FOOTBALL THE FINALS WEEK 1
The Age
Friday September 4, 2009
STYLE OF PLAY (Adelaide)The Crows are a very structured team. They switch the ball from defence, and their hard-running midfi elders, such as Bernie Vince, Scott Thompson, Tyson Edwards, Simon Goodwin and Andrew McLeod, spread hard to space, linking through chains of possessions between the arcs. The strength of the Crows is their zone at AAMI Stadium. They seduce teams to play wide and allow shallow entries inside the opposition forward 50.STYLE OF PLAY (Essendon)The Essendon defenders will zone off their opponents, with Dustin Fletcher being the master at his craft. This allows run and carry from the defensive 50 using short kicks to hit up small forwards and midfi elders, then long, penetrating kicks going inside the forward 50 to marking targets in Jay Neagle, Michael Hurley and Angus Monfries.THE MIDFIELD BATTLEThe trademark of both midfields is their spread from the contest to run and carry the ball. This, in itself, can be hectic to watch. The Bombers€™ rucks will play a vital role in this game with the loss of Paddy Ryder to suspension. Tom Bellchambers gets another opportunity against a more experienced Crows ruck division, which is led by Ivan Maric. Bellchambers will have to get his hand on the ball to give the likes of Jobe Watson, Brent Stanton and Ricky Dyson an opportunity to win the stoppage and break quickly to space. This will help bring other running types such as Jason Winderlich into the game. These Bomber players will be up against the Crows€™inside players Thompson and Edwards. Watson will be Adelaide€™s No. 1 target; he gets them started. Last time they played it was Edwards€™ 300th game and he amassed 41 possessions. He must not be allowed to do this again. In raw numbers, both teams are not high-clearance teams but clearances are super important in this fi nal. Whoever gets clean possession and gives it to their running, spreading players will have every opportunity to score. Some other midfi eld match-ups that will be very entertaining include Brad Symes v Stanton, and Vince v AndrewLovett. The edge may come for the Crows in the midfi eld from the old stagers McLeod and Goodwin, with both playing in bursts using their experience and ball-winning abilities to make the Bombers€™ task more difficult.ADELAIDE DEFENCE v ESSENDON ATTACKLast week, Essendon was able to kick a winning score with its young key forwards doing the job against a young Hawk defence. Now they face the seasonedBen Rutten, Thompson, Graham Johncock and Nathan Bock returning from injury, and throw in a rising star in Andy Otten. This Crows defence is tight, compact and experienced. The Bomber midfi elders will have to be at their best to deliver clean football inside 50 to give Neagle, Hurley, Monfries and maybe Adam McPhee theopportunity to kick a winning scoreESSENDON DEFENCE v ADELAIDE ATTACKThe last time these sides met, Kurt Tippett kicked seven goals against young Bomber defender Cale Hooker. This time, Tippett gets 311-gamer Fletcher. Henry Slattery must take Chris Knights out of the game. Knights was given too much space to work in and kicked multiple goals against the Dons earlier in the year. Bomber Tayte Pears gets Scott Stevens. Mark McVeigh goes to Jason Porplyzia, who he can match in the air and for strength in the contest. Who gets Brett Burton and Patrick Dangerfi eld? Is it McPhee or does he play forward? It looks as though one of these Crows forwards may fall out and be able to kick a bag of goals.TACTICAL (Adelaide)The Crows€™ work off the ball will be the key. First, squeeze the Bombers, slow them down and score from turnovers. Second, stop Watson at the coalface and win the stoppages.TACTICAL (Essendon)It€™s all about the midfi eld stoppages and contested ball. Why not go third-man up to get the Crows€™ midfi elders thinking about them and hitting the ball clear of the stoppage into the path of Lovett, Stanton and Courtenay Dempsey so they can run and carry the ball and give their young forwards every opportunity.WILDCARDS (Adelaide)I can€™t go past McLeod and Goodwin. With their smarts in the midfi eld, they are the cream on the cake. Something tells me one of Porplyzia, Dangerfield and Burton may be a matchwinner in the forward line. The Bombers can€™t cover them all.WILDCARDS (Essendon)It€™s stating the obvious but Watson is the man for the Bombers. He sets them up and is so creative with his hands. The Bombers welcome back Dempsey, his run and carry may be the spark the Bombers are looking for.WHO WILL WIN AND WHYThe ruck division of the Crows will give the Adelaide inside players first use, allowing them opportunities to score from stoppages. On top of this, I think theCrows will stifl e the Bombers€™ run-and-gun style of play, setting up their midfi eld zone. This Crows team is the best in the AFL in forcing the opposition to kickto a contest and converting it to an uncontested play, thereby creating forward entries for their very talented forward line. Essendon will be bold and brash attimes but this alone will not be enough to get the Bombers over the line. Adelaide by 45 points.
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