ADELAIDE has given Fremantle the old heave-ho from the NAB Cup with a 17-point quarter-final win in difficult, blustery conditions in front of 10,394 fans at AAMI Stadium on Sunday.
The Crows will now host Hawthorn in the NAB Cup semi-final in Adelaide next Saturday night.
A fine third-quarter effort against the strong breeze was the key to Adelaide’s 1.14.11 (104) to 1.12.6 (87) win in what was a high pressure, error riddled encounter before the floodgates opened for the Crows early in the last term.
The much maligned but ever-reliable Ken McGregor bagged four goals for the Crows (including one supergoal) and Andrew McLeod three, while Ryan Murphy booted three for the Dockers.
Neil Craig’s experiment with McLeod at half forward continued to pay big dividends, the dual Norm Smith medallist terrorising the Dockers' defence with a classy and damaging performance in his new role.
With Adelaide old-timers McLeod, Tyson Edwards and Simon Goodwin kept out of the centre square, the Crows’ young ball winners were again given a chance to show they could step up, and Chris Knights (25 touches), Brent Reilly (23), Scott Thompson (22) and Jason Porplyzia (21) didn’t disappoint.
With the youngsters stepping up, those who wrote the Crows off pre-season will be reassessing their form books.
Fremantle opened with the use of the wind and had much the better of the first stanza, the feature of the quarter the sustained pressure from the Dockers small forwards - the ‘Jeff Farmer and Rhys Palmer’ show - which saw them out by 23 points at one stage after a four goal to one start.
With imposing Aaron Sandilands giving the Dockers midfield first chance, it was only Nathan Bock and Graham Johncock standing firm in defence who were keeping the Crows in touch.
The second quarter saw the Crows’ turn with the breeze, and the roles reversed.
Roger Hayden in the Dockers' defence (15 possessions to half time) seemed to bring his own ball, but his side was unable to advance it much past half forward, and the Crows scored the last 29 points of the term to go in with a 10 point lead at the long break.
The second half then belonged to the home team after an early Fremantle flurry of three majors.
McLeod started to have a major impact in the third term when he set up Tyson Edwards for his second and the Crows opened up a four-point break.
They extended this to 10 points late in the quarter when Kurt Tippett goaled from a set shot.
Early in the final term McLeod was allowed to run free forward of the play, roved the ball beautifully behind a marking contest and ran into an open goal.
Poor disposal was costing the Dockers and McGregor capitalised on a loose Fremantle handball to kick his fourth only five minutes in.
Mark Johnson pulled one back for Fremantle almost immediately, but McLeod again showed his class on the run from a tight angle to re-establish the Crows' advantage.
The Crows kicked away through Scott Stevens and Nathan van Berlo, before the Dockers nabbed four consolations late on.
Fremantle will now play the Kangaroos in WA in a NAB Challenge match.
ADELAIDE 1.1.2 1.5.7 1.8.8 1.14.10 (104)
FREMANTLE 1.3.2 1.4.3 1.7.4 1.12.6 (87)
Goals: Adelaide: Supergoals: K McGregor. Goals: A McLeod K McGregor 3 T Edwards 2 K Tippett N van Berlo S Stevens J Sellar S Goodwin N Bock. Fremantle: Supergoals: M Pavlich. Goals: R Murphy 3 D Solomon 2 M Pavlich B Peake S McManus M Carr R Palmer M Johnson J Farmer.
Best: Adelaide: A McLeod S Stevens J Johncock J Porplyzia S Thompson B Reilly. Fremantle: M Pavlich R Hayden A Sandilands R Crowley.
Umpires: G Fila J Schmidt M Stevic M Vozzo.
Official crowd: 10,394 at AAMI Stadium.
Injuries: Adelaide: N Bock (corked quad). Fremantle: Nil.
Reports: Nil.
