The Adelaide Crows were in a destructive mood on Thursday as the Gather Round floodgates opened.
Matthew Nicks’ side put Carlton to the sword at the Adelaide Oval to win by 56 points - 18.10.(118) to 9.8.(62) - with efficiency inside 50, hardness around the contest and slick ball use the standout features of the win.
The Crows have been building nicely under Nicks with a strong contested brand and now the attacking side of their game is beginning to shine through.
That is the opinion of Kane Cornes who felt their impressive victory was a coming of age and a “complete” performance.
“What I’ve seen from Adelaide watching them closely over the last few years is they had the contest bit, they had the pressure bit and they had the ‘we’re going to be hard to play against’ bit,” Cornes said on SEN Breakfast.
“But they didn’t have the other stuff like, ‘when we win the ball back, then what do we do?’.
“So the evolution of their game last night was like ‘this is all coming together’.
“You’ve got the stoppage, you’ve got the contest where they’ve been strong, you’ve got the pressure. Now what do you do when you win the footy back and you’ve got it?
“What about the ball movement, the transition from back 50 to forward 50. Yes, there was a lack of pressure from Carlton which made it easier, but the efficiency (was great). They had less inside 50s last night. The first quarter was 20 entries and eight goals.
“That was a complete game from Adelaide, exactly what you want.
“So miserly defensively, keeping Carlton to under 10 goals and kicking over 100 points themselves.
“I knew they were good before the start of the year, but I didn’t realise they were this good.”
Some in the football media still have their reservations about the Crows, but there are a few who are quite bullish.
Cornes asked David King if the general footy community have underestimated them.
King says last night’s performance could be one to look back on as the start of something special.
“You’ve got to see it before you can recognise it, I think,” said King.
“We’ll all look back and say, ‘it was that game’.
“There’s always a starting point for recognition with us from the outside world that this is a serious footy team going places.”
He was impressed by the fact that the Crows were so dominant despite half the team being relatively inexperienced.
“It’s the fourth youngest lineup for the weekend,” he added.
“There’s 10 guys that are 50 games or less.
“So what you’re seeing is just the tip of the iceberg really. Their senior players are still playing great footy, the older guys are performing well also, but they are still a very, very young football team.
“To be able to do what they’re doing at this stage, is credit to the coaching, and not just Matthew Nicks, but those around him.”
The Crows have won three on the trot and now own a 3-2 win-loss record. They have a great chance to make it four in a row when they meet Hawthorn at UTAS Stadium next Sunday.