The Melbourne Demons have pulled off one of the great upsets of the year in the most emphatic fashion, torching a lethargic Adelaide Crows to triumph by 41 points.
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Final score
Adelaide Crows 9.12.66
Melbourne Demons 17.5.107
The Adelaide Crows will be looking to bounce back from their stunning 59-point defeat to North Melbourne last week when they host a Melbourne Demons outfit also coming off a disappointing loss. Join The Roar for all the action, live scores and highlights from 7:40pm (AEST).
After starting the season with six wins, most of them by large margins, plenty of pundits had already pencilled Adelaide in for the 2017 premiership, but the Crows were dealt a reality check in Hobart last week against North Melbourne.
Remarkably, the Kangaroos piled on ten goals to no score in a stunning open term that left not just the Crows, but the football world as well, staring open-mouthed wondering what on earth was going on.
Rory Sloane was a shadow of the player who raced to Brownlow favouritism in the first six rounds, their previously cohesive backline was constantly under siege and unable to do with it, and their much-vaunted forward line of Taylor Walker, Eddie Betts, Tom Lynch and Josh Jenkins hardly fired a shot.
Lynch was also put out of the game early in the second half after a crunching tackle from Jarrad Waite left the Crow concussed and the Roo with a one-week suspension, but the smooth-moving redhead has pulled up well and has been named to play.
The experts put the loss down to the Crows drinking their own bathwater during the week, and if that’s the case, they could hardly have picked a better time to do it, with a game and percentage lead on the rest of the competition and a home game to steady the ship.
If Adelaide fans were left flabbergasted by their team’s capitulations, Melbourne fans would have been disappointed, but unsurprised, at their team’s effort during a thrilling 3-point loss to Hawthorn.
Costly skill errors ruined multiple attacking forays early for the Demons and allowed the Hawks to get out to a five-goal lead, and while a third-quarter blitz was enough to all but level the scores at the final break, they lacked the class and polish to get over the line in the end.
There were plenty of shining lights, with Jack Viney returning to form in style and Sam Frost having a career-best game in defence, but with Christian Petracca still looking troubled by a knee injury, too much was left to Jeff Garlett and Jesse Hogan up forward.
And with Hogan sidelined this week with illness, it’s going to be even tougher for Melbourne to score enough goals to trouble the best attacking side in the competition.
Max Gawn has been a huge loss in the ruck for the Dees, and up against in-form big man Sam Jacobs, the bearded giant’s stand-in Cameron Pedersen will have his hands full all night to so much as break even.
Prediction
Melbourne have by and large been pretty good this year, despite their losses, but with some big names out and a nightmare clash against a fearsome Adelaide side looking to atone for last week’s horror show, this could get ugly.
Adelaide in a canter by 68 points.
Melbourne half-back and former Adelaide best-and-fairest winner Bernie Vince will chalk up his 200th game this week, and against the side he played the first 129 of those for, a victory to mark the occasion would taste particularly sweet.
Can the Dees do it for Bernie and notch up the unlikeliest of wins? Or will the Crows prove last week’s crushing defeat was a blip on the radar and torch the Dees?
Tune into The Roar from 7.40pm (AEST) for all the live scores, highlights and analysis, and remember to pitch in with your thoughts in the comments section below.
Don Freo
Guest
I'm 6/6 this round. Go Freo. Go Gold Coast.
FreoFan
Roar Rookie
Anyone can beat anyone at the moment. This years premiership is well and truly up for grabs.
JR Salazar
Guest
Still invincible against GWS, so, not yet.
JR Salazar
Guest
Baaaaaaahahahahahahahahahahahaaaah!
TeePee
Guest
I've heard that some bets have been put on the Crows to lose I hope it's not true
Tim Miller
Editor
Well that's it from me. An unbelievable night, and one I'm certainly going to remember for a while. Melbourne stone the Crows by 41 points for a famous victory. Join me tomorrow when Richmond take on Fremantle, why don't you? But for now, it's goodnight. Melbourne 17.5 (107) defeated Adelaide 9.12 (66) by 41 points at the Adelaide Oval. GOALS Melbourne: Pedersen 3, Jones 2, T McDonald 2, Kent 2, Garlett 2, Bugg 2, Viney, Oliver, Petracca, Hannan. Adelaide: Walker 2, Jenkins 2, Betts 2, Laird, Smith, Atkins. BEST Melbourne: Petracca, Hibberd, Vince, Viney, Salem, Jones, Pedersen, T McDonald. Adelaide: Laird, Smith, Jacobs.
Tim Miller
Editor
Melbourne: C. Petracca, three votes. In all honesty, there are about ten Demons who could have polled votes in this game. Jack Viney was desperately unlucky, as was Nathan Jones and Christian Salem, and even Cam Pedersen came close to sneaking in for a vote with his three crucial goals. But when this game had to be one, in the third quarter, nobody had more influence than Petracca. After a quiet first half spent largely up forward, he was thrown into the middle as Goodwin moved the magnets around, and it paid dividends. Finished with 24 disposals and an important goal, and fed off a couple of others through his bullocking work. He's played mostly up forward in recent weeks as he looked to be suffering from a knee concern, but tonight, the shackles were off, and he showed he's going to be bringing Demons fans plenty of joy in the years to come.
Tim Miller
Editor
Melbourne: M. Hibberd, two votes. Adelaide's forward forays broke down all night thanks to some disciplined Dees' defence, and central to that was the former Bomber in his fourth game for his new side. The Demons look to get the ball into his hands at every opportunity, and his ball use tonight was by and large superb. Finished with 34 touches includng 20 kicks, and a truckload of metres gained. Every time he got the ball, it looked like something was going to happen. What a recruit he is proving to be.
Tim Miller
Editor
Whew, that was a long write-up. Apologies all. Anyway, here's the Predictive Brownlow. Melbourne: B. Vince, one vote. Taggers have gone out of fashion in the last few years, but in his 200th game, arguably no player had more influence over the game than Vince. Against his old side, the milestone man completely shut down Rory Sloane, whose drive and polish through midfield were sorely missed by the Crows, who struggled to go inside 50 with any real purpose. Bernie will remember this night for a long, long time.
Tim Miller
Editor
» Click here to read the full match report
Josh
Expert
Look, there's always a margin of error.
craig
Guest
Albury, no radio, no tv coverage, FANTASTIC
Geoff from Bruce Stadium
Guest
Wow - the Crows bubble has well and truly burst - what's going on?
Tim Miller
Editor
So I was merely 109 points out with my prediction. Heh-heh.
Tim Miller
Editor
Lewis wins the free in the centre square and chips wide to McDonald, who's been magnificent. Out to Hibberd on the wing, and the siren sounds!
Tim Miller
Editor
GOAL MELBOURNE FROST with a big leap over the top. How sweet life is if you're a Demon. And he goes long and wide towards a pack, it comes off hands and Kent roves to bounce it home from 30. How good is this, Melbourne fans? Adelaide 9.12 (66) Melbourne 17.5 (107) Q4, 0.33 left
Tim Miller
Editor
A few Dees struggling with cramp now. Not surprising, the way they've tackled and run.
Tim Miller
Editor
BEHIND ADELAIDE Adelaide getting some late junk time going as Crouch gives to Otten again near the top of the goalsquare. But he somehow manages to miss from 10 metres out. Oh dear. Adelaide 9.12 (66) Melbourne 16.5 (101) Q4, 2.25 left
Tim Miller
Editor
BEHIND ADELAIDE Lynch has had a good last quarter, and he spots up Douglas inside 50. 40 out, Douglas sprays it across the face. Adelaide 10.10 (70) Melbourne 16.5 (101) Q4, 3.10 left
Tim Miller
Editor
Weideman run down by Smith and the Crows get going, Lynch puts it to the advantage of Otten who marks. 45 out on a slight angle, Otten cannons it into the post. Adelaide 9.10 (64) Melbourne 16.5 (101) Q4, 4.55 left