AFL 2016: Adelaide Crows put St Kilda Saints to the sword

ADELAIDE 
6.5      11.11      16.14        19.19     (133)
ST KILDA
1.2        4.2       5.5       6.9     (45)

GOALS - Adelaide: Jenkins 6, Walker 4, Cameron 2, Betts, Sloane, Lynch, McGovern, Lyons, Jacobs, Seedsman. 
St Kilda: Bruce 2, Membrey Riewoldt, McCartin, Gresham.
BEST - Adelaide: Sloane, Lever, M. Crouch, Lyons, Jenkins, Laird. 
St Kilda: Steven, Armitage, Savage, Billings, Hickey, Gresham.
INJURIES - Adelaide: Thompson (soreness) replaced in selected side by M. Crouch. 
St Kilda: D. McKenzie (illness) replaced in selected side by J. Webster; Goddard (Achilles).
UMPIRES  C. Deboy, C. Fleer, J. Mollison.
CROWD 40,896 at Adelaide Oval.

Adelaide crunched the Saints at Adelaide Oval on Sunday night, and hurting them further was a potential season-ending Achilles injury to defender Hugh Goddard.

In just his ninth game, Goddard fell to the ground late in the second quarter and was taken off the field on the mini-ambulance.

It was first thought Goddard had suffered a serious left-knee injury, but he later returned to the St Kilda bench wearing a moon boot with club medical staff indicating he had damaged his Achilles.

It was a terrific win by Adelaide but they still don't know how to kill off their opposition.

While some may suggest they could not have done better than demoralising their opponents, had they not missed so many set shots – like they have done for most of this season – they would have been merciless and achieved even far greater percentage.

However, there was no denying the Crows were as brilliant as the Saints were woeful. When the Saints were able to switch the play in their backlines Adelaide had time to cover their opponents downfield. When the Saints played-on and tried to run the ball into attack, most times they couldn't get through Adelaide's press. The Crows simply rebounded and had an inside-50 feast.

Beyond this surprisingly one-sided exhibition, considering the Saints had produced some fine displays this season,  was the fortune of the teams' most-decorated current players – Scott Thompson and Nick Riewoldt, who turn 34 later this year and want to play on next season.

Thompson was a late omission because of soreness, and his replacement Matt Crouch, who has struggled to get back into the side after also suffering soreness, dominated with disposals including an amazing 17 in the opening term. The Crows looked good tonight with his run and creativity, as also displayed by other young Crows Rory Atkins and Charlie Cameron, who backed up the tenacious Rory Sloane incredibly well. Whether there is room for Thompson in 2017 is questionable.

Riewoldt was his fiercely competitive self, but after  signs of his classic brilliance this season he struggled with his knee soreness.

Adelaide was able to rebound into its inside-50 zone far too easily, and the decision-making process by the young Saints would have surely frustrated their coach Alan Richardson.  David Armitage and Jack Steven were great given the pressure the team was under, but the best-player list faded significantly after five or six.

As Josh Jenkins continued to kick goals one could hear the cash registers from Woollongabba, the home of the Brisbane Lions, who supposedly want to lure him. But as good as the Adelaide ace was, four of his goals were gifts in the goalsquare from teammates. 

There was much to like about the Crows again.

 If Jenkins wasn't causing havoc, the likes of Tex Walker, Eddie Betts and the often under-estimated value of Tom Lynch certainly were. It was the same with the Crows' midfield, including Jarryd Lyons, 24, this month, who has taken advantage of the opportunities long overdue.