But this week’s game is fraught with danger for Adelaide, who will host the unpredictable Fremantle, smarting after an unlikely, and hefty, loss.
There could also be another element of ‘Danger’ for the Crows, who might be tempted to select prized first-round draft pick Patrick Dangerfield to make his AFL debut …
Adelaide’s recent form: lost to Hawthorn by 44, beat Port Adelaide by six, beat West Coast by 76 and lost to Western Bulldogs by three.
Recent results against Fremantle:
Round 16, 2007, Fremantle 20.6 (126) d Adelaide 15.11 (101), AAMI
Round five, 2007, Fremantle 7.16 (58) d Adelaide 8.9 (57), Subiaco
Second Qualifying Final, 2006, Adelaide 10.16 (76) d Fremantle 7.4 (46), AAMI
Round 19, 2006, Fremantle 13.17 (95) d Adelaide 10.20 (80), AAMI
Round four, 2006, Adelaide 9.16 (70) d Fremantle 9.5 (59), Subiaco
Strengths:
The Crows, according to statistics, actually got first hands on the ball at the clearances last week, but were hassled out of possession by the gang-tackling Hawks.
New recruit Brad Symes played his best game for the club, Bernie Vince continued to impress and the reliable heads of Tyson Edwards and Scott Thompson starred against the highly-fancied Hawthorn.
Freo, on the other hand, were embarrassed and soundly beaten by a mediocre Richmond midfield. Fremantle is sweating on the fitness of Des Headland, Heath Black and Michel Johnson and is already without tough nuts Paul Hasleby, Mark Johnson and Luke Webster, who did a superb job on Andrew McLeod in round five, 2007.
Adelaide, too, has its fair share of injury problems, but if Jon Griffin is competitive against Aaron Sandilands in the ruck and the Crows rediscover their defensive pressure, the likes of Thompson, Edwards, van Berlo, Vince, Symes, Jason Porplyzia and Richie Douglas should have what it takes to guide the team to victory.
Potential weakness:
Fremantle played one out of the box in round 16 last season after the club sacked former coach Chris Connolly and announced Mark Harvey as his replacement the day before the game.
A spirited Freo outfit led by Peter Bell, Matthew Pavlich and Josh Carr touched up the undermanned Crows by 25 points and this week Harvey put his players on notice following their 64-point capitulation to Richmond.
The Crows held-off a fired-up Port Adelaide two weeks ago and should be prepared for anything from the erratic visitors.
They’re sweating on …
Local lad Pavlich just loves coming back to Adelaide. In round 16, Pavlich single-handedly destroyed the Crows with five goals in a best on ground performance.
The Fremantle skipper was a shining light in the loss to Richmond and will be keen to lead from the front at his old hunting ground on Saturday.
Dangermen:
Brett Burton: The Birdman booted four goals last time these two sides met and was left to rue what could’ve been after spraying a shot on goal from 20m out in the final quarter. During the week Burton was recognised with a place in the elite Dream Team squad and, on Saturday, he’ll be looking for a win in his good old Woodville-West Torrens teammate Ken McGregor’s 150th game.
Ben Rutten: Both Rutten and Bassett missed through injury when the teams played at AAMI Stadium last year. McGregor and Nathan Bock shared the job on Pavlich, but were powerless to thwart the All-Australian’s match winning performance. In round five, it was Rutten who was arguably best on ground after he restricted Pavlich to a solitary behind. Rutten and Bassett are invaluable components of Adelaide’s defence and the Crows will be confident of stopping Pavlich with Rutten at the helm.
Jon Griffin: Griffin and Sandilands also missed the round 16 clash last season, which makes for an interesting contest on Saturday. In round five Sandilands had more hit-outs than the two Adelaide ruckmen combined and also gathered 18 possessions. Griffin was admirable in defeat against the Hawks and the young ruckman will be looking to use his mobility as an advantage this week.
It’s not generally known …
Adelaide has won nine of the 12 games played against Fremantle at AAMI Stadium.
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the club.
