Don’t look at the numbers

The numbers will be ‘horrific’ Alan Richardson lamented post-game, and he couldn’t have been closer to the truth. They weren’t pretty at all. Adelaide’s dominance all over the ground was reflected in the statistics with the Crows comprehensively beating St Kilda in almost every key indicator: total disposals (+176), inside 50s (+39), marks inside the arc (+20), contested ball (+38) and clearances (+11). And it wasn’t just the weight of numbers that paved the way to victory, it was the manner in which the Crows’ precise ball movement sliced the Saints apart. While Rory Sloane and Matt Crouch got the job done at the coal face, Paul Seedsman and Brodie Smith provided their forwards with silver service. The Crows scored from 55 per cent of their entries to further emphasise how clean the ball was coming in, with Josh Jenkins the big beneficiary, taking more marks inside 50 (nine) than St Kilda combined.

Richardson: It will depend on how we respond

Geary adds Betts to 2016 scalps

A week after recording the highest pressure factor reading for Round 10, St Kilda landed at the other end of the spectrum on the weekend - ranked No. 18. The Saints inability to pressure the Crows ball carriers made the defenders’ jobs even more difficult against the premier attacking side in the competition. That reality made Jarryn Geary’s performance on Eddie Betts even more impressive, given how many opportunities the Crows had. Betts, fresh off a five-goal dazzling performance against GWS, was worn like a glove by Geary across the full 120 minutes. The All Australian small forward, who is universally regarded as the best small forward in the game at the minute, was restricted to just one goal from 11 touches and had next to no impact on the game. Richardson praised the small defender post-game, indicating that on a day where the Saints were beaten, Geary was not. 

Injury carnage at Adelaide Oval

St Kilda returned to Melbourne on Sunday night with a handful of injuries following a traumatic night at Adelaide Oval. Budding bookends Hugh Goddard and Paddy McCartin – two players taken in the first-round of the 2014 draft – were wheeled off the ground on a stretcher in quick succession, whilst Nick Riewoldt jarred his knee in the opening minute. Safe to say, it was a night of carnage, especially when you factor in the final result. In his first appearance of 2016, key defender Goddard ruptured his Achilles tendon in an innocuous contest. The 19-year-old was jostling for position in a contest with Crows forward Josh Jenkins when he seemingly lost his footing and fell to ground. The anguish and devastation immediately on Goddard’s face wrote the story for you. He faces 12 months on the sidelines in a cruel twist of fate. McCartin suffered concussion after his head ricocheted off teammate Jack Newnes’ head and into Crows defender Luke Brown’s and was taken to hospital for observation before he was discharged and flew home with the team.

Midfield fight left to too few

On a night where a number of Saints were held to their lowest disposal counts of 2016, midfield duo Jack Steven and David Armitage continued to shoulder the load. Despite Adelaide dominating the midfield duel, Steven was once again prolific, gathering 31 possessions, five inside 50s and 577 metres of gained territory and was St Kilda’s most influential player. His burst of speed and clean ball use by foot shone on a dark night. While Armitage followed up his best on ground performance against Fremantle with another strong showing as he continues to work his way into the season. Aside from Steven, Armitage and rebounding defender Shane Savage, the Saints didn’t have another player collect more than 17 possessions. A major area of concern for Alan Richardson is around the ball, with the Saints losing clearance and contested possession again. Even in the win over Fremantle last week, both measures were in favour of the Dockers. 

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