CROWS coach Neil Craig has praised his team’s professionalism in overcoming AFL cellar-dwellers Melbourne, but says Adelaide is still a “long way” from matching it with 2008 standouts Geelong, Hawthorn and the Western Bulldogs.
“The best measure of anyone is when you play the best in the competition,” Craig said.
“Clearly, we’re not the best in the competition and Melbourne is not yet the best in the competition.
“Even today, when we ended up having a 12-goal-win, there were times where we lost all our power and drive towards goal.
“A win like that covers a multitude of sins that we are acutely aware of. We just need to keep our heads down, tails up and continue to improve each week, which I think we are.
“We are getting there slowly, but surely. We’re quite a way from being one of the elite teams in the AFL.”
Craig was pleased with the function of his forward line, which created 40 scoring from 58 inside 50s. Brett Burton was the star with five goals, closely followed by young tall Kurt Tippett (four) and Jason Porplyzia, Luke Jericho and Simon Goodwin, who finished with three apiece.
On Sunday afternoon, Craig’s game to play three big men, Tippett, Ivan Maric and Jon Griffin, paid off with Tippett making the most of his full-time role up forward.
“We were really happy with Kurt kicking four,” Craig said.
“And I thought Ivan, particularly in the second half, was very good for us. It was a good challenge for those guys because I thought Mark Jamar, and particularly, Jeff White, were very good.
“We’re happy with the balance that we got from the tall guys today. We got out of the game what we were hoping to. Maric at the moment gives Griffin some rest and recovery during the game and enables us to play Kurt up forward.
Tippett’s haul equalled his career-best four goals in the NAB Cup Grand Final against St Kilda earlier this year, and the impressive forward further strengthened his claims for a NAB Rising Star nomination
“We want to develop Kurt as a forward. We know he can ruck, and that will come later on in his career,” Craig said.
“That doesn’t mean we won’t play him in the ruck at all this year, but we really want him to spend some time up forward so he can develop that skill set that he’s going to need.
“It doesn’t necessarily mean that structure [of three talls] will be the same every week. We’re really keen on Griffin and Maric also being able to play up forward.
“We don’t want to be a club where our ruckmen can only play in the ruck.”
Adelaide will head to Perth next week for its second date with West Coast in eight weeks. It will also be the first time the new interchange rules come into effect.
The Crows were caught short on the field during the second quarter against Melbourne, with five players on the bench at one stage.
“It was more our communication that caused the error, not the new interchange system,” Craig said
“It’s a pretty simple rule really. I mean, you don’t go on until you get permission, which I think is fair enough. I think it will slow the process down, but it will help alleviate the problem of having 19 men on the field.”
