Preview Adelaide v Port Adelaide - 4.10 Sunday 3rd May @ Adelaide Oval

[Shaucob_Burjan]

What Adelaide are doing is playing an incredibly direct style of footy, utilising their status as the number 1 clearance team and then playing 'ultra-flood' football.

The crows were in the top couple last year for clearance differential and they are again this year. With that sort of dominance, and one of the best rucks in the league, they manage to get the ball and pump it forward quickly. From there they press all their numbers up immediately. This isn't totally new, but the way the crows are applying pressure isn't through speed or effort, it is through sheer weight of numbers in one part of the ground. This is also interestingly the way they defend as well. They send all their players back into the defensive 50, wait till they turn it over and then try and work it through the zone, leaving a Pagan's paddock situation for Walker and Betts.

We saw all this first hand against them in the preseason when the ball lived in our 50 in the 3rd quarter, we couldn't score due to their epic flooding and then after hitting us on the rebound a couple times they used their clearance dominance to get a few cheapies, mixed with the rebound goals they'd already gotten.


What the crows haven't really seen yet is a side that can take it up to them in the clearances. The Demons smashed them in the 1st quarter of that game and it put the weak crows defence under huge pressure. We need to be able to do this as well. If we can break even or win the clearances with our fwd line Vs their very weak defence we will definitely kick a score.

The next key is the crows hadn't until this weekend met a team who moved the ball with precision and speed of handball through their flood's and broke their system down. The bulldogs were able to rebound very quickly through shallow F50 entries, but also when the crows got it deep the Bulldogs composure and ability to move it by handball and then kick, through and then past their zone opened the whole ground up. Collingwood were horribly fumbly and poor with their disposal, the Kangas just weren't prepared and looked the same and then when Melb were put under pressure their skills faultered. So given the Bulldogs were able to continue to perform when under pressure, hopefully this bodes well for us and our intense last few weeks as our skills have held up under the greatest pressure and hopefully we too like the Bulldogs can break through this 'choking' style of defence and footy the crows will employ, and break the game open into the fast flowing game we will want.

Great analysis.

 

[Coobk001]

Which all means that this week will be their grand final, beware of the wounded crossbred funny looking birdy.

You mean that emu picture they are using in there promos? Ironic that the slogan 'we fly as one' has a giant flightless bird as the image.....

 

[Dalfino]

in b4 westhoff gets 10+ intercept marks cutting off their long bombs as a half-back sweeper

 

[70sDinosaur]

IIRC you were hit pretty bad with injuries at that stage?

We lost Trengove (early) and Carlile (late) in the last showdown and that seemed to unsettle us for that game and quite a few weeks after that. We had only lost two games going into that showdown and that was the start of a form slump that wasn't halted until just before the finals.

 

[Power freak 2008]

Interesting to see everyone on your sides thoughts on this one! I'm pretty confident you guys will run over the top of us comfortably - it will remain close fot the first two quarters and then you guys will run it home. Too much spread and pace for us (like the Bulldogs) and I feel like your boys always get up for these games more than we do unfortunately!

And perhaps you can go over to your board and tell the person who said we a confident and cocky that a lot of people here respect all teams and that we don't think we will win if we just turn up. Having said that, I agree that we are favorites but we always are wary in showdowns when a team has had a bad loss the week before.

 

[_VXV]

Lol "phil welch"

Funny because it's true in more ways than one.

phil welch will felch

 

[Marmozet]

Always harder when it's played in front of their home crowd. That was a significant factor in them getting over the line in Round 15 last year.

 

[Andre]

Always harder when it's played in front of their home crowd. That was a significant factor in them getting over the line in Round 15 last year.

It's an inditement when continual booing is rewarded by the umpires.

 

[tribey]

Always harder when it's played in front of their home crowd. That was a significant factor in them getting over the line in Round 15 last year.

The shruggle is real.

 

[Shaucob_Burjan]

View attachment 128716

The shruggle is real.

Good point.

Free kick counts the past 5 games (including preseason): Port vs. Adelaide
NAB Challenge 2015: 11 vs. 23
2014, R15: 11 vs. 24
2014, R2: 17 vs. 24
2013, R19: 13 vs. 18
2013, R3: 25 vs. 24

Need to be smart with our tackling and prepare for the dives/flop they do.

 

[Noobz0r]

Apologies for the Big Texan remark.

 

[Portmanteau]

Came here to post about last year's away Showdown.

 

[CIDA]

And perhaps you can go over to your board and tell the person who said we a confident and cocky that a lot of people here respect all teams and that we don't think we will win if we just turn up. Having said that, I agree that we are favorites but we always are wary in showdowns when a team has had a bad loss the week before.

I think most people who know anything about footy generally keep a lid on their teams performance until later in the season!

 

[Dalfino]

Don't see why people are so confident as to predict a 5+ goal win - there is no way in hell the Crows will play as s**t as they did against the Bulldogs and it is highly unlikely that we are going to replicate our first quarter versus Hawthorn any time soon - high expectations always lead to bigger disappointments. With that being said though, I will be absolutely stoked if we win and mortally devastated if we lose; same as every other game!

 

[elpirate]

He was also tactics coach during West Coasts 2005/2006 period.

Whilst I don't mind what you are saying, I believe that Walsh was at Port in 05/06. I believe he left Port after 2008 when Choco went Gaga.

 

[Chokito]

The Lobbe and Paddy tag team Round 2! Can't wait!

 

[Changaneen]

I have a feeling we're going to blow this game apart. If we don't, i'll never post that again

 

[Pt Augusta Power]

The crows won't play poorly two weeks in a row. We can win this but in front of their customers mooing constantly - they expect 10+ more free kicks. Talia will expect to do whatever he wants and cheat as much as he likes, Douglas, Betts and Danger will dive all over the place. We will have to be switched on to win.

In all seriousness, I do believe the crows have a pretty good team. Their coach is a nutter but his is not a moron.

If we manage to win this the all of a sudden it is game on. If we lose - if someone said after the Sydney game you will be 2-3 I would have probably taken it.

 

[yepits2020]

I think we will either win, or we will lose.

Nah! A draw.

 

[Lawnchair Larry]

If they start to flood I want a half forward line like:

Hartlett Ryder Broadbent

or similar.

Kick over the top of them.

 

[Chokito]

Exactly, let them flood. Polec, Broady, Hammer, Ryder and Boak can kick out of 50 easy.

 

[Macca19]

I feel like we need to be up by 6-7 goals at 3/4 time to win this one. They'll be going in hard and trying to run us off our feet. Hopefully we dont see a fade out this week

 

[elpirate]

I feel like we need to be up by 6-7 goals at 3/4 time to win this one. They'll be going in hard and trying to run us off our feet. Hopefully we dont see a fade out this week

They played at etihad last week. Isnt that supposed to take it out of teams??

We also have an extra days break on them.

I think we will match them in the last, unless the game is already over and we have packed it up.

Then again, it is a showdown. ......

 

[philthy05]

Good point.

Free kick counts the past 5 games (including preseason): Port vs. Adelaide
NAB Challenge 2015: 11 vs. 23
2014, R15: 11 vs. 24
2014, R2: 17 vs. 24
2013, R19: 13 vs. 18
2013, R3: 25 vs. 24

Need to be smart with our tackling and prepare for the dives/flop they do.

That cannot be real. I can't be arsed checking that ... That would be shocking to say that a + 36 free kick differential exists over 5 games refereed by professional afl umpires.

 

[tribey]

That cannot be real. I can't be arsed checking that ... That would be shocking to say that a + 36 free kick differential exists over 5 games refereed by professional afl umpires.

Three of which we actually won.