Adelaide’s SANFL side has fallen short to Central District by one-point in a thriller at Elizabeth Oval on Saturday afternoon.

The Crows were unable to convert and make the most of their opportunities in the final term, which ultimately led to Central’s prevailing 9.7 (61) to 9.6 (60).

Here are five key takeaways from the match:

Finals like atmosphere

The game was a back-and-forth affair with both sides having periods each term where they dominated the territory and momentum.

No side ever got more than 14 points ahead, with eight lead changes across the game in total.

SANFL Senior Coach Matthew Wright described the game as a ‘finals like atmosphere’, with both sides already locked into a spot in the top five ahead of the SANFL Finals.

“No team had total control of the game, there were periods where the Doggies were on top and periods where we wrestled back momentum,” he said.

“I thought it was a pretty good battle for the entire game, all the numbers were fairly equal across the board.

“I thought their ability to take some moments was probably the difference in the end. There were some moments where we coughed it up and they got the loose ball and were able to go forward.”

Dowling Dazzles

Midfielder Billy Dowling relished the opportunity to spend more time on ball, leading the way for Adelaide through the middle.

Dowling backed up his strong performance last week – where he registered 41 touches – damaging both the inside and outside, recording nine clearances along with 12 inside 50s.

“He’s another one that has shown his versatility, he’s played inside, forward and on the wing and what we’ve seen there we really like,” Wright said.

“It was always going to be hard to back up last week’s performance, but I thought he did a pretty admirable job of it.”

Dowling amassed 34 disposals, seven marks, seven tackles and booted two goals.

Strachan celebrates 100th

Ruckman Kieran Strachan gave Adelaide’s midfielders first-look dominating the ruck battle, along with providing a tall target around the ground.

Playing in his 100th SANFL game, the four-time SANFL Team of the Year Player, showed he is still one of the premier ruckmen in the State League, tying his season-high hitouts with 39.

“It would have been nice to get the result for the big fella, but I thought he was outstanding today,” Wright said.

“He’s the ultimate team and club man, he connects the SANFL and AFL group together really well and what he’s done for the club is huge.”

Strachan finished with 14 disposals, three marks, three tackles, five clearances and five free kicks for.

Nankervis plays multiple roles

Luke Nankervis was effective by foot throughout the afternoon, linking up with his teammates and providing some class on the outside.

The wingman showed his versatility, playing behind the ball at times, where he provided support and made good decisions, according to Wright.

“He plays every role, he’s played forward, wing, as a defender, he went behind the footy today and I thought he executed that really well,” he said.

“He has been really important for us and is one pushing for AFL selection.”

Nankervis finished with 25 disposals, six marks, two tackles and two inside 50s.

Back six limit effectiveness

Adelaide’s back six held strong and were able to limit the effect of the Bulldogs inside 50s, despite enduring patches where they conceded multiple repeat entries.

Although the Crows allowed 39 inside 50s, it resulted in just nine goals for the game, with the likes of James Borlase, Jordon Butts and Charlie Edwards standing tall.

“They worked really well together to concede nine goals for the game, especially when we didn’t control it for large portions,” Wright said.

“They’ve played a lot of footy together, we’re really mature down back with Butts, Borlase and Edwards and they are playing a really connected brand of footy and are working hard for each other.”

Adelaide’s SANFL side will play its final game of the SANFL home and away season next Saturday against minor premiers Sturt at Unley Oval with the first bounce at 2:10pm.

ADELAIDE: 2.0  6.3  8.5  9.6  (60)

CENTRAL: 3.2  5.4  7.5  9.7  (61)

GOALS:

Adelaide: Dowling, Madgen 2, Cook, Thomas, Jones, Crane, Gallagher

Central: Thomas, Cochrane 2, Sharp , Lochowiak, Barry, Lange, Matz

Bests:

Nankervis, Dowling, Strachan, Madgen, Draper, Gallagher