The Australian

Swallow-led North dispatches Crows
By Courtney Walsh

CRAIG admitted his side could not be relied on to produce a consistent effort, putting this down to the number of youngsters sporting the blue, red and gold at the moment. “Clearly, at the moment, we can’t be trusted to play good football week after week after week,” he said. “We were really poor (in the first term) at contested ball. We got smacked.” It is impossible to line up the form and determination Adelaide showed against the Magpies a fortnight ago to its first 20 minutes yesterday in which North Melbourne effectively won the match by kicking the first five goals. The Crows lost the match in the first quarter and may lose Richard Douglas when the match review panel releases its finding today for a bump that forced Roo Jaime MacMillan from the ground.

The Sydney Morning Herald

Kangaroos swallow Crows
By Peter Hanlon

SAM Jacobs, Kurt Tippett and Rory Sloane all missed second-quarter shots they should have converted. Tippett's goalsquare mark closed the gap to 17 points, but Swallow puffed his chest for an 11th clearance, hit Lachlan Hansen lace-out, and for all of the Crows' toil they were just a single point closer at the long break. North helped the visitors' cause in the third, as Ziebell and Scott Thompson coughed up 50-metre penalties that gifted Adelaide goals. By the end Andrew Swallow was winning clearances with Crows hanging off him, passing Adam Simpson's club record of 14 and carrying his team to victory.

The Age

Interstate battlers need to stand up
By Rohan Connolly

AT Etihad Stadium, North Melbourne will be dealing with its own historical demons. The Kangaroos' victory over Adelaide last year broke a string of eight straight losses stretching back to mid-2004. They won't get many better opportunities to follow up the ice-breaker than this. Indeed, those once-reliable Crows are staking a competitive claim for official flaky status themselves. The first three quarters Adelaide served up against Collingwood a fortnight ago were as good as anything it has delivered for five years. In contrast, its four quarters against the Brisbane Lions last week stunk big time.
Of course, it would be totally in keeping with the way this year is going for the Roos that the Crows of a couple of weeks ago reappear

The Herald Sun

Adelaide coach Neil Craig to put heat on midfield
By Michael Horan

ADELAIDE'S midfield has fallen apart and is in desperate need of restructuring. That was the view of coach Neil Craig after the Crows' season lurched from bad to worse yesterday with a 47-point hiding against North Melbourne. "We just got smashed," Craig said, referring to a 22-3 clearance count in the opening term. "With the players we've got in there - Thompson, Douglas, Vince, Van Berlo, Dangerfield, Sloan - I'd have a real debate with anyone who questioned their capacity to win a hard footy and their attitude. Ten Crows yesterday had fewer than 25 games but Craig said that, while they looked poor at times, his men were AFL class. "Because of the way we are playing and maybe the number (of inexperienced players) we've got, some of them look like they're not ready for it," Craig said. "I thought as a team at least they held their spirit, even though it never looked like they were going to win."
The Advertiser

Kangas too much to swallow for Crows
By Roger Vaughan AAP

AN astonishing first quarter from Kangaroos star Andrew Swallow set up a 47-point win over Adelaide. It was another bad loss for Adelaide, who also have a 3-7 record. Drew Petrie kicked four goals for the Kangaroos and Kurt Tippett was the Crows' leading goalscorer with three, although he also kicked five behinds. Adelaide did not kick their first major until 26 minutes into the first quarter. North continued to dominate general play in the second term, but the Crows were resilient and went goal for goal with them. Adelaide should have been closer than 23 points behind at halftime, with Tippett and Sam Jacobs missing straight-forward set shots on goal. But the Kangaroos steadied with three goals and had a decisive 40-point lead at the last change. Defender Graham Johncock was Adelaide's best player and captain Nathan van Berlo was solid when he went onto Harvey, who finished with two goals.