From 17 Points Down…To Beating the Reigning Premiers
Are Adelaide the real deal?
The Brisbane Lions came into the game with just one loss to their name, a dismal display against Melbourne their only complete blunder of the season.
Tonight, the Crows were good enough, good enough to remind the reigning premiers that there will be challenges this year if they are to go back-to-back, and to announce themselves as one of the teams right in the hunt.
The final quarter was a frantic, heart stopping, high display of football that capped off a rather interesting night of Friday Night Football.
The Lions had a lead of 17 points heading into the last, and they quickly lost all of that.
Goals to Riley Thilthorpe and Ben Keays cut the margin to under one straight kick, before captain courageous himself, Jordan Dawson, took mark of the year. With the kick more important then the grab, he went back and the Crows hit the front.
What followed was a mass of inside 50s from the Lions, they briefly hit the front through a series of missed chances. However that wouldn’t last.
Despite the maroon, blue and gold dominance, Josh Rachele put through for a goal at the other end, and the Crows re-established their lead. Keays then put his third through, and his trickling ball saw the Crows open up their biggest lead with their fifth goal in a row. Revenge really is a dish best served cold.
Devan Robinson had a snap at goal for the Lions, but it went across the face, as Brisbane saw chance after chance go away.
The Lions midfield work was incredible in the last, as it had been all night. The back six of the Crows stood up time and time again, as Josh Worrell, Mark Keane, and their mates at the back stopped attack after attack.
With four minutes to go, Zac Bailey had an opportunity to cut the margin back to five points, however he couldn’t finish his dinner, and the Crows still held on.
Callum Ah Chee got closer, but still couldn’t trouble the majors. Bailey then did one worse then his last attempt, as he missed everything. Lachie Neale drew the game back to one straight kick, before Bailey’s kick from 50 was punched over.
The Crows couldn’t miss, and the Lions couldn’t kick. Despite eight scoring shots to five in the last, the Crows won the game of footy.
The Lions hierarchy felt the result should have gone differently, with head coach, Chris Fagan, stating: “That was a game we should have won,” in his post match press conference.
When you look at the stats on paper, you can see his point. The Lions won disposals, (375 - 301), clearances, (55 - 36) and inside 50s, (60 - 47). However, footy games aren’t won on paper.
Chris Fagan during the Lions clash with the Crows. Picture: James Elsby
Earlier in the night, It was a low scoring showdown between the Lions and the Crows, as the rain covered Adelaide Oval saw a goalless Adelaide at the first change.
Will Ashcroft and Lachie Neale won plenty of the footy out of the middle for the Lions, meanwhile Rory Laird and Ben Keays were brilliant for the victors.
It was the visitors who drew first blood at the 20 minute mark, Cameron Rayner finished off when Josh Dunkley hit the ball inside the 50. Charlie Cameron gathered, and had to dance around four defenders after running himself into trouble, before Rayner’s nice finish.
2025 is the year of Callum Ah Chee, he goaled moments later as the Lions dominance was finally rewarded.
It was a case of finally for the Crows as the second quarter began and Ben Keays kicked his first. From there, the Lions kicked the next two through Hugh McCluggage and Zac Bailey, and began to look like a tale of Brisbane by how far.
It was in the middle that the Lions were winning. As it was in the first, Neale and Ashcroft led the Lions’ at clearance, as they bullied Adelaide and got to the ball first.
Then came Adelaide’s charge, as the Crows pressure went up a level deep in the second quarter. Josh Rachele laid a tackle on Noah Answorth, and was rewarded with holding the ball. As Rachele kicked, the crowd went up, and the margin was cut to 14.
Darcy Fogarty gave the footy a little toe-poke that got the ball to James Peatling, the former Giant found Taylor Walker, and he gave the Crows more reward as the Lions were caged again.
The Crows started the third much like the second, when Josh Rachele closed the margin to just two points.
But from there, the Lions kicked three goals to one from the quarter, as they opened up a 17 point lead at the last change.
However, the Crows fourth term wet sail in a wet Adelaide saw them win 10.8.68 to 8.15.63.
Dawson celebrates his fourth quarter screamer and goal. Picture: James Elsby
Crows: 0.6 3.7 5.8 10.8.68
Eagles: 2.3 5.3 8.7 8.15.63
Goalkickers:
Crows:
Rachele, (3), Keays, (3), Thilthorpe, Walker, Dawson, Pedlar
Lions:
Rayner, (2), Cameron, (2), Ah Chee, McCluggage, Lohmann, Bailey
Best, (alphabetical order):
Crows:
Dawson, Laird, Keays, Rachele, Worrell
Lions:
Ashcroft, Berry, Cameron, Neale, Rayner
Tribunal:
James Peatling will find himself in hot water, after dumping Lachie Neale in a tackle during the opening minutes of the game.
Crowd: 40 000 +