THE CROWS have cemented fourth spot on the AFL ladder with a commanding 76-point win over Melbourne in front of 35,649 fans at AAMI Stadium.
Adelaide set up its fourth straight victory with an eight-goal first term and kept coming to inflict maximum pain on the hapless Dees.
Neil Craig’s young brigade of Bernie Vince, Nathan van Berlo, Jason Porplyzia and Kurt Tippett (four goals) were superb and allowed Brett Burton (five goals) and Simon Goodwin (four) to have days out up forward.
Defenders Kris Massie and Jared Rivers fell out before the game and, in the first quarter, both teams appeared unsettled by their respective late changes.
The Crows’ typically steadfast back six put themselves under pressure in the opening few minutes with costly skill errors resulting in Melbourne’s first goal to Cale Morton.
Adelaide replied instantly with skipper Goodwin getting his team on the board with a goal of his own. Clever forward Porplyzia showed his class, scooping up the ball one-handed and kicking truly on his left to kick the Crows’ second.
The Dees maintained their stance in the unfolding shoot-out with goals to Colin Garland, Brad Miller and livewire Austin Wonaeamirri helping the visitors to their best first quarter of the season.
Unfortunately for Melbourne, Adelaide also made its best start to a 2008 game and the Crows’ best was better.
Burton destroyed two different opponents in the first term on his way to a two-goal quarter and was well supported in by six-pointers to Nathan van Berlo, Kurt Tippett, Chris Knights and a second to Porplyzia.
The Crows highest first quarter score (8.1) of the year handed the home side a 21-point lead at the first change.
Adelaide, content with its imposing attack but not its leaky defence, tightened up in the second term.
Melbourne loaded up for another quarter of attacking footy when Brent Moloney goaled in the opening five minutes, but the Dees quickly ran out of ammo.
Adelaide’s blonde brigade of Bock, van Berlo, Burton and Vince took charge and triggered a four-goal onslaught. Tippett, who played solely as a forward, kicked his second of the game after taking a strong mark and Burton added two more to bring his tally to four.
The Crows had five players on the bench at one stage, as the new interchange rules continued to cause headaches, but not even an extra man on the field could prevent the Dees from trailing by 37 at the main break.
Any hope of a second-successive Melbourne comeback was snuffed out by an inaccurate Adelaide in the third quarter. The Crows dominated just about every stat on the sheet but managed just 3.9 for the term.
Porplyzia, who is fast becoming a third-quarter specialist, racked up 10 touches in 30 minutes and booted his third goal to help Adelaide to a 57-point lead.
Burton added three behinds to his count, but Scott Stevens only needed one opportunity to nail his fourth major of the season. Adelaide continued to attack, going inside 50m 15 times for the term, and Tippett capitalised with this third goal.
Russell Robertson offered a late consolation for Melbourne fans with his first reducing the margin to 56 points at the final change.
Robbo snaffled two more goals in the last term and another to Clint Bartram had Melbourne within 38 points, but Burton’s regulation screamer in the goal square just moments later put the Dees to bed.
Luke Jericho joined the party with three goals and Goodwin followed with two more of his own to secure an emphatic win.
Adelaide 8.1 12.6 15.15 22.18 (150)
Melbourne 4.4 6.5 7.7 11.8 (74)
GOALS
Adelaide: Burton 5, Tippett 4, Goodwin, Jericho, Porplyzia 3, Stevens, Knights, van Berlo, Vince
Melbourne: Morton 3, Robertson 2, Wonaeamirri, Miller, Moloney, Garland, Bartram, Bate
BEST
Adelaide: Burton, Vince, Tippett, Porplyzia, van Berlo, Goodwin, Bock, Knights, Shirley
Melbourne: Bartram, Buckley, Jones, Morton
INJURIES
Adelaide: Massie (hamstring tightness) replaced in side by Jacky
Melbourne: Rivers replaced in side by P. Johnson
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Fila, Meredith, Ellis
Official crowd: 35, 649 at AAMI Stadium
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
