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Jason Porplyzia of Adelaide celebrates while Nathan Lovett-Murray of Essendon looks on during the AFL 1st Elimination Final between the Adelaide Crows and the Essendon Bombers at AAMI Stadium.
Their dominant victory in the elimination final may have been inflated by playing a team that didn’t necessarily belong in the finals, but the Adelaide Crows have emerged as the dark horses in September.
Often flying under the AFL radar, the Crows are finally reaping the rewards and plaudits for intelligently building an impressive squad. They have given youngsters the time to develop and find their feet in the AFL.
How they nurtured Trent Hentschel to full fitness after his horrific leg injuries highlights this meticulous and efficient approach.
Their reward is another key position forward in red-hot form.
This approach pervades through all facets of the club, one of the most profitable, well structured, best supported and best run clubs in any code.
Excitement is building in South Australia, slowly reaching the fever pitch level of the ‘97 and ‘98 campaigns.
They can no longer be ignored.
After all it’s hard to ignore the form of a team that has scored 71 goals in their past three matches with a winning average margin of 80 points.
The perceived weakness of the Crows at the start of the season, the lack of forward options, has suddenly become its potent weapon.
The ever-improving Kurt Tippett gives the Crows the tall forward option they have desperately lacked for years now with the likes of Hentschel, Jason Porplyzia and Brett Burton each able to add to the tally, especially when they gel with the likes Patrick Dangerfield, Bernie Vince and ruckman Ivan Maric.
As long as they can continue to drive through the midfield and give these forward options half a chance, then they are capable of big scores, not dependant on just one key forward.
While there’s no denying their position as the best of the rest outside of the Saints, Cats, Bulldogs and Magpies, there are doubts about whether the Crows can mix it with the chief protagonists when it counts.
Of their eight defeats this season, seven have come at the hands of their fellow surviving finalists.
Their recent high scoring form has overshadowed their Round 16 to 19 performances that saw three defeats to Collingwood, Geelong and St Kilda, the latter a 57-point walloping.
The Crows youngsters need to raise their intensity and step up to the challenge of finals football and prove that they deserve to be in such illustrious company.
It’s time for the Crows to confirm their potential with a big scalp Saturday night.
Given they are the form team of the competition, considering the two extra rest days over their injury hit opponents and their impressive away form, they have every chance of repeating their round one victory over Collingwood.
Even if they are unsuccessful this season, the exciting blend of youth and promise will be a threat for years to come.