The Crows-Demons game on Saturday was arguably the best game of the year.
Both teams were moving the ball quickly and trading goals late. Ben Keays and Clayton Oliver went head to head (the latter putting on a magical performance) with the pressure around the ball finals-like (Adelaide 65 tackles to Melbourneโs 78 โ both smashing their season averages).
We also learnt quite a bit about both teams. Adelaide came in with a clear plan to beat the Demons and it worked. Adelaide targeted a strength in how the Demons like to defend in their back half (check out our blog last week detailing it) and turned it into a weakness.
Adelaide scored on 42.6% of their inside 50โs โ the largest percentage of any team by far against Melbourne this year. A reason for this was their risk taking approach through the middle of the ground โ they used the corridor at every opportunity possible.
Against a team like Melbourne who are great at forcing turnovers in their back half and counter attacking, there was inherent risk involved. But they executed it more successfully than not. Using the corridor grants you the fastest access to goal. It allowed Adelaide quicker entries inside their forward 50 where either May/Lever couldnโt set up and help each other or where players were cross matched. Look at how Adelaideโs willingness to use the corridor allowed Walker a 1v1 match up with the undersized Rivers.
If that kick stayed in the air for a millisecond longer, Brayshaw cuts it off and Melbourne are likely going the other way for a scoring opportunity. But it works โ Berry holds onto the mark. The quick overlap hands and run doesnโt give May (who is caught zoning off) enough time to get back to help out Rivers. The extra handball allows for further depth on the final kick โ which ultimately means bypassing May.
Again, look at how Adelaide were able to transition from their literal goal line to a shot at goal by working the boundary before going straight through the corridor. Itโs the handball receive into a McKay bullet through the middle that opens everything up.
Melbourne were scrambling like this all day defensively (and really the first time this year). They werenโt able to put enough pressure on at the source of the ball which allowed the Crows time to find players inside. Because of the speed in which the ball transitioned โ May, Lever and Petty were pushing back hard to zone off and defend the deep entry whilst Thilthorpe came back to the leg of the kicker for an easy mark.
This is a blueprint on how to get Melbourne out of how they want to play โ fast and bold ball movement through the middle of the ground honouring hit up leads. Adelaide attacked and attacked all day and it set them up to win the game (albeit luckily with a few questionable umpiring decisions late).
It was clear going into this game that Adelaide emphasised both:
- Forwards leading at the kicker at every opportunity; and
- The kicker rewarding those leads at every opportunity to stop Melbourne from zoning off and impacting contests aerially
Itโs an encouraging sign for a developing team that they can execute such a game plan and take a finalist contender out of their comfort zone.
This article was originally published atย Footy Talking Points.
