SUMMARY
The SANFL Crows face their sternest test of the season so far against ladder leaders Woodville-West Torrens on Saturday. The Eagles are the only undefeated team in the SANFL and have the benefit of an extra week’s rest heading into a split round. After a strong start to the season with back-to-back victories, Adelaide has dropped its last two games and now sit seventh on the League ladder. One poor quarter cost the Crows dearly in last week’s loss to Port Adelaide, but Ryan O’Keefe’s men have proven their best football can test the top teams. A shortening injury list should help the Crows’ cause and Saturday’s clash will provide a real reflection of where the side is at.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Adelaide: 3
Woodville-West Torrens: 3
WHERE AND WHEN: Maughan Thiem Hyundai Oval, Saturday, May 6, 2.10pm ACST
LAST FIVE TIMES
R17, 2016, Woodville-West Torrens 10.13 (73) d Adelaide 8.5 (53) at Maughan Thiem Hyundai Oval
R3, 2016, Woodville-West Torrens 8.5 (53) d by Adelaide 14.12 (96) at Maughan Thiem Hyundai Oval
R17, 2015, Woodville-West Torrens 10.7 (67) d Adelaide 10.3 (63) at Maughan Thiem Hyundai Oval
R10, 2015, Woodville-West Torrens 14.11 (95) d Adelaide 12.10 (82) at Maughan Thiem Hyundai Oval
R15, 2014, Woodville-West Torrens 7.8 (50) d by Adelaide 17.16 (118) at Maughan Thiem Hyundai Oval
THE SIX POINTS
1. Adelaide fell by 20 points in the last meeting between the two teams in Round 17 last season. Harry Dear booted three goals and Cam Ellis-Yolmen collected a team-high 29 touches and seven clearances.
2. Woodville-West Torrens is the best defensive team in the SANFL, conceding just 54 points a game on average so far this season. Adelaide has averaged 85 points against per game.
3. Crows SANFL co-captain leads the League in contested possessions (63), hard-ball gets (31) and clearances (29).
4. The Eagles love finding space and play a high-possession brand of footy. Woodville-West Torrens leads the League for average disposals (374), handballs received (148) and uncontested possessions (251) per match by a large margin.
5. Remarkably, Saturday’s clash will mark the first time in Club history Adelaide has played two minor round SANFL games at the same venue in consecutive weeks.
6. Adelaide has already fielded 11 players from its SANFL development squad so far this season. The Club had 13 players from the squad feature through the entire 2016 season.
IT'S A BIG WEEK FOR… Jordan Gallucci
First-round draft pick Jordan Gallucci produced his best game as a Crow in last week’s loss to Port Adelaide. Crows coaching staff have encouraged the speedster to back himself and take the game on, and it paid immediate dividends for the dashing youngster. Gallucci should take confidence from his eye-catching performance and will be hoping for some continuity and consistency as he continues to hone his craft in his first season of senior footy.
