‘Extraordinary': Crows edge Hawks in thriller as clutch hero leads stunning AFL flag push

News.com.au

4 days ago

Adelaide has climbed into first place on the ladder and moved another step closer toward a top-two finish after outlasting a gutsy Hawks outfit in a topsy turvy, Friday night classic at Adelaide Oval.
A contest filled with twists, turns and several lead changes, the Crows stormed home with six goals — two to Izak Rankine — in the final quarter as Matthew Nicks' side claimed a 14-point win, 15.11 (101) to 13.9 (87).
Rankine's clutch fourth term helped turn the game, with the Crows star racking up seven disposals (four contested) along with his two goals and setting up another to Taylor Walker, who nailed two important late majors himself.
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Meanwhile Riley Thilthorpe (four goals) and Jordan Dawson (21 touches, 12 tackles, two goals) also starred as the Crows charge towards their first finals campaign since 2017.
'There's a lot to like about what's going on with the Adelaide Football Club,' Hawks legend Jason Dunstall said on Fox Footy post-match.
'There's every reason to think they can go deep into September. They're growing in confidence and belief and that's important.
'Because from where they've come from, they haven't had this belief before. But they've committed to the path, they're seeing the fruits of the labour, it pays handsome dividends.
'You look on each line and think: 'There are players here who can get us where we need to go'.'
It came after Hawthorn started the game on fire with a five-goal first quarter, before Adelaide returned serve with a six-goal unanswered second term in wild momentum swings.
It was the Hawks turn to fightback with a six-major third term — capped off by a brilliant Jack Ginnivan left-foot finish — to set up an epic finish as the visitors led by eight points at the final change.
But Adelaide had the answers in the final stanza, despite a big scare when Jack Gunston kicked consecutive goals from free kicks to briefly get the Hawks the lead back, until Rankine and Walker guided the hosts to victory.
It saw the Crows improve to 15-5 to currently sit first on the ladder and continue the club's extraordinary rise, though Collingwood can regain top spot if it can defeat Brisbane at the MCG on Saturday night.
But Adelaide has consolidated a top two spot ahead of matches against West Coast (Optus Stadium), Collingwood (Adelaide Oval) and North Melbourne (Marvel Stadium) to finish its home and away campaign.
Hawthorn meanwhile fell to 13-7 and is suddenly in jeopardy of missing the top eight ahead of clashes with Collingwood, Melbourne (both MCG) and Brisbane (Gabba) on its run home.
The 3-2-1 (via Jack Jovanovski) ...
3. 'EXTRAORDINARY SEQUENCES' AS SKIPPER, SPARKPLUG STEER 'TREMENDOUS' FIGHTBACK
It was Jordan Dawson who spearheaded the initial comeback after quarter-time, but fourth-quarter matchwinning moments from Izak Rankine and Taylor Walker ensured the Crows overturned an eight-point three-quarter-time deficit to win by 14 points and temporarily claim top spot on the ladder.
The spectacle well and truly lived up to its Friday night billing, with the visiting Hawks throwing everything they had at the hosts in the first and third quarters, but Adelaide again proved why it's shaping as an almighty premiership threat eight years on from the false dawn of 2017.
The Crows entered having won 10 of 11 games at Adelaide Oval this year, but it was the visitors who took centre stage at the outset.
Hawthorn kicked five goals before the Crows managed their first major via Darcy Fogarty. But while they'd been undone by the Hawks at stoppage, a calm and rational Matthew Nicks recalibrated his group at quarter-time before his troops issued a stark response.
Captain Jordan Dawson was at the forefront of Adelaide's fightback, with key spearhead Riley Thilthorpe also bearing the fruits of its second stanza dominance.
'It's a skipper-led comeback, isn't it? Four possessions, a clearance and a couple of goals already in this second term — more than anyone else on the ground. That was head-to-head with Jai Newcombe … and he was just too good,' AFL legend Jason Dunstall said on the Fox Footy broadcast.
Demons icon and former captain Garry Lyon added: 'I loved what he did at the start of the second quarter. Will Day was outstanding (in the first quarter), and (Dawson) just went to the centre square and … stood right beside him as if to say 'OK, we know we've got work to do, let me lead the way here, and I'll take the most dangerous'.'
Dunstall added: 'This has been a tremendous surge by the Crows.'
Thilthorpe kicked three goals in the quarter, and all in all, it was eight unanswered goals between late in the first quarter and early in the third.
Dunstall said at the main change: 'They've had a dominant second term where they were just controlling every single category, (the) ball living in their forward half, (and) defence completely on top on the rare occasions the Hawks did go forward. This is impressive.'
In the second quarter alone, the Crows were +9 for inside-50s and +22 for contested possessions.
But for a team that has looked as defensively stout as any in the competition bar Collingwood this year, the Crows allowed a second run of five unanswered goals as the visitors took an eight-point lead into the final change.
But as you almost would have predicted, the way this game was going, the Crows had yet another resurgence in them, booting the first three majors of the final term.
'I've never seen a night like this, the way this has swung around,' Lyon said in the final quarter as Adelaide got on top by 12 points.
Caller Anthony Hudson added: 'These extraordinary sequences are continuing in this game.'
A piece of Izak Rankine brilliance from a boundary throw-in ensured the Crows got their noses back in front after a couple of Hawthorn goals.
Rankine was doing the business for Adelaide in the final 30 minutes, notching seven disposals, two goals and five score involvements.
'He's had seven touches in the last quarter, five of them result in scores, he's kicked two himself, and he's had about three different opponents … sometimes you've just got to dip your lid, and Izak Rankine is the one.'
Dunstall said: 'This is a team that's got some matchwinners. This man here, Izak Rankine, is worth his weight in gold. He can turn a game in the space of 10 minutes.'
Rankine finished his night with an equal-game-high nine score involvements to go with his three goals.
Two massive Taylor Walker set shot goals provided the Crows the buffer they needed to close out the deal. Walker also posted seven score involvements for the evening.
'They (the Hawks) came out firing and we didn't bring our best contest, but unbelievable effort from the boys to fight back in that second quarter, and then from there on, it was just an arm wrestle,' Dawson told Fox Footy after the final siren.
Of Nicks' message at quarter-time, Dawson said: 'I mean, we haven't had too many quarters like that this year. He was really calm, really measured, (just talking about getting) back to our process, to keep trusting each other in our roles — which we've been doing the whole year — but we got away from that, we got a little bit too sucked into the contest. Unbelievable to turn it around, and it just shows the maturity of the group.'
2. HAWKS' BLOW IN FINALS RACE AS SCRIPT BRUTALLY FLIPPED AMID 21-YEAR FIRST
It was a Hawthorn blitz early in proceedings at Adelaide Oval, and it was all about its work at clearance.
The Hawks were comprehensive at the source, winning the first-quarter count 15-5 to give themselves quality scoring chances.
Evergreen forward Jack Gunston booted two of the first three goals for the Hawks, who hit hard off counterpunch, characteristically looking to go through the corridor as they piled on five unanswered majors before Adelaide's first to lead by 26 points at the first change.
'They were on fire. Perfect what-to-do on the road is get off hard, win the clearances, win the contested ball, tackle hard and put Adelaide on the back foot,' Adelaide Crows icon Mark Ricciuto assessed on Fox Footy.
Dunstall added the Hawks' clearance ascendancy was a rarity this season: 'Fifteen to five for clearances … that's an advantage they've rarely enjoyed this season. And then that translates to a territory advantage … the defence stood up; they conceded 1.1 from 11 inside-50s.'
The Hawks finished the opening term +20 for points from clearance. Six of their clearances came via Will Day, with that being the best effort in a quarter by a Hawthorn player this season.
But in the second term, the script was completely flipped on its head as the home side got to work. The Crows went on an unanswered run of eight goals to strike fear into the hearts of the Hawks, lifting their intensity to a critical level.
It was the first time the Hawks had been held scoreless in a second quarter since Round 22, 2004.
'It was an extraordinary first quarter from the Hawks — they fired their best shot — and the Crows just said 'I see that and I'll raise you',' Dunstall said at half-time.
Hawthorn allowed Adelaide 23 more contested possessions in the second quarter alone.
The Hawks still had nine more clearances at half-time, but they'd been overtaken for territory, with the Crows generating four more entries.
'Hawthorn can't allow 22 (contested possessions) against (in the third), because then it's not going to matter what they do in front or behind the ball, it's not going to be enough,' Buckley said.
'We'll see — Dawson and Day, we'll see Newcombe and Berry; we'll see these matchups through the middle of the field … those contests are going to be instructive.'
Conor Nash broke Adelaide's run of eight-straight goals at the six-minute mark of the third quarter, before the Hawks incredibly went on another rampant run of majors — booting five in a row for the second time on Friday night.
Lyon said the response from Mitchell's charges was 'fantastic' after giving up the first goal of the term to trail by as many as 22 points, generating their scores off the back of 10 intercept marks in the quarter.
'Let's just put this in perspective. They gave up 20+ contested possessions in the second quarter, so to go in and gather yourself, give up the first goal of the third quarter, and then bang five in a row — fantastic response,' Lyon said.
But inaccuracy was problematic in the final stanza, with the Hawks managing a measly 2.4 to Adelaide's 6.2 as they surrendered their eight-point three-quarter-time lead.
The loss means the Hawks could finish the round as low as seventh on the ladder, with daunting matchups with Collingwood and Brisbane among its last three games of the home-and-away season.
And in a year where it appears 15 wins might be necessary to guarantee a place in September, Hawthorn will simply have to win one of those Pies and Lions games to get to that number and give themselves a chance.
1. SAM'S FORWARD GAMBLE FALLS FLAT
Sam Mitchell's bold selection call to play four tall forwards justifiably prompted plenty of media attention in the lead-up. They hadn't done it all year, so why now?
Mabior Chol was the man recalled on Friday night after missing with a groin complaint, lining up alongside Jack Gunston, Calsher Dear and Mitch Lewis.
Speaking pre-game, the senior coach told Fox Footy his reasoning: 'A bit of availability, we play three a lot of the time on the field — and you'll only see three on the field at once — it (also) fixes a bit of second-ruck issues for us. It'll be good to get 'Mabs' back, he's been important for us all year.'
Chol bagged an early goal — an impressive set shot — to settle nerves, but from that point on, there was basically nothing to note from himself and the likes of Dear and Lewis.
Typically, Gunston was the one consistently presenting a threat, kicking two in the first half and finishing the night with four majors and seven score involvements.
Halfway through the third quarter, Mitchell made his move — an admission of sorts — tactically removing Dear from the contest after the young high-marker went scoreless with no marks and just three disposals in 67 per cent game time.
'It's an interesting one, (subbing) Calsher Dear. Lewis is the one that can't really get to the contests at the moment,' Lyon said of the move.
Mitchell's choice to name James Worpel the sub initially looked a perplexing one on paper, but you got the sense it was to rebalance the side if the plan to field four talls didn't bear fruits.
Lewis kicked his first of the night with a snap at the 23-minute mark of the third, capping his night with seven disposals and four marks. Lewis, Dear and Chol combined for two goals.
Again, it was the small who went to work for Hawthorn, with Nick Watson and Jack Ginnivan combining for 12 score involvements, and Dylan Moore adding five of his own and a goal.