ADELAIDE coach Neil Craig says his team was "hamstrung" by injuries to defensive playmakers Graham Johncock and Matthew Jaensch in the second half of its loss to Essendon at AAMI Stadium on Friday night.
The Crows played their best first half of the season, harassing and attacking the Bombers to lead by 36 points at half time, but the visitors kicked nine of the last 10 goals of the game to overwhelm the home team by 11 points.
Johncock was the most influential player on the ground, having kicked two goals from nine possessions and taken five marks prior to landing heavily on his left hip in a marking contest early in the second quarter.
He was substituted out of the game at half time and taken to hospital for scans on his injured hip.
Jaensch injured his right shoulder when he collided with the ground after being nudged under the ball by Alwyn Davey in a marking contest in the first quarter.
The neat-kicking defender was able to return to the field to collect 15 possessions and kick a goal, but like Johncock didn't take part in the second half.
To make matters worse, ruckman Sam Jacobs, who had dominated his battle with Paddy Ryder and David Hille in the first half, sustained a knock to his leg and was forced to the bench several times throughout the third and final quarters.
Jaensch and Jacobs will both have scans on their respective injuries in the coming days.
After the game, Craig said the injuries to Johncock and Jaensch had played a part in the disappointing result.
"Losing Johncock and Jaensch hurt us badly from a rotation point of view," he said.
"I thought in the first half they were really important players for us and we had trouble covering those [injuries].
"When you lose two running players, the workload shifts enormously.
"They gave us enormous drive and movement out of defence."
Adelaide had opportunities to regain the lead after Travis Colyer put Essendon in front for the first time in the match at the 19-minute-mark of the last quarter.
Rory Sloane, Andy Otten, Ricky Henderson and Brad Moran, who hit the post twice in the final quarter and three times for the game, all missed gettable shots at goal as the Crows recorded an inaccurate return of 1.4 for the quarter.
The Bombers finished with 13 fewer inside 50s (47-60) than the Crows, but converted their opportunities when it mattered, kicking six goals from seven attempts in the final term.
Craig conceded some of his teams skill errors were a result of fatigue, but said others - including Sloane's late miss from the goalsquare - were unforgiveable.
"We lost our way in terms of our execution," he said.
"Sometimes when you have that sort of sequence [of goals against you] it can be just an avalanche. I certainly didn't think it was an avalanche tonight.
"We had opportunities to break that sequence of goals, but we couldn't take them.
"I feel for the players because I thought their effort for the whole night was up to a level that we would expect.
"The execution we can be criticised for, but I thought their capacity to hang in there and keep fighting [was good because] for 90 per cent of the game we were in the lead.
"They are frustrated with the result, as our supporters will be."
Katrina Gill covers Adelaide news for afl.com.au. Follow her on Twitter: @AFL_KatrinaGill
