TALKING POINTS: Breust joins Lockett after goal run finally ends
1. More siren silliness
What is it with Adelaide Oval's siren? There have already been two cases of players and umpires not hearing it this year, which led to those responsible claiming the siren was the loudest in Australia. But it seemed umpire Ray Chamberlain was the only person who heard it late in the third term when Luke Breust was running towards goal. Chamberlain called a premature end to the quarter to the disbelief of those around him. It appears 'Razor' Ray misinterpreted a ring in his ear to the signal that alerts umpires that the siren has sounded.
Eddie Betts' 200th game in the AFL might have only been his 16th for the Crows, but you needed only look to the forward pocket at the Cathedral End of Adelaide Oval to see how quickly his newest fans have taken to him. Nicknamed 'Eddie's Pocket', fans sitting in the area were given yellow t-shirts to ensure their man was well aware of their support. It was a huge milestone for the 27-year-old from Port Lincoln, but his side wasn't able to make it a night to remember. Betts had a quiet night, with just seven possessions and one goal.
3. Breust can't pass Plugger
Luke Breust's magnificent season in front of goals continued on Friday night, with his first two goals drawing him level with the great Tony Lockett for number of consecutive majors kicked without missing (29). Breust hadn't missed a shot at goal since round five against Geelong, when he booted 3.2, and the scene was set to overtake Lockett in the final term when he had a set shot from 45m. But his streak came to an end, with the miss ensuring he would only share Plugger's record. Judging by this tweet from the Sydney Swans, Plugger was pretty happy...
Having dropped last week's game to North Melbourne, another defeat could have seen Hawthorn drop out of the top four by the end of round 17, meaning victory against Adelaide was crucial. Like the champion side they are, the Hawks resisted every challenge the Crows could muster, and then showed their class when it mattered most. The Hawks were cleaner with the ball and made better decisions when in possession to take a well-deserved win and reclaim top spot on the ladder.
5. Crows chopped
Brenton Sanderson's men will keep fighting and rightfully claim that a finals berth is still mathematically possible. But the Crows (8-8) could fall two wins out of the top eight by the end of round 17 with six games remaining, which is a huge amount of ground to make up. The side's stars performed against the Hawks; Patrick Dangerfield and Brad Crouch were brutal inside, Brodie Smith provided good rebound off half back and Josh Jenkins fired – but the Crows turned the ball over too often and weren't able to hit their targets enough to trouble their opponents.