Swans Break Adelaide Drought in Dashing Display

It seemed like an ordinary Sunday in Adelaide, hot, sunny and dry. 36,000 fans lined up outside AAMI stadium so that they might see the next instalment in a long running series of Swans defeats at the hands of the Crows in the stronghold of AAMI stadium. This is, at the very least, what the fans were expecting, and it seemed that even the idea of a hard fought Swans victory would be dismissed with little more than a broad smile and a pat on the head. Predictions of a thumping would be enough to get out the phone and call up the local mental institution. And yet, that is exactly what transpired, with the Swans breaking their 9 year hoodoo in style with a 43 point victory.

Perhaps it was the much discussed new-look side, with ruck duo Mark Seaby and Shane Mumford, midfield/forward and ex-Hawks duo Josh Kennedy and Ben McGlynn, and ex-Lion Daniel Bradshaw at full forward. Perhaps it was the knowledge that Paul Roos had never coached an away win against the Crows, and barring finals this would be his last chance. Perhaps it was simply the law of averages rearing its rather plain, neutral head. In any case, the Swans, through a highly productive second quarter, were able to put their demons to rest.

The game started poorly for both sides. Mistakes were abundant as early season rustiness went everywhere the ball did in the first 15 minutes, before the game settled down into a rhythm that had the Swans simply getting to it more, running it more and using it more than the Crows. The Swans opened up a 41 point break going into half time after an avalanche of goals in the second quarter saw the Crows battered and the crowd silent. Things were to get better for the Crows, however, as a small resistance led by young midfielder/forward Patrick Dangerfield, who was shifted to a more permanent forward role and kicked 3 goals in the third quarter, helped stabilise a margin that had been blowing out at a dangerously fast rate. This continued into the last quarter, with Dangerfield kicking another 2 goals and the margin remaining relatively stable, sitting at 43 points at the final siren.

The minuscule Ben McGlynn resembled more flea than his newly adopted Swan, jumping what often seemed like many times his height to take grabs against bigger opponents, while Crows defenders did their utmost not to let him near them, seemingly giving him as wide a berth as possible. As a small forward at the end of plenty of quick ball movement with that sort of treatment, the 5 goals he kicked were inevitable. Of course, that's not to take anything away from his game. While it seemed Crows defenders were treating him like a disease-ridden insect, his work rate to create the space he enjoyed was truly magnificent.

It was, however, through the middle and off the half back flank that the Swans truly won the game. Predictably (nowadays at least), Ryan O'Keefe was dominant, with 29 disposals, including 21 kicks. He also sneaked into the forward line on a few occasions and booted 3 goals, using all of the knowledge he had gained in his past life as a forward. It was the sort of game that made you wonder if there were two of him out there, which may or may not have had something to do with his slightly smaller blond look-a-like wearing a slightly smaller number in the 19 year old Daniel Hannebery, wearing Tony Lockett's and Premiership player Ben Mathews' old number 4. Hannebery, in just his 8th game, notched up 23 disposals, including 11 contested possessions, 6 clearances, and 5 inside 50s, all of which were game highs.

This dominant midfield duo, with cameos from Jarrad McVeigh, Brett Kirk, Lewis Jetta and Jarred Moore, a solid tagging effort from Kieran Jack on Tyson Edqards, and a dominant ruck display from Mark Seaby who had 19 touches, 21 hitouts, 6 tackles and 2 goals, was supported and fed by a slick rebounding unit operating off the half back line. Nick Malceski, Tadhg Kennelly and key defender Heath Grundy, who also kept Adelaide young gun Taylor Walker goalless, were superb on the rebound, though the former two were at times lax in defence. The only real resistance for the Crows came through Scott Thompson, who soundly beat his opponent in Jude Bolton, Andrew McLeod, David Mackay, and Richard Douglas, who worked tremendously hard all day to try to give the Crows some spark, but all too often seemed spent by the time he'd engineered an opportunity and gave it up.

It was a similar story up forward for the Crows, with only youngster Patrick Dangerfield causing problems, and then only in the second half, after the game was more or less put to bed. Dangerfield ended up with 5, his stocky, muscular, immensely mature build looking more than a little odd supporting a face that could only be described as "baby-like". From a distance, however, his strong use of the body, stocky build and lack of reliance in height when up forward was reminiscent of another Crow who used to don the number 32, the legendary Mark Ricciuto. If Dangerfield ends up half as good as the original "Roo", Crows fans will be delighted, and the good news is he's looking right on track.

Meanwhile, fellow future forward stars for the Crows were feeling far less happy. Kurt Tippet failed to fire, and I daresay overused "F" words more than the start of this paragraph, as he was blanketed by the blonde and bulky, awkward and underrated Roberts-Thomson, who had Tippet's measure all day. Tippet was forced into the ruck to make an impact, and while this perhaps aided the midfield, it left forward targets wanting. Meanwhile, the prodigiously talented but still very inexperienced Taylor Walker could not get near it in the face of emerging star Swans centre half back Heath Grundy. Walker was able to push up the ground late and win a few cheap possessions, but his influence on the game was ultimately negligible. Only Petrenko provided some spark other than Dangerfield, with two goals and some exciting touches.

So it was that in the end, the Swans were too good through the midfield and off half back, looking to take the ball through the corridor at every opportunity, and perhaps more importantly, being allowed to do so. It was not the clearances in particular which won the Swans the game, but the ability of the defensive line to turn defence into attack, and the midfield to find space in the corridor and move the ball quickly, creating space for the likes of Ben McGlynn to simply pot goals at the end of the chain.

Adelaide: 2.3 4.5 8.7 11.9 (75)
Sydney Swans: 4.3 11.4 14.9 18.10 (118)

GOALS
Adelaide: Dangerfield 5, McLeod 2, Petrenko 2, Douglas
Sydney Swans: McGlynn 5, O?Keefe 3, Bradshaw 2, Kennedy 2, Seaby 2, Jack, Goodes, Kirk, Moore

BEST
Adelaide: Scott Thompson, Patrick Dangerfield, Andrew McLeod, David Mackay
Sydney: Ryan O'Keefe, Ben McGlynn, Mark Seaby, Heath Grundy, Adam Goodes, Daniel Hannebery