Foursome! Rachele Leads Crows into the Top Four.
Kuwarna will find themselves inside the top four at the conclusion of Round 11 as they defeated the youthful Waalitj Marawar at the Adelaide Oval.
Josh Rachele, Jordan Dawson, Sam Berry, and Izak Rankine led the Crows to the 66 point win. For the Eagles, Liam Duggan and Jake Waterman can hold their heads high.
Waalitj Marawar challenged constantly across the first half, but as the game drew on, the youngsters had spent to many petrol tickets.
The first quarter saw the Eagles playing well. Brady Hough, Harley Reid and Waterman had found themselves on the scoreboard, and in the key stats Waalitj Marawar had a level inside 50 count, but the entries were different.
Waalitj Marawar were dumping the ball on the head of its’ forwards, while Kurwarna’s entry were offering an advantage to their talented forward line without Taylor Walker.
It was the end of the second quarter that broke the Eagles. Across the first half the boys from out West were doing the basics right, and after a tight first quarter, had gotten as close as four points midway through the second.
It started when Wayne Milera hit Reilly O’Brien in the 15th minute mark of the second term, and the big O went back and settled the nerves of the Crows.
A game high in turnovers proceeded for the next minutes, before Josh Rachele extended the margin to 15, the Crows starting to win the ball out of the centre, and found a gear that the Waalitj Marawar did not have.
Thilthorpe then made it three in a row for the Crows, as momentum swung toward the home team. However with a kick after half time, Waterman snapped the Kurwarna three goal streak as the Eagles found a faint heartbeat.
The third term saw the Eagles back on top in its’ opening stanza. They had five scoring shots to four across the opening twenty minutes, but only Oscar Allen could convert a major.
At the 20 minute mark, Alex Neal-Bullen went twisting and turning to put the Crows into party mode. Sam Berry followed suit moments later, Jordan Dawson went bang from 50 for his second, and two spectacular goals to Josh Rachele saw the Eagles clipped as the Crows did as they liked.
Waalitj Marawar’s mainstay all day had their pressure and their centre clearance, and both had dropped right off. The three-quarter time margin of 57 points had the game well out of reach.
In the fourth quarter, Rachele added goals four and five, as Kurwarna kicked four goals to two to win the quarter and close out the party with some style.
Eagles slow play:
Waalitj Marawar, when they had their moments, were slow to transition the football off of half-back. It worked well as the Eagles were able to hold the ball up and wait for the right option to present.
The entries into the forward 50 in the first half let them down, as they often gave their forwards no room to leap at the football and made life easier for the Adelaide back six.
Kurwarna’s Top Gear:
The Crows were able to hold out when they were challenged in the first half against the Eagles. However, when Waalitj Marawar relented, the Crows found another level. They were absolutely flawless, and killed the Eagles in the middle. They won clearance after clearance, as James Peatling, Jordan Dawson, and Izak Rankine abused Waalitj Marawar’s engine room.
Crows: 4.2 8.5 15.6 19.13.127
Eagles: 3.2 5.6 6.9 8.13.61
Goalkickers:
Crows:
Rachele, (5), Thilthorpe, (2), Dawson, (2), Pedlar, (2), Peatling, (2), Rankine, Fogarty, Neal-Bullen, Keays, O’Brien, Berry
Eagles:
Waterman, (3), Allen, (2), Brockman, Hough, Reid
Best:
Crows:
Berry, Dawson, Rachele
Eagles:
Allen, Duggan, Waterman
Injuries:
In the fourth quarter, Jake Waterman found himself leaving the ground after a heavy collision. Waterman was sent downstairs to himself assessed, fears were immediate that he had dislocated his shoulder.
Tribunal:
With three minutes left, a fight broke out as James Peatling kicked his second goal. It will be expensive for those involved, but no one will miss weeks.
Crowd: 39 271