The Crows are back on the winner’s list after a comprehensive 16-point victory over the Giants, 13.16 (94) to 12.6 (78).
Livewire forward Izak Rankine was the star of the show for the Crows, racking up 21 first half touches and two majors to set the Adelaide Oval alight.
The former Sun finished the night with 27 disposals, nine clearances and two goals.
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Rankine set the tone early for the Crows, inspiring his side to salvage some pride in season 2024.
For the Giants, half-back Lachie Whitfield was everywhere amassing 41 touches, while midfield bull Tom Green found plenty of the footy himself with 38 disposals.
The 3-2-1…
3 ‘HUNGRIER’ CROWS BREAK WINLESS STREAK
A scintillating second term set up Adelaide’s fifth win of the season as Matthew Nicks’ side finally got back on the winner’s list.
The Crows had lost their past three matches but showed plenty of fight and determination against the Giants on Saturday night.
After an inaccurate first term where the Crows booted 2.6 to trail by a goal at the first change, Nicks’ side caught fire in the second stanza, booting seven consecutive goals to open up a 33-point lead at the main break.
“This has been one of their best halves of football, certainly their best quarter, for the season,” Fox Footy commentator Anthony Hudson said.
“After conceding five goals straight, they’ve been hungrier, better at ground level and cleaner,” Sydney champion Gerard Healy added.
Nicks lauded his side’s ability “get the contest on our terms”.
“When we got the contest on our terms, the scoreboard ticked over for us,” he said.
“It gave us opportunities and the forwards made the most of it.”
Rankine was electric for the Crows, while defender Mitch Hinge was damaging with 31 disposals and eight marks of his own.
Darcy Fogarty booted three goals, while Rankine, Taylor Walker, Josh Rachele and Ben Keays all kicked multiple goals apiece.
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2 CROWS STAR DAZZLES
We’ve known Izak Rankine is a star of the competition for quite some time, but on Saturday night he announced himself as a bonafide superstar.
Rankine was electric against the Giants, racking up 21 first half touches and two majors to set the Adelaide Oval alight.
The former Sun finished the night with 27 disposals, nine clearances and two goals.
“Let’s celebrate Izak Rankine, what an entertainer he is,” Fox Footy commentator Anthony Hudson said.
“The numbers tell you he’s the best on the ground by an absolute mile, but the vision tells you he’s an absolute genius,” Hawthorn legend Dermott Brereton agreed.
Rankine has been a dangerous forward in the AFL landscape for quite some time but has taken his talents into the engine room at different stages in 2024.
“His stuff at clearance, he’s just too good,” said Sydney champion Gerard Healy.
Rankine took a fantastic juggling mark but also slotted a superb goal from the boundary line in the second term, celebrating in style .
“Rankine said ‘it was Eddie’s pocket, ‘it’s now my pocket!’,” Brereton said.
“If anyone’s in the vicinity of Adelaide Oval, turn up now because Izak Rankine is putting on a show,” Healy retorted.
Such was Rankine’s dominance in the first half, Brereton said “it wasn’t funny”.
“He’s going that well, that had he spent the whole second quarter on the bench I still would’ve given him best on ground in the first half, but he repeated the dose in the second quarter, he even got better, he’s that far the best player on the ground it’s not even funny,” he said.
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1 TAGGERS ARE BACK IN VOGUE
For a while there it looked as though the tag was dead and buried.
But the likes of James Jordon, Will Phillips, Finn Maginness and now Toby Bedford has seen the tactic return in a big way.
After successfully clamping Port Adelaide superstar Zak Butters a fortnight ago, Toby Bedford had his eye on Adelaide skipper Jordan Dawson on Saturday night.
Bedford restricted Dawson to just 24 disposals and ten marks, clamping his influence in the first half entirely, limiting the Crows skipper to just seven touches.
The former Demon had 11 disposals and five tackles himself.
“Dawson has been amazing for the team, and he’ll continue to do the team role, it that means he doesn’t touch it he doesn’t touch it, as long as we get the scoreboard right,” Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks told Fox Footy at half time.
Ultimately, despite Dawson’s quiet night by his standards, Nicks and the Crows have plenty to smile about as they secured just their fifth win of the 2024 season to date.
The Giants take on the Blues at ENGIE Stadium in round 17, putting the likes of Patrick Cripps and Sam Walsh right in the Toby Bedford firing line.
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LIVE MATCH UPDATES
Final teams are in for tonight’s clash at Adelaide Oval. There are no late changes, with Zac Taylor (ADE) and Toby McMullin (GWS) named the starting subs — Chayce Jones (back) was excluded earlier in the day.
Adelaide peppered GWS’ goalface early on, with Darcy Fogarty hitting the post before a touched ball went through from close range.
In the early stages, Giants half-forward Toby Bedford is running with Adelaide captain Jordan Dawson.
Ben Keays dribbled home a skillful major to finally open the goalscoring at Adelaide Oval — 1.2 to no score. Keays soon after had his second as the Crows jumped out to a 15-o lead.
With Izak Rankine running rampant early, Fox Footy’s Gerard Healy said: “It’s time for a move (from GWS) … he’s been the most damaging player on the ground.”
The Giants finally got on the scoresheet through an accurate Isaac Cumming set shot with six minutes remaining in the quarter.
The Crows have dominated with eight scoring shots to GWS’ one, but they’ve kicked an inaccurate 2.6 from those opportunities to lead by just 12 points.
GWS issued its response, with goals to Jake Riccardi and Jesse Hogan instilling an improbable quarter-time lead for the visitors.
The Giants led 4.0 (24) to 2.6 (18) at quarter time.
Giants captain Toby Greene bobbed up for the first goal of the second term with a tidy snap from the pocket but inaccuracy continued to hurt the Crows.
Adelaide livewire Izak Rankine took a neat juggling mark inside 50, converting his set shot to reduce the margin to just five points, before veteran Taylor Walker kicked his first goal on return from injury to regain the lead.
Hulking Crows spearhead Darcy Fogarty and jet Josh Rachele stepped up to kick majors and all of a sudden, the Crows had found their kicking boots.
Walker booted his second from a snap, with the Giants caught sleeping with no defenders on the goal line.
Rankine continued to put on a show with his second of the night before Fogarty made it seven in a row to close out the first half.
The Crows led by 33 points at the main change.
The Giants booted three of the first four goals of the second half, but Adelaide’s defence was stingy, holding on to a 24-point lead with four minutes remaining in the quarter.
Greene drew first blood in the last to cut the margin back to just 16 points!
Crows speedster Lachie Sholl kicked truly before Giants spearhead Jesse Hogan clunked a huge contested grab to get the immediate reply.
But the Crows weren’t going to cave just yet, a nice handball chain resulting in Fogarty’s third for the night.
Crows youngster Billy Dowling made the task a little tougher for the Giants, but when veteran Callan Ward booted a goal with six minutes left, the Giants had a glimmer of hope.
Greene launched a bomb from long range to cut the margin back to 16 points, but it was ultimately too little too late as the Crows secured their fifth win of 2024.
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