When the Bulldogs took the lead midway through the final quarter of the Elimination Final on Saturday night, there was no panic, according to Adelaide forward Darcy Fogarty.
Only eight minutes had passed in that deciding term and the Crows knew they were good enough to turn the tide back and in turn, win the game.
That inner belief, coupled with the home crowd’s energy, willed Adelaide across the line, with the Crows prevailing by 22 points, earning the right to face Brisbane in a Semi-Final this Saturday.
Fogarty was heavily involved in the momentum switch, with the key forward coolly slotting a setshot 22 minutes into the last quarter.
Speaking to the media on Monday, Fogarty said the players trusted their system and each other when momentum swung against them late in the match.
“It was just about playing our way, we have the belief that we can get out of those little ruts, and we knew that they were going to challenge us,” Fogarty said.
“They were a really good side, so we just had to back our ability, and we knew that they would wrestle the momentum back, so that's another spot where that belief comes from again.
“That stock footy, essentially, is good enough to win those games. It was a good feeling, and hopefully we’ll get a bit more of it.”
One player at the centre of that composure was two-time premiership star Callum Ah Chee, with Fogarty crediting the experienced forward for helping keep the group settled when the pressure was at its highest.
“(Ah Chee) has been massive, he put on a lot of pressure, a lot of good smothers, tackles, and I think just his calming sort of mind out there,” Fogarty said.
“He really settled the boys at times as well, he's had a lot of experience in these moments, and we're really going to lean on him come (this) week.”
The challenge of halting an opposition’s momentum doesn’t get any easier for the Crows this weekend when they face reigning two-time flag-winners Brisbane at The Gabba.
Brisbane is coming off a Qualifying Final loss against Sydney, and Fogarty is expecting a hostile environment.
“We'll review them in the coming days, and I'm sure there's going to be some big takeaways from the Sydney game,” Fogarty said.
“But we match up against them a lot differently than Sydney do, so I think we can read into a little bit of recent form, but at the end of the day, it's probably more important about how we want to play our brand football, and how we match up against them.
“I think half of it is how they play the stadium, and obviously they've got a lot of firepower all over the ground. They're a really hard side no matter where you play them, and the Brisbane fans are pretty passionate as well.
“Once they get the country road going, it's hard to stop that momentum, but it's an exciting challenge, you want to be playing the best teams at hard grounds, and there's probably no harder than Brissy up at The Gabba.”
While Brisbane's faithful are renowned for creating a formidable atmosphere, Fogarty is hopeful a strong contingent of Adelaide supporters can help tip the scales back towards the visitors.
He said the connection between the players and supporters had been a driving force throughout the finals campaign
“We've got passionate fans as well, and we always travel pretty well, so it's exciting, and hopefully they can get up there and we can silence them a little bit,” Fogarty said.
“We know it's not easy to get to the football these days, and the amount of showing and support we get week in, week out, is unbelievable.
“I think that showed on the weekend when we weren't going well and the momentum was against us, the crowd were as loud as they've ever been, so they definitely do play a massive part.
“We want to ignite that and give them a reason to cheer, so hopefully we can do that on the weekend, and I'm sure they'll show up and support us like they always do.”
Adelaide faces Brisbane in a Semi-Final clash at The Gabba this Saturday night at 7.05pm (ACST).
Tickets went on sale for Members via Ticketmaster on Monday morning, and are available for the general public from 2.30pm.
