Adelaide star Eddie Betts gets the better of Sharrod Wellingham. Photo: Getty Images
ADELAIDE 3.1 6.5 9.10 15.15 (105)
WEST COAST 5.6 9.6 11.10 11.10 (76)
Sam Jacobs duels with Nic Naitanui at Domain on Saturday. Photo: Getty Images
Goals: Adelaide: Betts 5, Jenkins 3, Walker 2, Lynch, Douglas, M McGovern, Cameron, Atkins. West Coast: Kennedy 3, Darling 2, Yeo 2, Hill, Hutchings, Gaff, Duggan.
Best: Adelaide: Sloane, Laird, Betts, Thompson, Lyons, Crouch. West Coast: Priddis, Shuey, McGovern, Yeo, Kennedy, Naitanui.
Umpires: Hay, Rosebury, Farmer.
Official crowd: 37,591 at Domain Stadium.
The Adelaide Crows have done what no other team has been able to do this season, beat West Coast at Domain Stadium.
Five goals to Eddie Betts gave the Crows a 29-point victory over the Eagles, after the home side had led by 26 points midway through the third term.
The Crows enjoyed so much more of the ball in their attacking 50-metre area than the Eagles, 65 to 35, but for most of the game they failed to take advantage of it.
Except for Betts.
The best small forward in the game had two goals on the board in the opening 10 minutes and added another in each of the next three terms to finish with five.
His last one, six minutes into the final term, bought his side to level pegging and then Josh Jenkins put the Crows in front a couple of minutes later for the first time since late in the first term.
The Crows had trailed by 12 points at the final change, but kicked the last eight goals of the game (6.5 to 0.0 in the final term) to claim what could be a crucial victory as they push towards the top four.
The Eagles scored only two points after Elliot Yeo kicked a goal at the 14-minute mark of the third term to put his side 19 points in front.
Earlier, Josh Kennedy (who kicked three goals to join Lance Franklin on top of the Coleman Medal race with 41 goals) and Jack Darling ( three goals) looked like they would tear the game apart. But neither added to their tallies after half-time.
Scott Thompson's return to the Crows line-up after a week off was impressive. He had 24 possessions, including 10 in second term when the Eagles threatened to kick away. He also put on 12 tackles.
Thompson, Rory Sloane (29 touches), Rory Laird (25) and ruckman Sam Jacobs were very good in the big Domain Stadium midfield. Betts job was made a little easier just moments before the game started with the Eagles lost defender Sam Butler with a groin injury in the warm-up. He headed for the showers as his teammates took their positions. It was 15-minutes before his replacement, Xavier Ellis, was able to get ready and complete his own warm-up.
By that time the Crows had three goals on the board, two of them to Betts.
West Coast were also forced to leave key defender Eric Mackenzie out of the side due to illness.
His replacement, Tom Barrass, was impressive for most of the game on Taylor Walker (two goals) but he will be seen in highlight reels most of this week sitting underneath Crow Charlie Cameron's big mark in the third term.
The Crows' fourth consecutive win moves them to sixth on the ladder with an 8-4 record, as they head to the bye.
The Eagles are relegated to eighth, 7-5, and still without a win against a side above them on the ladder this season. They have to travel to Brisbane next week before they have their rest.
For most of the game, the Eagles were able to turn the ball over and go forward and score because of their attack on the football.
They were given a lesson by the Western Bulldogs in the last round, losing the contested football tally by 39 and losing the game by eight points.
But they were ferocious against the Crows from the outset.
They had 15 more than the Crows at quarter-time and led by 17 points had 11 more at the main break and led by 19.
The Crows may have picked up the intensity in the second quarter, but they wasted their chances in front of goal.
They kicked 3.4 for the term, and 3.5 in the third, but were the only team running in the final term when the game was up for grabs.
Adelaide coach Don Pyke praised the balance and attitude of his players.
"Our strength is our even contribution and it was evident again tonight – some with pressure, some with tackling, some with ball winning, some with finishing execution. That's what we've been built on and that's how the guys are playing," he said.
"The pleasing thing is our guys didn't back away. They kept going for their kicks and stuff. And all of a sudden they started to open up and we got some connection, which allowed us to stay in the game."
West Coast counterpart Adam Simpson admitted he was shocked by the Eagles' capitulation.
"We were disappointing in the last quarter to say the least. I didn't really see it coming," he said.
"I know it was a tough game and I thought we were up for the fight. One thing I say about our players is we, for the most part, fight it out. To be two goals up at three-quarter-time...
"I think we had three inside 50s in the last quarter. The stats blow you away.
"There were some small signs at the back of the third quarter, but the game was sort of doing that a little bit. But that last quarter… I didn't see it coming. It's really disappointing.
"We just weren't up for the fight. We just rolled over, (and left) too much to too few."
WEST COAST v ADELAIDE
Votes
Rory Sloane (Adel) 9
Rory Laird (Adel) 8
Eddie Betts (Adel) 8
Matt Priddis (WC) 8
Scott Thompson (Adel) 7
