First-time coach Phil Walsh will come up against the more experienced Brad Scott, who has led his side to finals just twice since he was appointed head coach in 2012.

However, there is no doubt that the Roos have been building, reaching a preliminary final in last year’s finals. Round 1 has not been a happy time for Brad Scott, with the Roos coach yet to win a game in the opening round in his five years as coach.

He will be hoping to break this trend in his quest to go one further than in 2014. Phil Walsh on the other hand will be hoping to start this new era with a win. This Round 1 clash is pivotal for both finals aspirants.

What to watch for?
How Phil Walsh uses his players. A new coach brings in new philosophies and with his reluctancy to give the media anything of substance, everyone is in the dark as to how, and who, the Crows will play. Most importantly will be how the backline functions against a tall North Melbourne.

Without choosing the right personnel or setting up the right team defence, the backline will crumble and the forward line will be starved without any rebound from defence.

Are they contenders or pretenders? Both Adelaide and North Melbourne have been the epitome of inconsistency over the past two years with both teams challenging the best, but struggling against the weaker clubs.

If both sides can put in stunning performances in Round 1 to make a spectacular game, then they are on their way to shedding this ‘inconsistent’ tag.

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Shaun Higgins and Jarrad Waite – are they worth the risk? We won’t know after just one round, but we will start to have a good idea. The pair was recruited with the hope of being a legitimate premiership contender after a September flogging against Sydney in the preliminary final.

Waite in particular could prove to be that final link that takes them to the grand final, but he will have to make a good start to the year to convince the critics.

Likely teams
Adelaide

B: K Cheeney, D Talia, L Brown
HB: R Henderson, K Hartigan, M Jaensch
C: B Smith, P Dangerfield, D Mackay
HF: R Douglas, J Jenkins, T Lynch
F: E Betts, T Walker, J Podsiadly
FOLL: S Jacobs, R Sloane, S Thompson
INT: C Ellis-Yoleman, R Laird, S Kerridge, N Van Berlo
Missing: Otten (knee), Shaw (hamstring), B Crouch (foot), Reilly (skull)
New: Cheeney

Adelaide’s key posts will again be lead by stars Daniel Talia, Patrick Dangerfield, Rory Sloane, Sam Jacobs and Taylor Walker. Kyle Hartigan will have to shoulder far more responsibility in his third year at the club, filling the void left by Ben Rutten.

New recruit Kyle Cheeney will hold down the position as third tall defender, as fellow recruit Jake Lever is managed due to an ACL injury in 2012.

Matt Jaensch and Ricky Henderson will likely play of half-back, with Brodie Smith rotating through after stints in the midfield.

Walsh may however add third year Laird to this group, allowing Smith to play permanently in the midfield. The midfield is settled with Sloane looking to back up a personal best year, Dangerfield looking to rebound after missing All-Australian selection and Crouch looking to make the inevitable rise to an elite of the game.

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Unfortunately, he will miss the first seven weeks of football after injuring his foot during the NAB Challenge. After an impressive pre-season, Cam Ellis-Yoleman will be given an opportunity to replace Crouch as a contested ball-winner.

After kicking 10 goals in his last two games against the Roos, Sam Kerridge will also look to build upon an impressive preseason and will see plenty of midfield time.

Tom Lynch and Charlie Cameron will be fighting for a spot in the team with Walsh unlikely to use six specialist forwards so that he can rest his midfielders forward. At this point, Lynch looks to have pole position giving his ability to hit the scoreboard and also link the defence up with the attack.

Rory Laird may be given the first opportunity with his aggressive and team-first style of play. Mitch Grigg will probably be second in line for this spot with his versatility and elite left-foot kick.

North Melbourne
B: L Hansen, S Thompson, M Firrito
HB: N Dal Santo, R Tarrent, S Atley
C: S Gibson, A Swallow, D Wells
HF: B Harvey, J Waite, S Higgins
F: L Thomas, D Petrie, B Brown
FOLL: T Goldstein, J Zeibell, B Cunnington
INT: R Bastinac, J MacMillian, L McDonald, S Atley
Missing: Grima
New: Higgins, Waite

The preliminary finalists have strengthened their squad over the summer, picking up Shaun Higgins and Jarrad Waite. Waite adds firepower to an already potent forward line and looks set to make a strong partnership with Drew Petrie while Shaun Higgins strengthens the list of classy half-backs that can move through the midfield that North already has.

Both have performed as expected throughout the preseason with both Waite and Higgins kicking three goals each in the first game against Adelaide.

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Unfortunately for the Roos, they lost Levi Greenwood to Collingwood off the back of a breakout season. Key defender Nathan Grima will be injured for the start of the season, meaning Robbie Tarrent and Joel Tippett will have to fight for his position.

If Lachie Hansen does not make a recovery by Round 1 either, then both ‘Gorillas’ will have a chance to facets Crows. Majak Daw and Ben Brown will also be fighting for the position of pinch-hitting ruckman after both were strong throughout the preseason.

Kane Turner and Ben Jacobs will be stiff to miss out on selection, but given the talent of the list, it will be difficult to get a game throughout the season unless someone is injured.

Key players
Taylor Walker

We are all waiting to see how ‘Tex’ performs as captain. His potential as a power forward is unquestioned, however will he be able to achieve it under the weight of captaincy. If he can perform strongly, while also commanding his troops, then the Crows will prove hard to beat.

Ricky Henderson
Injuries have kept Henderson under the radar, a broken leg restricting him to only eight games in 2014. If he can play as that intercept-marking, rebounding half-back that he did so well late in 2013, he will strengthen Walsh’s defence but also sharpen the offence with that ‘slingshot’ style of play that is so hard to defend against.

If he can get his intercept-marking going, then he will be the Crows’ most valuable player come Round 1.

Brent Harvey
The barometer of the Kangaroos, if Harvey has a big game the Roos normally win. His toughness in tight and then pace and class when in space is unrivalled by anyone at the club. If he gets shut-down in the midfield, he is sent forward where he usually kicks multiple goals. Stopping him is impossible, but if the crows can quell his influence a little bit, they might have a chance.

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If not, North will claim the four points.

Daniel Wells
Coming off an injury-interrupted season, Wells, the number two draft pick from 2002, will be looking to use his pace and class to launch multiple attacks.

If he can get enough of the ball, then he will give the forward line the best chance to kick a big score.

Key Match-ups
Sam Jacobs versus Todd Goldstein

This is potentially the biggest ruck rivalry in the competition, with Jacobs and Goldstein two of the best going around. These players are so evenly matched that there is rarely a winner when they face each other.

The winner of this contest will get his team over the line by feeding his fleet of tough on-ballers. With the midfields also evenly matched, it will be the team that wins the hit-out that wins the clearance and feeds their forward line.

Kyle Cheeney versus Any Key Forward
Standing at 187-centimetre Kyle Cheeney is undersized to hold down a key position in defence, giving away 7-centimetres to Waite, 10-centimetres to Petrie and 13-centimetres to Brown. If North can consistently get one-on-one contest against Cheeney, someone is going to kick a bag of goals.

If the Crows can prevent this by using the ‘team defence’ Walsh speaks of so often, then we will see a proper contest between these two finals contenders. If not, it’s going to get ugly for the Crows.

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Patrick Dangerfield versus Ben Cunnington
One of the most explosive players in the competition, Dangerfield is a genuine match winner. Brad Scott will be hoping Cunnington can effectively shut down the Adelaide playmaker, because if Dangerfield can break free, the Crows will win.

Eddie Betts versus Michael Firrito
When Eddie Betts gets the ball, he does not only score goals, but allows others to score them as well. As a result, Brad Scott will be hoping that Firrito will be able to curb Bett’s output. If he can do this, Adelaide’s scoring will drastically reduce.

The result
What is always a tight contest between the two sides may be even tighter in this Round 1 clash. Both sides have strong squads, lead by tough, uncompromising midfields and if any midfielder gets left off the chain, it could determine the outcome.

Realistically, it is anyone’s game, with North yet to come away with a win in Round 1 since 2009. Given the Crows lack of experience and height in defence it will be the Roos who should come away with the win.

North Melbourne by 13 points.

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