Adelaide has lifted itself into third spot on the AFL ladder after a dominant 90-point victory against Sydney at the SCG. 

The Crows were clinical from start-to-finish, as 12 unanswered goals in the first half set-up the 21.5 (131) to 5.11 (41) triumph. 

Senior coach Matthew Nicks spoke to the media following his side’s eighth win of the season, and delivered five key takeaways.

Balanced performance the key

An even spread of contributors across the ground proved the catalyst for Adelaide’s dominant performance at the SCG. 

The Crows’ squad of 23 worked together, as each player stepped up in their role in the clinical 90-point victory.

A night where it was difficult to choose a stand-out performer, Adelaide had 14 individual goal kickers, while its defensive unit stood tall, only allowing the Swans to kick five majors. 

Nicks said it was pleasing to get solid contributions from all of his players. 

“It was a great team effort, I thought it was a really balanced performance all round,” Nicks said. 

“We knew Sydney would come out hard, we had to match that, and our guys did a fantastic job all night. 

“It was a really even contribution across the board, I’m trying to think through who our stand outs were, and from a coaching point of view that’s the most pleasing part of the night, everybody contributed.

“There were a number of key roles that needed to be executed well to help us come away with the result, and to the boys’ credit everybody played their role to a high standard.”

Rachele’s SCG redemption

Adelaide forward Josh Rachele showed his growth as both a player and character at the SCG on Saturday night, as he put together yet another standout performance.

The 22-year-old was an electric presence in the Crows’ forward half, as he kicked three majors and produced one of the goal assists of the season, to help his team put a mammoth 131 points on the board. 

Rachele had a point to prove against the Swans, as last year he was left-out of this fixture due to not fulfilling the standards set by the Club. 

Nicks said he was pleased to see Rachele redeem himself, and proud of the work he had put in across the past nine months. 

“I’m proud of what he (Josh) has been able to do, but not surprised at all,” Nicks said. 

“That’s where a decision made late last year was made for a reason, because we’ve got a really important player and leader at our footy Club that we knew would respond well to it. 

“As a coach and a friend, I knew we would be where we’re at now, he did some incredible work throughout the break and proved he will be a great leader of this footy Club moving forward.” 

Accurate Adelaide make the most of opportunities 

Adelaide’s forwards showcased their class in front of the sticks, with a final return of 21.5 (135) helping the side get the most out of its dominance around the ground. 

The Crows missed just two of their 23 shots at the sticks (removing three rushed behinds), with its 91.30% efficiency the most accurate return in their history. 

Livewire Josh Rachele and the hard-working Ben Keays led the way with three majors a piece, as Adelaide’s ability to convert put the home side under pressure throughout the night.  

“Obviously we converted well throughout the night, which allowed us to get maximum results for our good work across the field,” Nicks said. 

“Putting the ball through the goals is super important, it puts scoreboard pressure on the opposition and it just adds up on the opposition as the game goes on.

“It was really pleasing to see our forwards, and midfielders finish their work off, and put us in a strong position on the scoreboard.”  

Crows’ growth on display

Adelaide took the opportunity to flip the script on the Swans on Saturday night, as it produced a 121-point turnaround from its last trip to the SCG in Round 24 last season. 

The Crows looked a completely different side to the one that travelled to Sydney to end their 2024 season, as they took it up to and dominated the reigning grand finalists on their home turf. 

The performance was an indicator of the Club’s growth across the past nine months, as Nicks said the group was starting to get reward for the hard work they had put in to get its game in order. 

“Organically we grow, our group gets more experienced under its belt with 20-odd extra games than when we played here last,” Nicks said.

“But then we also bring different people, both staff and players, into our Club and we continue to grow and develop our people. 

“We’ve been really confident we’re heading in the right direction, but we understand that it's not linear, and we had a drop off last year where we lost focus on what we needed to. 

“This year we are back playing some of our best footy, and it’s amazing how much of a reward that is for a group, they got some belief that what they are doing is working and we just need to maintain that.” 

Narrowing in on Lions blockbuster

Narrowing the focus has been the mantra for Adelaide’s squad this season, as it refuses to look too far ahead. 

The next challenge is a blockbuster against reigning premier Brisbane at Adelaide Oval next Friday night. 

Nicks said the coaching cohort and players were aligned in their focus, and understood the same intensity brought to the SCG would be needed to get the result against the Lions. 

“We aren’t starting to talk about the second half of the season, because we’ve still got a couple of massive games before the bye, which includes the reigning premier on our deck next week,” Nicks said. 

“We need to lock in, which we’ve done every week now, and that is off the back of a learning from last year where we focused more on blocks of games. 

“This year we are locked in on what’s coming up next, and that’s Brisbane on Friday, so we’ll enjoy this win and then move on quickly to how we can bring this level and some next week - because we’ll need to.” 

06:18