We’ll take finals free kick: Sanderson
Adelaide coach Brenton Sanderson is eyeing being the first club to make the AFL finals from ninth spot amid speculation Essendon will be docked all their premiership points.
Sanderson’s Crows banked a gritty nine-point win against North Melbourne on Sunday and rose to 12th on the ladder, three wins outside the top eight with three games remaining.
Essendon, currently seventh, could be stripped of their premiership points with the AFL Commission to consider punishing the Bombers for their ongoing supplements scandal.
Such a penalty will result in the ninth-placed club qualifying for the finals, a scenario Sanderson admits he’s pondering for his Crows.
“I would be lying if I said I’m not,” he said after Adelaide’s 11.13 (79) to 10.10 (70) win against the Kangaroos at AAMI Stadium.
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Sanderson had no qualms about becoming a finalist by default.
“If this year ninth means eighth, I’m sure that club will take it – but that is just speculation,” he said.
Sanderson praised the character of his players against a Kangaroos outfit who fought back from 32 points down in the second quarter and led in the last term.
But the Crows kicked two of the final three goals of the game, with midfielder Rory Sloane capping his standout match with the sealer.
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Sloane was best afield with 28 disposals, eight tackles and 10 marks as the Crows joined North on eight wins.
But unlike Sanderson, Kangaroos coach Brad Scott wasn’t considering his club making the finals from ninth spot.
Nor was Scott willing to wear the unlucky tag after yet another narrow loss – the Roos’ ninth defeat by 16 points or less this season.
“Close losses – you can look at things during the game that could have gone your way, but didn’t,” Scott said.
“But the reality is, I don’t see us in the top four sides so we haven’t been unlucky this year. We haven’t been good enough.”
Scott said North crumbled under Adelaide’s early pressure – they were held goal-less in the first quarter when kicking with a stiff wind and were more than five goals down in the second stanza.
But the Kangaroos, inspired by Daniel Wells, fought back to take the lead in the third term and again early in the last before being over-run.
Wells gathered a game-high 30 possessions and booted arguably the longest goal ever seen at AAMI Stadium – he launched a kick from the defensive side of the centre circle which rolled through the goals, a distance of about 85 metres.
