IT’S BEEN nearly 10 years since Adelaide defeated the red-hot Roos in the AFL Grand Final, to claim the club’s second-consecutive flag.
Neil Craig was the Crows’ fitness coach at the time and, now as senior coach, is determined to lift the premiership tally to three.
The finals are still five months away, but a win over North Melbourne on Saturday night would cement Adelaide’s place in the top-four as we pass the quarter-way mark of the season.

Recent form:
Beat Carlton by 30, beat Fremantle by 17, lost to Hawthorn by 44, beat Port Adelaide by nine and beat West Coast by 76.

Recent results against North Melbourne:
Round 12, 2007 Adelaide 15.10 (100) d North Melbourne 7.12 (54), Carrara
Round 16, 2006 Adelaide 19.10 (124) d North Melbourne 7.10 (52), AAMI
Round 7, 2006 Adelaide 18.8 (116) d North Melbourne 9.6 (60), TD
Round 17, 2005 Adelaide 19.8 (122) d North Melbourne 16.13 (109), TD
Round 6, 2005 Adelaide 10.14 (74) d North Melbourne 10.4 (64), AAMI

Strengths:
Adelaide’s ability to run out games has long-been a strength under Craig. Last week, the Crows overturned a bleak start to record a convincing win with a 10-goal-to-four second half.
Adelaide has won four of a possible six last terms this season, compared to North Melbourne, who has taken the fourth-quarter honours just once in 2008. The Kangaroos played out a bruising draw with the Swans on Sunday and the Crows will be confident their unrivalled fitness will be an edge at home on Saturday night.

Potential weakness:
Underestimating North Melbourne is a real concern. Adelaide has dominated recent bouts between these two sides, but the Kangaroos thrive on being underdogs.
North Melbourne defied expectations to reach the preliminary final last year and the Crows will need to, once again, show Dean Laidley’s men the upmost respect to claim victory over the uncompromising Kangas.

They’re sweating on:
Ben ‘Truck’ Rutten is confident of playing in Saturday night’s game, but there is still some lingering doubt over his fitness.
Rutten pulled up sore after landing heavily on his back in a marking contest with Brendan Fevola last week and, if the All-Australian full-back doesn’t play, the Crows will need to find another opponent for Nathan Thompson.
The Kangaroos big man has been in stellar form this season averaging three goals a game in a successful return from a knee reconstruction. Thompson will be an even bigger focal point up forward this week with Aaron Edwards sidelined with a broken leg.

Dangermen:
Rob Shirley: Last week Shirley demonstrated why he’s such a valuable asset to this Crows team. Adelaide’s premier run-with player kept Carlton superstar Chris Judd to just 15 touches and also picked up 21 of his own. On Saturday night, Shirley could be entrusted with another tough assignment on North Melbourne ball magnet Brent Harvey. Harvey has started 2008 in superb touch and enjoys playing Adelaide, averaging 27 possessions and a goal in his last five games encounters with the Crows.

Jon Griffin: Big Griff has been a revelation this season and, last week, amassed a career-high 35 hit-outs. The impressive 22-year-old is averaging four more disposals and 11 more hit-outs a game than in his debut year, 2007. Griffin’s dominance at the ruck contests against Carlton contributed to Adelaide’s superior clearance-count and the Crows will be relying on the former rookie to put in another solid performance against Kangaroos’ big man Hamish McIntosh.

Brett Burton: The Birdman has mowed down skipper Simon Goodwin to take the mantle as Adelaide’s leading goal kicker in 2008. The acrobatic forward is in, arguably, career-best form, averaging three goals a game this season. Last week, Burton picked up 17 touches and ran several opponents into the ground on his way to a return of 4.3. A fully fit Burton is a powerful weapon in the Adelaide forward line and the exciting veteran will be hoping to celebrate his 30th birthday with another bag of goals.

It’s not generally known:
The Crows have never lost to North Melbourne under coach Neil Craig.

The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the club.