1. It just had to be Eddie
It was Sir Doug Nicholls Indigenous Round, Eddie Betts was playing in a guernsey designed by his aunt, and he was in one of his beloved Adelaide Oval pockets when the livewire forward provided one of the moments of the season to date. Late in the third term, Betts first trapped the ball centimetres from the boundary line in the left forward pocket - he was on the ground and had Nick Haynes bearing down on him. Somehow he avoided Haynes and kept the ball alive, before swinging back on to his right boot and curling the ball through for a remarkable goal from near the boundary. It was just metres from where he kicked goal of the year in 2015 and this effort might see him go back-to-back. Betts and Taylor Walker (five goals each) starred for the Crows, who blew this contest apart with eight third-quarter goals.
2. GIANTS far from disgraced
The MCG is football’s greatest cauldron but Adelaide Oval has perhaps become the most hostile venue for visiting sides. Saturday night’s match was always going to provide a stern test of just how good the emerging GIANTS were. Playing in front of the biggest crowd in franchise history, they were far from disgraced, but the examination showed there is still some work for Leon Cameron’s men to do before they truly arrive as a premiership threat. They found it hard to find the link-up run which has been a highlight this season, and were beaten inside the contest by the Crows for much of the night. In the third term, Adelaide booted eight goals from 15 forward 50 entries to effectively end the game. The GIANTS looked rattled for the first time this year but will learn plenty from what was the closest thing to a finals atmosphere they’ve played in. A storming five goal to one last term means they will take plenty from the match.
3. Sloane made of the right stuff
Rory Sloane won the hearts of Crows fans years ago with his courage and he again showed it in spades during the third term of this clash. The midfielder was badly winded in a great contest for the ball with Adam Tomlinson - Sloane was doubled over for 15 seconds or so but quickly got back to his feet and sprinted across the ground to the opposite half-forward flank. He then provided two leads before Ricky Henderson found him 45m out near the boundary. Sloane went back and converted a telling goal from 50m to extend the Crows’ break to 14 points in a pivotal moment in this game.
4. Goal review might need a review
The inadequacies of the technology backing up the AFL’s goal review system were again exposed during the second term. Charlie Cameron’s set shot from 40m was touched by a defender either on or just over the goal-line. The goal umpire believed the ball was touched for a rushed behind but asked for a review. The only vision available to the fourth umpire was a front on shot of the contest which was inadequate and the inevitable adjudication was “inconclusive”. Another review in the final term went against Tom Scully, although on this occasion the camera angle seemed conclusive and the kick was deemed touched by Sam Jacobs. Consistent camera angles might give the whole system a more definitive feel and breed more confidence in the final outcome.
5. Atkins a clear draft steal
With Adelaide stripped of its first two picks in the 2012 NAB AFL Draft after the Kurt Tippett saga, its recruiters needed to get creative. They took a punt on a talented but wayward kid from the Calder Cannons called Rory Atkins with pick No.81. Atkins’ talent was no secret but was expelled from the Australian Institute of Sport the previous year and other clubs baulked at him. But the left-footer is proving a draft bargain for the Crows. He was among the best on the ground against GWS again and has become one of the Crows’ best players in traffic, both with his hands and feet. He finished with 28 quality disposals.
