Adelaide cult figure Taylor Walker faces a lengthy stint on the sidelines after sustaining a serious knee injury midway through the first term. It was initially feared the star forward had ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament, but club medicos believe he might have damaged another ligament instead. It was a cruel blow for the Crows, and their finals hopes, after losing Kurt Tippett in the off-season. Restructuring the forward line around inexperienced key forwards like Josh Jenkins appears a tough ask. The Crows were two down in the second half after also losing youngster Luke Brown to concussion.
2. The Crows' comeback
The wounded Crows looked dead and buried when they fell 44 points down late in the third quarter, but suddenly they found run, creativity, zest and precision, piling on five of the next six goals to draw within 17 points midway through the final term. Chris Yarran sealed it for the Blues with a brilliant goal, his third, after sidestepping Brent Reilly on the boundary and curling a snap home.
3. The 'Juddernaut' relaunches
In the Blues' win over West Coast at Patersons Stadium last week, Chris Judd was used mainly in attack before adding some fresh legs to the midfield later in the match. This time he was straight into the action and it was vintage Judd in the pattern-setting first half, as the 29-year-old had 15 disposals, including seven contested and five clearances, and kicked a goal and set up another. His 20-year-old opponent Sam Kerridge, in just his third AFL game, battled admirably, limiting Judd in the second half while gaining a great education in the process.
4. The case of the mystery substitution
Fans were flummoxed when the big screen at the MCG announced that Carlton playmaker Bryce Gibbs was subbed off at half-time. Until then, Gibbs had played his sweeping job with aplomb, and seemingly without discomfort, collecting 15 touches and drilling a superb angle goal late in the second quarter. It wasn't until early in the final term that it was learned that Gibbs had suffered hamstring tightness. He was replaced by Eddie Betts, who returned for his first game since breaking his jaw against Richmond in round one. Betts was typically lively, having the first kick of the second half and slotting a goal midway through the third term.
5. Hot Blues, cold Crows
You can often tell early in a match if a side is 'on', and if a side is off. In this instance, Carlton was the former while Adelaide was very much the latter. The Crows laid just one tackle in the opening 11 minutes, and only six for the first term (compared to the Blues' 14) – a real indictment on their mindset given they were doing all the chasing. They also conceded too many easy goals. Four of Carlton's first seven majors came as a result of players running into open goals. They also applied little pressure at the other end of the ground, with Andrew Walker amassing 19 possessions in the first half, including 16 uncontested and 13 handball receives.
