Walsh frustrated with wasteful Crows
Halfway through his first year as a senior AFL coach, Phil Walsh can’t decide whether to play good cop or bad cop with his Adelaide side.
But with the Crows’ finals hopes at risk of slipping away, he knows something has to change.
The club marked its 25th anniversary in front of a sold-out Adelaide Oval crowd on Thursday night but there was little to celebrate as the Crows fell to a 29-point loss against Hawthorn.
The Crows were punished for their dismal ball use by the comparatively polished Hawks, who booted six straight goals to seal the win.
Speaking after the game, a frustrated Walsh admitted he wasn’t sure how to inspire his talented charges to better performances.
“Fifty-thousand of our fans turned out to see us, and that last quarter was extremely disappointing,” he told reporters.
“I have great confidence this group is good enough. Maybe I’ve just got to get to know them a little bit better, maybe I’ve got to coach them a little bit harder.
“We’ll have a really hard look at ourselves. We haven’t been able to reward (our) great support this year.”
After trailing for most of the game, the Crows surged to the lead in the third quarter but faded in the final period, kicking just one major.
Walsh said he was frustrated that his side reverted to “safe footy”, kicking long down the line when the pressure was on.
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“That’s not going to cut it,” he said.
“That’s not going to allow you to kick 100 points against Hawthorn.”
Midfield gun Patrick Dangerfield was a lone spark for Adelaide against the Hawks, with dangerous forward Eddie Betts well-held and captain Taylor Walker struggling with a corked thigh.
Dangerfield has made clear he won’t be rushed on deciding whether to re-sign with Adelaide amid rampant speculation he could return home to Geelong.
But the Crows have locked away another Victorian star in Rory Sloane, who joined fellow midfielder Richard Douglas this week in signing a three-year contract extension.
Adelaide, whose loss against Hawthorn takes their record to six wins and five losses, will face Brisbane at the Gabba in round 13.
Adelaide v Hawthorn: match report
Hawthorn have continued their surge towards the finals, downing Adelaide by 29 points in a scrappy Thursday night AFL contest.
The Hawks held the lacklustre Crows to just one major in the fourth quarter to win 17.12 (114) to 12.13 (85) in front of a sold-out crowd of 50,023 at Adelaide Oval.
After trailing for most of the game, the Crows surged to the lead in the third quarter but faded in the final period.
The home side’s dismal ball use allowed the Hawks to keep numbers behind the contest and set up fresh attacks far too often.
Captain Luke Hodge was allowed to drift unattended as a loose man off half-back and punished the Crows for their inattention, racking up 25 touches, eight marks and a goal in a dominant performance.
Shaun Burgoyne (23 disposals) and Josh Gibson (18 disposals) also provided valuable run off half-back, while Sam Mitchell (25 touches, eight clearances) and Jordan Lewis (24 touches) won the midfield battle.
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Hawthorn ran out to an early lead at the midpoint of the first quarter, booting four goals straight until Richard Douglas slotted his second major to stop the rot.
Daniel Talia booted the most unlikely of goals near the quarter-time break to reduce the margin to 13 points, unloading a wobbly kick from a set shot which somehow floated above the pack and through for a goal.
The game threatened to blow open in the second quarter but the Crows held on, with the margin at 16 points at halftime.
Patrick Dangerfield (31 touches) was a lone spark for the Crows, with dangerous forwards Eddie Betts and Taylor Walker well held.
Walker limped through much of the match with a corked thigh and was subbed off at three-quarter time.
Adelaide seized the momentum and the lead in the third quarter, with goals to Charlie Cameron, Betts and Rory Laird.
But the Hawks countered with six straight goals to claim their third straight win.
Match details
HAWTHORN 6.2 9.6 13.9 17.12 (114)
ADELAIDE 4.1 7.2 11.7 12.13 (85)
Goals: Hawthorn: L Breust 3 D Hale 2 I Smith 2 B Hartung B Hill C Rioli J Ceglar L Hodge L Shiels M Suckling P Puopolo S Burgoyne T Duryea. Adelaide: C Cameron 2 R Douglas 2 D Talia E Betts J Jenkins M Wright P Dangerfield R Laird T Lynch T Walker.
Best: Hawthorn: L Hodge J Lewis S Burgoyne J Gibson S Mitchell B Hill. Adelaide: P Dangerfield S Thompson R Sloane S Jacobs.
Injuries: Adelaide: T Walker (corked thigh). Hawthorn: Nil.
Reports: Nil.
Umpires: Simon Meredith, Dean Margetts, David Harris.
Official Crowd: 50,023 at Adelaide Oval.
– AAP
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