ADELAIDE has kept its slim finals hopes alive with a 22-point victory over a dogged West Coast at Subiaco Oval on Saturday afternoon.
The improved Eagles played with the endeavour expected in premiership hero Andrew Embley's 200th game, but seven final-quarter goals sealed the Crows' third straight win - 17.15 (117) to 14.11 (95).
Powerhouse Kurt Tippett kicked three goals in seven minutes to open the final term, and though the Eagles found another gear for Lewis Stevenson to cut the margin to two points late in the quarter, the Crows kicked the last three goals of the game.
The Eagles have not won since round eight and will hope to avoid equaling a club-record losing run when they face Essendon next week.
Scott Thompson (29 possessions and 10 clearances) drove the Crows' midfield in the second half, while captain Simon Goodwin controlled the half-back line to finish with 28 possessions.
Young Crows Ricky Henderson (22 possessions and three goals) and Matthew Jaensch (11 and three) were also crucial, while Patrick Dangerfield overcame a possession-less first quarter to have an influence up the ground.
Embley was desperate for a win in his milestone match, kicking two goals in the thrilling final quarter, while Mark LeCras (four goals and 18 possessions) and Dean Cox (23 possessions and 23 hit-outs) were top performers for the home side.
With Brett Jones playing his 100th match, West Coast's work rate was impressive from the outset and it out-tackled Adelaide 42-28 up to half time.
But the developing Eagles didn't have the skill level to execute an ambitious handball-heavy game plan early - the most glaring example being a Scott Selwood pass to umpire Stefan Grun - and the Crows took a two-point buffer into the main break.
Taylor Walker, who was wasteful in front of goal with 1.4, kicked his only goal late in the third term and the Crows held the lead from there.
West Coast 2.2 7.5 10.9 14.11 (95)
Adelaide 4.3 6.9 10.12 17.15 (117)
GOALS
West Coast: LeCras 4, Embley 3, Stevenson 2, A.Selwood, Cox, Sheppard, Hams, Smith
Adelaide: Tippett 4, Henderson 3, Jaensch 3, Porplyzia 2, Symes, Vince, Dangerfield, Walker, Sloane
BEST
West Coast: LeCras, Rosa, Cox, Embley, S.Selwood, Waters, Brown
Adelaide: Thompson, Goodwin, Reilly, Stevens, Dangerfield, Tippett, Henderson, Vince, Jaensch
INJURIES
West Coast: Waters (hamstring)
Adelaide: Nil
Reports: Nil
Umpires: McLaren, Grun, Keating
Official crowd: 26,976 at Subiaco Oval
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the club.
