Adelaide vice captain Alex Neal-Bullen says the Crows will lean on team system, rather than individual match-ups as they prepare for a clash against St Kilda this Saturday.
Both sides will enter the game fresh off Gather Round wins - the Crows beating Carlton on Thursday night, while the Saints prevailed against Port Adelaide on Sunday.
Quelling the influence of superstar Saint Nasiash Wanganeen-Milera would be important, but Neal-Bullen said the key would be on playing to the Crows’ strengths.
“Some players, you’ve just got to tip your hat and acknowledge they’re going to have influence on the game,” Neal-Bullen told the media on Monday.
“But I’d like to think that with Nicksy (Matthew Nicks) and Muz (Murray Davis), we back our system here at the Crows, understand what strengths they have, not only Nasiah, but Cal Wilkie down back.
“The flashy players get a lot of the headlines and attention, but team defence and team system are often the hardest things to get right.
“I feel like we are in a good position to challenge and I hope you see that on Saturday night.”
Adelaide’s 28-point win against the Blues snapped a three-game losing streak, after narrowly going down to the Western Bulldogs, Geelong and Fremantle.
Neal-Bullen said there had been plenty of lessons to take out of all five games so far this season and players were still working on building consistency.
“I think we’ve had some great learnings from the games we’ve been involved in. We’ve been in games that are tight, we’ve been in games that we haven’t been playing our best and we’ve had to find ways to get momentum back,” Neal-Bullen said.
“As an experienced player, I’m making sure we are taking all these learnings, regardless of the outcome, because this week, we are using that info to perform as best as we can.
“It’s never perfect, as you saw on Thursday night.
“For us, it’s how do we get the game on our terms for as long as we can and understanding that it’s almost impossible to do for four quarters.”
Adelaide faces St Kilda at Adelaide Oval on Saturday at 7.05pm.
Tickets available here.
