- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
The 2017 Adelaide Crows were like a gifted prizefighter, capable of beating teams with flurries of combinations thanks to their sublime footwork and fast hands.
They loved fighting in the middle of the ring, where space was plentiful and they could dance and duck and shuffle until they found themselves in the most advantageous of positions, their opponents stumbling over themselves, trying to defend against blows from all directions.
When backed into a corner, they were usually slippery enough to escape the confines and get back into the open – where they liked it.
On those occasions where they couldn’t, the Crows were surprisingly tough and disciplined; they could minimise the damage until the bell, rarely were they unable to it back on their terms before too much damage was done.
Unfortunately, they ran into a bare-knuckled brawler in the biggest fight of the season and, worst of all, did so in the brawler’s backyard with an army of Tigers surrounding the ring, growling and snapping at the ropes – it was an ambush.
Adelaide started well, landing a couple of sharp strikes, but the brawler was relentless, throwing punch after punch at the body; grappling, grabbing and shoving the Crows against the ropes and into the corner.
All that wrestling was draining, however, and the rounds were long. In the final minutes of the first round, the brawler was fatigued and the prizefighter managed to free their hands and unload some meaningful blows.
[latest_videos_strip category=”afl” name=”AFL”]
When the bell rang for the first time, Adelaide had a solid advantage and plenty of confidence, yapping at the brawler on the way to their respective corners – this was not wise.
The second round was ugly. The fatigue of the first round was gone and the brawler was feeling fresh. The trash-talking of the first round had only fuelled them. The roar of the Tigers outside the ring had become deafening; it’s impossible to think those roars didn’t have an impact on the men adjudicating the fight.
The Crows couldn’t escape their own corner; the middle of the ring, where they so desperately wanted to fight, appeared off limits. The brawler had seemingly grown bigger and the surrounds smaller.
The prizefighter’s legendary counter-punches had been taken away. This wasn’t some dim-witted street fighter Adelaide was battling, there was method to the madness and the brawler’s defence was all but impenetrable. The Crows started to make uncharacteristic mistakes, letting their guard down in bizarre ways and being punished for it – and the brawler delighted in letting them know all about those mistakes.
Adelaide were rattled. By the time the bell rang for the second time they were shaken and behind on points.
When the third round began, the brawler unleashed a series of quick, heavy blows. The Crows were bloodied and unsteady on their feet. The fight opened up, but not how Adelaide wanted it too. Now it was the brawler dancing and throwing combinations.
It was effectively over by the end of the round; the only thing missing was a knockout blow and the Adelaide were too broken to be the one to deliver it.
AAP Image/Julian Smith
Salivating Tigers snapped at the ropes, their ravenous appetite about to be sated by the winner’s feast. It had been a long time since they ate this well; for many it was the first time.
The final round was less a fight than a celebration for one side, a procession for the other. Adelaide threw a few desperate punches, but even those that landed were too weak to do any damage. The brawler in yellow and black had won. There was a new champion. The Tigers sang as they feasted.
That was then and this is now. Adelaide have had the summer to dwell on their last fight and have made some significant adjustments – some of their choosing, others not. Their offensive punch is still what makes them most dangerous.
The Crows might not be the one wearing the belt, but it would be a mistake to forget or dismiss how impressive they were, and foolish to think they can’t win it this time – even if the same opponent awaits at the end.
The prizefighter and the brawler will meet again soon enough, and both fighters will look a little different, but neither of them any less dangerous.