The Roar
The Roar

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Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but the Crows look pretty darn good

The Crows still have room for improvement. (AAP Image/Ben Macmahon)
Expert
17th April, 2016
11

If you want to see good footy, you should be watching the Adelaide Crows, because they play the most attractive football in the AFL.

Saturday night’s clash with the Swans was one of the games of the season – a high-scoring, free-flowing contest that lacked nothing for intensity around the footy.

Sydney coach John Longmire saw it that way too: “It was a fierce game of footy. It was two pretty handy teams going hard at it, flat-out for four quarters.”

The Crows’ Round 1 loss to the Roos was pretty easy on the eye for neutral supporters too; and as long as you don’t support their opponents, there was plenty of entertainment as they put Richmond and Port Adelaide to the sword in the weeks between.

Not that it should come as a surprise, Adelaide played in two of best and most memorable games of 2015 – the elimination final against the Dogs and the Round 16 Showdown.

It certainly helps that their first four games this season have been split between Etihad Stadium and Adelaide Oval – the two fastest tracks in footy. Both grounds are well-suited to the Crows’ aggressive defensive work and bold ball movement.

Don Pyke’s team is a talented and well-balanced one, and boasts a frightening amount of firepower up front – they should prove a handful for any opponent. Friday night’s clash with the Hawks at the MCG looms as another cracker.

There was a lot to like about Sydney in defeat as well, as they notched 100 points for the third time in four games. The dour team of recent times appears no more. Not lacking for firepower themselves, the Swans are averaging 115 points a game through the first month of the season and young gun Isaac Heeney seems to be getting better by the week across half-forward – some teams have all the luck.

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But there can be beauty in winning ugly too. Neither the Cats nor the Dogs had games they’ll want to remember against inferior opponents on Saturday, but as cliche as it is: four points is four points. There are no style points in the AFL, and come the end of the home-and-away every win counts the same – it didn’t hurt that both teams boosted their percentage.

The Gold Coast could well rue not pinching an ugly victory at the Gabba on Saturday night. Like the Dogs and Cats they were below their best against an lesser side, but unlike that pair the Suns came away without any points.

Not that the Lions will give a rats’. For the first time since 2013, Brisbane got a win before Round 6. Their wayward kicking for goal certainly made it harder than it needed to be, but they’ll take a win any way they can get one.

Speaking of good things coming from ugliness, could Melbourne’s Round 2 disaster against Essendon end up being the making of them?

The Demons certainly appeared to get ahead of themselves after pinching overrunning GWS in Round 1 and were quickly brought back to Earth by the tenacious Bombers. Since then, though, Melbourne have pushed North Melbourne to the final siren in a shootout in Hobart and on Sunday they comprehensively outplayed Collingwood.

Coach Paul Roos described the past fortnight as “probably the best two [games] we’ve had back-to-back, even though we lost last week”.

“We’re starting to see the type of footy we want to play more regularly,” Roos said after his side squared their win-loss ledger at 2-2.

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Melbourne now prepare for one of the few teams who couldn’t take many positives from Round 4 – Richmond – and for the second time this season they will most likely start as favourites. Demons fans will be hoping for a much better result this time.

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