Adelaide lost in their qualifying final to Collingwood by 24 points at Adelaide Oval on Thursday night.
After dropping five out of their last seven games and missing out on a top two finish, the Magpies stepped up during this intense qualifying final against a tough Adelaide team, winning the game 11.13 (79) to 8.7 (55).
At halftime, the score was very close, with only a regular kick keeping the teams apart. Tensions ran high, and Collingwood exploded with seven straight goals right before and after halftime.
Adelaide stayed strong despite the pressure from the Magpies, pushing hard and scoring three of the last four goals to make the game exciting until the end.
Now, the Crows are in a tight spot with their hopes for finals hanging by a thread, as they are set to face either Greater Western Sydney or Hawthorn in a crucial semi-final next week.
Veterans Jamie Elliott, who scored four goals, and Steele Sidebottom, who had three, were key players for Collingwood in the third quarter. They were supported by Jordan De Goey, who made 26 disposals and six clearances. However, it was Darcy Moore who really stood out as a captain, playing a strong defensive game that helped Collingwood win.
Moore made 13 interceptions and caught nine marks to stop Adelaide’s attacks, especially against Taylor Walker, who has played 300 games. This allowed Collingwood to break away, pressure their opponents, and increase their intensity against the determined home team.
As both teams fought hard in the high-pressure game, Collingwood’s fast style was shining early on, with Nick Daicos scoring a fantastic goal in the first 10 minutes to give his team an early edge and quieten the loud home crowd.
Walker turned the audience’s boos into cheers by scoring his team’s first goal after 15 minutes, helping to keep the game under control. He scored another goal in the second quarter, which sparked a series of scores for his team to answer back to Collingwood’s surge.
Inspired by their former captain, the Crows ramped up their play, with goals from Luke Pedlar and Riley Thilthorpe giving them their first double-digit lead before halftime. They finished each quarter strong, which kept the Magpies from relaxing, but they couldn’t break through Collingwood’s solid defense.
The tough competition led to some tension between the teams at halftime, but the Magpies came out strong, forcing the Crows to work hard to defend against their opponent’s constant attacks and score pressure.
Key goals by Pedlar and Thilthorpe lifted the Crows off the bottom as they came closer to Collingwood by the end of the third quarter. They were down by 35 points in the middle of the period but narrowed it to 19 points. However, time started to run out for the home team, and neither side managed to score until Elliott made his fourth goal in the last 30 seconds of the match.
SCOREBOARD
ADELAIDE 2.1 5.1 8.4 8.7 (55)
COLLINGWOOD 2.3 5.7 10.11 11.13 (79)
GOALS
Adelaide: Pedlar 3, Walker 2, Thilthorpe 2, Dawson
Collingwood: Elliott 4, Sidebottom 3, Lipinski, De Goey, N. Daicos, Cameron
BEST
Adelaide: Thilthorpe, Neal-Bullen, Pedlar, Walker, Worrell
Collingwood: Moore, Elliott, N. Daicos, De Goey, Sidebottom, Cameron, Frampton
SUBSTITUTES
Adelaide: Brodie Smith (came in for Mitch Hinge in the third quarter)
Collingwood: Roan Steele (came in for Wil Parker in the fourth quarter)
Crowd: 52,187 at Adelaide Oval
