It wasn’t how it was meant to go for the Crows. Coming into the grand final as favourites, Adelaide were completely outplayed by the Tigers en route to a 108-60 loss in the final game of the season.
All the wash-up from the 2017 AFL Grand Final
» Match Report: Tigers are premiers
» BUCKLAND: Richmond go from rabble to flag
» Six talking points from the match
» Richmond Tigers player ratings
» Watch video highlights from the match
» Re-live the match with our live blog
Here’s how each of the Crows rated.
Rory Laird: 7/10
Excellent early on, but had less of an impact as the game wore on.
Kyle Hartigan: 4
A solid enough performance, but nothing to write home about.
Jake Lever: 5
Like Laird, Lever was front and centre when the Crows started strongly, but struggled to deal with the manic Richmond pressure later in the game.
Paul Seedsman: 2
Apparently he had 15 touches. Can’t say I noticed many of ’em.
Daniel Talia: 3
Lost his matchup against Jack Riewoldt, who kicked a couple, but the damage could have been far worse for Talia had the key forward kicked truly in the first term. Adelaide needed more.
Luke Brown: 4
Another alright but far from outstanding performance. Had the trainers concerned late in the first half.
David Mackay: 4
An anonymous performance from Mackay. Didn’t have any noticeably bad moments, but certainly didn’t have any standout good ones.
Rory Sloane: 8
Adelaide’s best by some margin. Kicked two early goals and was one of few Crows to stand up to Richmond’s pressure in the middle of the ground.
Rory Atkins: 4
Struggled to make an impact.
Charlie Cameron: 6
Excellent early on, but looked slightly hampered after picking up a knock and heading off the ground in the first quarter. Still among Adelaide’s best.
Josh Jenkins: 1
Added nothing. Missed a crucial set shot at the end of the third quarter he simply had to kick.
Eddie Betts: 3.5
Kicked an early goal and should have had another when he was held onto in the goalsquare in the second term, but couldn’t provide the x-factor he’s become so renowned for during his time in Adelaide.
Tom Lynch: 4
Had some nice moments either side of halftime, but they were too few and far between.
Taylor Walker: 3
Kicked an important goal in the third to keep the Crows afloat, but some earlier misses proved costly and the skipper couldn’t impose himself on the game as he so often does.
Riley Knight: 3
Not a great afternoon.
Sam Jacobs: 6
His ruck work was excellent as per usual, but Jacobs was found wanting when the Tigers ran him ragged with Toby Nankervis resting up on the bench.
Richard Douglas: 5
Has been a real warrior for the Crows all year, and was alright in a badly beaten side today.
Matt Crouch: 7
Racked up plenty of disposals as he always does, and although he didn’t have the impact his 36 disposals would indicate, was still very good.
Brad Crouch: 6
Like his brother, got plenty of the ball without making a massive impact.
Jake Kelly: 5
Far from the Crows’ worst.
Hugh Greenwood: 3
Popped up with a handy early goal, but did little else of note.
Andy Otten: 1
Adelaide fans will be wishing Mitch McGovern was fit for this game.
Don Pyke: 4
Hard to be too harsh on Pyke, as many of his players just flopped on the biggest day of the year. He wasn’t able to come up with a plan to counter Richmond’s forward pressure.
Round 5 of the AFL provided plenty of action, from big scorelines to upset wins and pressure starting to build on some clubs and coaches already.
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