ADELAIDE 4.3 9.6 12.10 16.11 (107)
CARLTON 3.0 6.1 6.2 7.5 (47)
Goals: Adelaide: E Betts 3 J Jenkins 3 S Jacobs 3 B Crouch D Mackay J Lyons M McGovern R Douglas T Lynch T Walker. Carlton: D Armfield 4 J Silvagni L Casboult M Wright
Best: Adelaide: Sloane, Laird, Talia, Lever, M Crouch, Jenkins, B Crouch. Carlton: Armfield, Cripps, Docherty, Simpson, Rowe, Tuohy, Wright.
Umpires: Justin Schmitt, Jacob Mollison, Curtis Deboy
Official Crowd: 32,430 at MCG.
Here is a trivia question. How do you have 15 inside 50's for a quarter, not kick a score from any of them, yet finish the quarter with three goals?
![Dennis Armfield puts pressure on Adelaide's Jake Lever.](/web/20160911143438im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/q/2/f/v/g/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gq2ijo.png/1468147252238.jpg)
The answer: Denis Armfield has three sets shots for three goals all kicked from outside 50.
OK, technically the mark was set inside 50 on two of them but still the point is made – Carlton's forward construction even when they were in the game required something special.
![Daniel Talia was a dominant force in defence.](/web/20160911143438im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/q/2/h/a/l/image.related.articleLeadNarrow.300x0.gq2ijo.png/1468147252238.jpg)
Armfield, who often runs too fast to kick the ball accurately, was a study of steady composure and clean technique to calmly lift three shots from beyond the arc to kick Carlton's score.
"Three in a game is my best, to be in just the right place at the right time," he said. "There was a bit of breeze out there to help me carry that distance," he said.
"Our ball use and composure centre-forward let us down a bit. We had a couple of occasions centre forward where we were clearly out and the bounce of the ball has gone the wrong way and they have gone back and hurt us."
The fact Armfield was there to be the man to kick the Blues goals was meritorious enough, given he ruptured a testicle in the game against St KIlda and began this match in a cricket box.
"Bit of pain, everything is sweet now, the nether region is going well," he said.
He was able to start running again after about 10 days, he said. It was a bit ginger at the start, I had to wait for the swelling to go down then the all-clear.
"I had a box for a bit of the game, but it got a bit annoying running around in a box trying to cover 10-plus kilometres, so I got rid of that.
"Probably just after half-time I came off and took it off. It just wasn't comfortable."
Adelaide was plainly the superior side with a better depth of talent across the field, which tested the Blues and ultimately was the difference. They also had Eddie Betts who booted two goals in a minute, one from a hands-in-the-back mark at the goal post that was paid. The Carlton fans booed him, but their heart weren't in it.
The Armfield first-term goals kept them in touch then they began the second quarter, this time with more of the field play but no ability to score.
Adelaide in contrast was finding scoring easy, sucking play up the ground then finding a lonely player forward. The Blues reorganised slightly in the second term to pull the defence back from pressing up too high and allowing the space for Adelaide to get the ball through to Josh Jenkins, Taylor Walker or Betts.
They found goals through Casboult, diving to mark a Jack Silvagni pass, then the son-of-a-son-of-a booted one himself.
The Blues were back in the contest with Paddy Cripps doing well around the ball and Kade Simpson, Sam Docherty and Simon White behind it.
Two moments helped shift the momentum. The first, a fumble by Sam Kerridge which allowed Tex Walker to goal against the flow, then Docherty, who had been good, also fumbled a ground ball and Richard Douglas was able to get he ball in long to Tom Lynch.
They were small moments, but for a side that struggles to kick goals giving up two easy ones through small errors just snapped the momentum.
By degrees, the Rorys – Sloane and Laird – proved more creative, Jake Lever and Michael Talia effective in reading and intercepting the play and feeding to Matt Crouch and Ricky Henderson to link the ball forward.
After half-time the Crows booted 10 of the last eleven goals – Carlton only managed one behind in the third term – to win by 60 points in front of 32,430 people.
The Crows are now inside the top-four and for the seventh successive game they have kicked 100 points or more, which only reinforces the knowledge or perception that they are an attacking offensive unit.
For their finals prospects, only four times this year has an opponent booted more than three figures against the Crows. This was not one of them.
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