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Adelaide Crows' finals hopes on a thread

Roar Rookie
17th June, 2013
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Roar Rookie
17th June, 2013
5

After getting smashed by Sydney last week at home, the Adelaide Crows needed to win against Richmond to stay within reach with the bottom of the top eight.

But getting beaten by a Tigers side fast coming of age this season puts a dint in the Crows’ top eight hopes.

However, with Carlton heading into the bye losing to Hawthorn, it does leave them and West Coast still within reach, despite the difference in percentage.

There are areas in which Adelaide were strong last year but have now gone backwards.

Teams have worked them out. Sam Jacobs has been pushed around more and he is not near the form he was last year. Also, injuries have played a part in the team structure.

Josh Jenkins and Tom Lynch have been competitive despite expectations they won’t be able to hold up.

But defensive pressure has not being as great as it was last year, as shown by the Swans.

Last year Adelaide had the firepower up forward to win games and the defensive pressure to stop sides.

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However, this year, with departures, injuries and loss of form, it has put them in the middle of the chasing pack.

In fairness, the draw is tougher, with no home games against GWS and Gold Coast this year. Where they sit right now they will need to win at least seven of the last 10 games.

Six of them are winnable but out of Collingwood away, Geelong at home, Freo and West Coast both away, they will need to win at least one of them. But at this stage it does look like they won’t be able to win all of the six winnable games.

It starts in two weeks when they need to win two of the next three against Gold Coast away, West Coast home and one of the harder games with Collingwood away.

It’s not going to be easy but to give them their best chance of reaching seventh/eighth, then that is what’s required. Forget about the premiership, it’s about saving face and getting something decent out of this.

It’s important to remain competitive and keep things calm. With the move into Adelaide Oval next year, they need more spark than finishing outside the eight.

They have had things not go to plan as they hoped and after such a big year last year it was supposed to be the year to make up for losing a preliminary final.

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It’s also their last year at AAMI Stadium, while going from the hunter to the hunted has never been harder in the AFL and Adelaide have been shown this year that you can’t rest on last season’s results.

Perhaps expectations were a bit too much but finishing in the top four given how they went last year is not too much to expect. Now it’s a rescue mission just to make the eight.

But it looks like a step too far for these Crows. If they don’t get results required then to prepare for 2014 they can try new things, like Dangerfield off half back to give a different option and keep developing players like Crouch and Kerridge, providing they do enough to Adelaide’s coach Brenton Sanderson’s liking.

Also, they need to sort out the future of Graham Johncock if he still has a role to play.

They have more than enough to compete for a spot around the top four, just outside it perhaps if they can get general improvement from the stagnation this season.

With a free agent like Harry Taylor possibly available, it could be the spark they need.

Sanderson is a fine coach and the Crows need to go with his calls and back him on future decisions.

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Crow up or the rest of 2013 will pose more questions than progression.

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