Right as rain
If the clash between two of the AFL’s better contested-ball teams wasn’t already shaping as a physical affair, the forecast weather nearly guarantees it. Up to 15mm of rain is expected to hit Adelaide on Friday. Fortunately for fans, the indications are the bulk of the wet weather is tipped to arrive before and after the match. The Adelaide Oval surface soaks up water as well as any ground, but it’s still likely to be heavy underfoot while windy conditions could add to the degree of difficulty for the players.
The Crows produced of their better games of the season in torrential rain against Fremantle at the venue in Round 10. Locals will be hoping that experience gives the home team an advantage over the reigning premiers, who have played four of their last five games under the roof of Etihad Stadium.
Friday night lights
The match will be the third of five Friday night fixtures featuring the Crows this season. Adelaide ended a run of losses in the prime-time slot with an emphatic win over St Kilda at home in Round 12. Prior to that, the Club had suffered five-consecutive Friday night defeats including two each to heavyweights Hawthorn and Geelong. The Crows will meet the Cats again on a Friday night in Round 18, this time at Adelaide Oval. The Crows and Bulldogs have only met twice on a Friday night – at Docklands in 2010 and 2011. The Dogs emerged victorious on both occasions.
Welcome to our house
The last time the Crows hosted the Bulldogs in South Australia was in Round Four, 2013, when Adelaide star Rory Laird and Dogs premiership-wining duo Jake Stringer and Jack Macrae were on debut. The two teams are yet to clash at Adelaide Oval, with the past five meetings held in Victoria. However, the Bulldogs have experience at the venue, securing their first win from three starts against Port Adelaide at the iconic ground in Round 12 last season. On Friday night, the Western Bulldogs will be hunting their first win outside Victoria for the season, having lost in Sydney, Canberra and twice in Perth.
Rory Laird in his first AFL win - against the Bulldogs in 2013
A game of tag
Adelaide vice-captain Rory Sloane and Bulldogs Norm Smith Medallist Jason Johannisen have been two of the highest-profile ‘victims’ of taggers this season. Sloane played at half-forward and on a wing to mix things up against Carlton last week, and it’ll be interesting to see what impact the return of veteran Scott Thompson has on Adelaide's midfield dynamic on Friday night. Johannisen, who has averaged 14 possessions since the Sydney Swans first tagged him a month ago, has also been heavily scrutinised. With fellow rebounding defenders Bob Murphy and Shane Biggs out injured, Johannisen’s run and creativity will be important against the Crows.
The Betts teammate
Star Crow Eddie Betts could notch not just one but two milestones on Friday night. In his 268th AFL game, Betts will draw level with Brisbane triple-premiership star Darryl White in sixth spot for most games by an Aboriginal/Torres Strait Island player. The brilliant forward also needs just three more goal assists to reach 250 and become the second player in history to reach the mark. Only Geelong and Greater Western Sydney trickster Steve Johnson (253) has had more goal assists than the selfless Betts. Johnson managed 10 in Geelong's mammoth 186-point win over Melbourne back in 2011, the highest recorded in a single match. With Betts a comparative youngster at 30, he is well on the way to holding the record outright by the end of his career.
Infographic courtesy of AFL Media
