The West Coast Eagles put in an incredible effort to secure an upset win against the Adelaide Crows.
Early on it looked set to be an absolute nightmare of a game for the Eagles when they conceded four straight goals to start the game, but they were simply phenomenal after then.
No matter how hard Adelaide came at them, they just kept fighting for it and eventually got over the line by 31 points.
Just the fifth game of the year to finish with both teams having scored at least 100 – definitely one of the better games of the year and a real shoot out.
Taylor Walker kicked four goals for the day, however Josh Kennedy proved the match winner with five majors, three of them in the final term, he was really aided by Daniel Talia going down in the second term.
Andrew Gaff was arguably best on ground for the day though – the youngster had 31 disposals and booted three crucial goals to help get the Eagles over the line.
FINAL SCORE:
ADELAIDE 16.9.105
WEST COAST 20.16.136
The Adelaide Crows are looking to sure-up a spot in the top eight with a win over a struggling West Coast Eagles outfit. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 1:40 pm (AEST).
The Crows are in excellent form of late with wins in three of their last four games, capped off a with a strong showing last week against Collingwood that saw them leapfrog the Magpies into eighth spot.
West Coast have been the opposite. They’ve dropped three of their last four, with an unconvincing win over Brisbane their only victory in the last month. They looked well off the pace against Richmond at home last week, managing just 42 points for the game.
The Crows have made just a single change for the game, dropping struggling forward option Tom Lynch and recalling Scott Thompson after a hamstring injury saw him miss last week.
The Eagles have made a host of changes to the side that was so abysmal last week, Jamie Bennell, Josh Hill, Jamie Cripps and Scott Lycett are all back in the side. Ashley Smith and Simon Tunbridge have been dropped, Brad Sheppard will miss with an ankle injury and Dean Cox is still feeling the effects of concussion.
The Crows will be celebrating the career of ruckman Sam Jacobs, who notches up his 100th AFL game. With his main opponent, Dean Cox, sitting on the stands, Jacobs looks set to guide his team towards victory.
Prediction
The Eagles are outsiders at best to pull off an upset here. They haven’t shown anything in the last couple of weeks, and their inclusions for the week don’t inspire much hope. Crows should win comfortably, they’ve got everything to play for.
Adelaide by 36 points.
Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 1:40 PM (AEST).
Gregor
Guest
Who knew that Adam Simpson had a bizarro-Eagles tucked away for such an occasion as this? Priddis kicked straight, Gaff broke tackles,Josh Kennedy led and marked, Naitanui beat Jacobs.Where were these guys before this week? They won a last quarter by nearly as much as they scored last week.That has to leave North Melbourne's inconsistency in the next postcode
Gregor
Guest
Who knew that Adam Simpson had a bizarro-Eagles tucked away for such an occasion as this? Priddis kicked straight, Gaff broke tackles,Josh Kennedy led and marked, Naitanui beat Jacobs.Where were these guys before this week? They won a last quarter by nearly as much as they scored last week.That has to leave North Melbourne's inconsistency in the next postcode
bryan
Guest
Great Game! As a (sort of) neutral, I'd like to make special mention of two blokes who played,(& always seem to), their guts out! Priddis for the Eagles & Posiadly for the Crows. Priddis is always there,putting in 100% effort! And Poz!---What a trouper! A massive belt in the ribs,& one to the head,& he still came back out---& played great football!! Shame the Crows can't clone Poz!
Barneythecrab
Guest
Hey at least we don't have bandwagon supporters that jump straight off as soon as we begin dropping games. What was the crowd at the melb game after port had lost a few on the trot.
Josh
Expert
Well, jeeze. I am just having awful luck trying to get the streak started again. But who is complaining? This was one of the games of the year. Fantastic watching. Tomorrow I'm covering Melbourne v Brisbane early on, and then Collingwood v Port Adelaide after that - hope you'll join me!
Josh
Expert
An incredible effort from the Eagles in the end. I was predicting an absolute nightmare of a game for them at the start when they conceded four straight goals to start the game, but they were simply phenomenal after then. No matter how hard Adelaide came at them, they just kept fighting for it and eventually got over the line, and won by 31 in the end. Just the fifth game of the year to finish with both teams having scored at least 100 - definitely one of the better games of the year and a real shoot out. Taylor Walker kicked four goals for the day, Josh J Kennedy proved a match winner however with five majors, three of them in the final term, he was really aided by Daniel Talia going down and out in that second term. Andrew Gaff was arguably best on ground for the day though - the youngster had 31 disposals and booted three crucial goals to help get the Eagles over the line. Excellent stuff!
Anthony
Guest
Traffic jam outside Adelaide Oval before final siren as Crows supporters leave en masse ;-)
Josh
Expert
FULL TIME ADELAIDE 16.9.105 WEST COAST 20.16.136 Eagles peppered the goals in the last few minutes, with Nic Naitanui, Josh Hill and Dom Sheed all kicking behinds.
Josh
Expert
GOAL WEST COAST 2:34 REMAINING Jack Darling takes a strong mark over Andy Otten and slots the goal, his third of the day. ADELAIDE 16.9.105 WEST COAST 20.13.133
Josh
Expert
GOAL ADELAIDE 3:30 REMAINING With a bit of assistance from Rory Sloane, Brad Crouch gets his hands on it and slots goal number two for the day. It's just consolation though - not enough time left to win it. ADELAIDE 16.9.105 WEST COAST 19.13.127
Josh
Expert
GOAL WEST COAST 5:42 REMAINING Game over man, game over! Josh Kennedy slots goal number five and the Crows fans are fleeing the stadium. ADELAIDE 15.9.99 WEST COAST 19.13.127
Josh
Expert
BEHIND ADELAIDE 6:40 REMAINING Brodie Martin has a set shot, but he misses to the left. Time running out for the Crows. ADELAIDE 15.9.99 WEST COAST 18.13.121
Josh
Expert
BEHIND ADELAIDE 8:25 REMAINING Ricky Henderson has a shot out of play, misses. ADELAIDE 15.8.98 WEST COAST 18.13.121
Josh
Expert
GOAL WEST COAST That'll cost them! Brodie Smith kicks it out on the full as the kick out. Mark LeCras has a shot from a difficult angle, but he doesn't mind, and he slots it! The Eagles now lead by 24 points with 9 minutes left to play! ADELAIDE 15.7.97 WEST COAST 18.13.121
Josh
Expert
BEHIND WEST COAST Disappointment there - Dom Sheed takes an easy mark in the forward line, and looks set to easily slot his first goal in AFL footy and possibly seal the game, but he buggers up what should be an easily gettable game. ADELAIDE 15.7.97 WEST COAST 17.13.115
Josh
Expert
GOAL WEST COAST Josh J Kennedy! He is dragging the Eagles across the line! Takes a strong mark and slots it from behind the post. Incredible stuff, the Eagles lead by 17 points with 11 minutes left to play! ADELAIDE 15.7.97 WEST COAST 17.12.114
Josh
Expert
BEHIND WEST COAST Kennedy has a shot out of play, hits the post. ADELAIDE 15.7.97 WEST COAST 16.12.108
Josh
Expert
GOAL WEST COAST Josh J Kennedy! Takes a solid mark and slots his third goal of the game. The Eagles lead by 10 points, and there's 14 minutes left to play! ADELAIDE 15.7.97 WEST COAST 16.11.107
Josh
Expert
GOAL WEST COAST Getting on the end of it, Andrew Gaff! He slots his third goal for the day to kick off this final quarter, sends the Eagles over 100, and in front again! ADELAIDE 15.7.97 WEST COAST 15.11.101
Josh
Expert
Tight play so far this term. Stuck in the middle.