ADELAIDE Â Â Â Â Â
4.6 Â 6.10 Â 14.11 Â 21.15 (141)
NORTH MELBOURNEÂ
2.4 Â 5.4 Â Â Â Â 8.5 Â Â 12.7 (79)
BEST – Adelaide: Betts, Smith, Talia, M. Crouch, B. Crouch, Sloane. North Melbourne: Wells, Goldstein, Daw, Ziebell, Dal Santo, Higgins.
GOALS – Adelaide: Betts 6, Lynch 4, Walker, Smith , Jenkins 2, M. Crouch, Cameron, Sloane, Lever, Lyons. North Melbourne: Daw 4, Thomas 3, Goldstein 2, Higgins 2, Ziebell.
UMPIRES C. Donlon, C. Kamolins, S, Jeffrey.
CROWD 49,007 at Adelaide Oval.
After 60 minutes of football only the match review panel would want to watch again, the Adelaide Crows stunned North Melbourne and stormed into a semi-final clash with the Sydney Swans.
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Crows end Roos' season
Adelaide recorded an emphatic 62-point victory over North Melbourne in their elimination final on Saturday night.
As the master of cliches would decree, they played "a game in two halves" — kicking six goals in the first and eight in a blistering third quarter to tear the heart out of the Kangaroos with a 62-point win.
Eddie Betts kicked six goals, but it was his three in that third quarter resulting from some magnificent hard-running team play and his sheer brilliance that proved the difference and confirmed what we had suspected for some time – North didn't have the man-power to be a genuine finals threat.
For the most part, especially in a spiteful first half, the Kangaroos seemed more intent on ruffling the Crows' feathers, with a series of fights breaking out.
However, it was Adelaide that should be concerned most after defender Kyle Hartigan extended his left leg to trip North's Lindsay Thomas early in the second quarter, contact which troubled the Kangaroo for most of the term.
Right from the opening 40 seconds when Taylor Walker brilliantly tapped the ball over his head to a running Charlie Cameron who goaled – and was then crunched unmercifully by a much taller and 18kg heavier Michael Firrito – it was obvious there was going to be a lot of spite.
The sweetest mark came seconds before the quarter-time siren when Betts soared over Firrito's back and goaled, but not even this gem put a lot of spark into the game. And Brent Harvey's pending exit also didn't offer the game much with most of his early disposals ineffective.
Ultimately, it took Walker to kick his 300th career goal 90 seconds into the second half to show the Crows had found something special in a match that was there for the taking. Even reliable defender Jake Lever chipped in for his second career goal, and with the midfield finally gaining the ascendancy Josh Jenkins and Tom Lynch became key targets again.
And when Betts slipped over in the goalsquare in a marking contest against two opponents in the opening minutes of the fourth term, yet was able to stand up and take the grab for his sixth goal, the magic really had returned.Â
While Betts was brilliant, there was also a lot to like about Daniel Talia who made it a disappointing night for North's key forwards Ben Brown and Drew Petrie. It was left to Majak Daw to make a big impression with four goals in extremely difficult circumstances.
Daniel Wells was his classy self with his speed and clearance impact, but the Kangaroos' best list was a lot shorter than Adelaide's. It was a disappointing end to a marvellous career for Harvey.
Sam Jacobs and Todd Goldstein had a magnificent battle in the ruck that was generally shared, but it was the strength and quality play by the giant Kangaroo that gave him the honours.
To North's credit, they battled to the end. It was a fitting finish for their departing foursome. It was important for Adelaide to continue the momentum they started from those opening second-half minutes, but of course it ultimately meant nothing.