The Adelaide Crows get their crack at stopping the seemingly unstoppable Fremantle Dockers when they host them at Adelaide Oval tonight. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 7.40pm AEST.
Fremantle have been a runaway freight train so far this season, they’ve jumped out to an 8-0 record, two games clear on top the of the ladder, and though they’ve had some close-ish margins, have looked a class above in every game they’ve played.
They’ve beaten every 2014 finalist they’ve played – Sydney, Port Adelaide, North Melbourne and Geelong – while their Round 15 clash with Hawthorn looms as their biggest test yet.
This week however they come up against Adelaide, a side who started this year in ripping form but have become a bit mediocre in the weeks since.
The Crows have a 5-3 record at the moment but have only beaten one team currently inside the top eight, and looked pretty mediocre last week when they fell prey to Greater Western Sydney by 24 points – the first loss to an expansion side in the club’s history.
Simply put, the Crows will need a reversal in form and they will need it quickly if they’re to have any hope of stopping the Dockers this week.
One man they will turn to in the hopes of finding a win is Eddie Betts, who has kicked 29 goals for them so far this year and is currently second in the race for the Coleman medal.
If Betts can get off the chain against Fremantle’s restrictive defence, that will be the Crows best hope of snatching an unlikely win.
Only a single change has been made for the match. Adelaide have replaced Sam Kerridge with Ricky Henderson following an ankle injury last week, Fremantle go in unchanged.
Prediction
While the Crows aren’t entirely without hope, I don’t see them winning this one. The Dockers are just too good.
Fremantle by 30 points.
Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 7.10pm Local, 7.40pm AEST.
FreoAs
Guest
Barlow the sausage, had a better contender for sausage of the year than the honourable Edward Betts I'd say.
FreoAs
Guest
Three rows back he did.
Josh
Expert
Rob McHugh
Roar Guru
hurhurhur 69
Josh
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Josh
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Josh
Expert
Definitely a battle of the superstars tonight. Patrick Dangerfield with 38 disposals and a goal versus Nathan Fyfe with 40 disposals and a goal - a vintage head-to-head battle, but it was the Dockers who got across the line. On top of that, Aaron Sandilands broke past Gary Dempsey's previous efforts to record a new record for the most hitouts in a game by an individual player, with 69 for the night. Dempsey set his record back in 1982 and I reckon it'll be a long time before we see Sandilands effort beaten!
Josh
Expert
Dockers win - nine in a row for the lads on top of the ladder! Good effort by the Crows though.
Josh
Expert
FULL TIME ADELAIDE 7.15.57 FREMANTLE 10.8.68
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BEHIND ADELAIDE Dangerfield kicks a long bomb goal form the line, but it's too late. 2 seconds on the clock as the ball is brought back to the sentence. UPDATE: Well that was strange, despite the ball being taken back to the centre the goal was then recalled and named a behind. Did seem to hit the post in the footage. Dockers take a kick out and win when the siren goes. ADELAIDE 7.15.57 FREMANTLE 10.8.68
Josh
Expert
BEHIND ADELAIDE Suban rushes one across. Two goals the margin. Five minutes on the clock. ADELAIDE 7.14.56 FREMANTLE 10.8.68
Josh
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BEHIND ADELAIDE Nathan van Berlo kicks a behind. ADELAIDE 7.13.55 FREMANTLE 10.8.68
Josh
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BEHIND FREMANTLE Danyle Pearce misses a shot on goal. ADELAIDE 7.12.54 FREMANTLE 10.8.68
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Aaron Sandilands putting in an incredible performance! 65 hitouts so far for the night which is two more than any player has ever recorded in a game before, beating out Gary Dempsey's 63 in 1982.
Josh
Expert
GOAL FREMANTLE Michael Barlow is half falling over as he kicks a magnificent banana goal. Incredible stuff! Dockers lead by 12. ADELAIDE 7.12.54 FREMANTLE 10.7.67
Josh
Expert
BEHIND FREMANTLE Nathan Fyfe misses a snap on goal. ADELAIDE 7.12.54 FREMANTLE 9.6.60
Josh
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Brodie Martin off, Jarryd Lyon subbed on.
Josh
Expert
BEHIND FREMANTLE David Mundy a shot on goal, Kyle Cheney seems to have gotten a hand to it on the video review. ADELAIDE 7.12.54 FREMANTLE 9.5.59