Brenton Sanderson has a record that most AFL coaches would sell their kidneys for.
Since taking the reigns of the Adelaide Football Club, he hasn’t tasted defeat two games in a row.
The ability of the Crows to step up after a defeat is a trait that will stand them in good stead despite a shaky start to the season.
Defeats by the hands of Brisbane and Port Adelaide meant that The Crows hosted the Western Bulldogs sitting eleventh on the ladder.
Sam Jacobs and Rory Sloane in particular had to step up after below par performances in Round 3.
The loss of Kurt Tippett has tested Adelaide in more ways than one.
Big Sam now has to shoulder the majority of the ruck work. He was run into the ground last week and needed the backup of Tippett.
He looked dominant against Will Minson and worked really hard in defence.
Rory Sloane picked up 28 possessions and looked classy in the difficult conditions.
The conditions meant that both sides had to play an in close, scrappy game and this played into the hands of the hard running ball winner that is Patrick Dangerfield.
Paddy had a day out picking up 21 disposals and kicking four goals. Richard Douglas also tested the statistician, leading the way in tackles and effective disposals.
The Bulldogs just capitulated under the pressure put on them by the Adelaide midfield.
The men from Footscray bookended the game nicely kicking two majors in the first and final quarter with 85 minutes in-between.
Four goals are never going to be enough to win an AFL game.
The bigger vacuum left by the departure of Tippett is the foil that Taylor Walker may have used last year.
Walker looks lost at times and his forward pressure is non-existent. It was unacceptable that the Bulldogs only kicked four and it is equally disappointing that the Crows key forward only kicked one.
Walker is having to work back in order to get possessions. He racked up 14 disposals and a couple led to goals.
However at times he looked unwilling to get down and dirty and defend from the forward 50. Walker had a breakout year in 2012, kicking 63 goals. If he is to repeat those feats then he needs to work harder.
It’s hard to assess the performance of the Crows in what was essentially a training run.
The Bulldogs offered nothing. Adelaide will play in the finals this year and if they get over the off-field distractions that must have impacted their pre-season, they will probably make the top four again.
Losing two games this early in the season won’t help them, but it’s not the end of the world.
They have a very talented group and if they manage to work around the loss of Tippett then they will push towards another grand final. As the Crows settle into life after the saga that Kurt caused, they will go from strength to strength.
Bayman
Guest
Dave, How far will Adelaide go? Further than I thought last week and not as far as I would like. I just don't think they have the weaponry of sides like Geelong Collingwood, Hawthorn or Sydney. They have some great players but probably not enough to consistently beat the better teams in the competition. They will have their good days but they are also far more likely, compared to the teams I mentioned, to have their bad days. PS They beat Brisbane, it was Essendon and Port Adelaide which beat them.
vocans
Guest
It's hard to read much into that game, as you say. You don't see the ball squirt out of players' hand so much these days, and both teams were trying to play dry footy for much of the first half. Countless scoring opportunities were lost that would have been in the Budget before the kick was taken. I'd agree that Walker is still learning his game. He grew up playing against grown men and so learned to use his ball reading, evasion, and hand eye foot skills, but not the body. He is still learning how to mark above his head, especially in contests. When his game comes together - watch out! I thought his work rate was excellent, but it was not a big man's day. Also, the coaches used Dangerfield and Jacobs up front and seemed to want space for them. Walker went up the ground and provided some service in the wet conditions. I agree that the forward structure of the Crows does not help him like it did last year, but that's not all down to Tippett's absence. Callinan is not what he was and Porplyzia is not in form. Jenkins shows real promise and I'd trust his kicking ahead of Tippett's. Jenkins is potentially a game breaker up front, and could be the big, quick body to nullify the Hawkins and Clokes and even Buddies of this world. Nevertheless he and Walker are still learning to play together. Finally, the Crows mids have not been the dominant force they were last year, especially with Jacobs not being in the same form. I agree he needs more support, but ideally that would not come from Jenkins who should be a key position player.