AFLW Round Six v Brisbane: Five key takeaways

Adelaide snapped a seven-game losing streak against Brisbane with a composed nine-point win at Brighton Homes Arena on Sunday evening.

The Crows made the most of the breeze early and dominated clearance, as Ebony Marinoff, Grace Egan and Teah Charlton all produced standout performances.

Marinoff finished with 24 disposals, 12 tackles and 10 clearances, Egan had 27 disposals and five tackles, while Charlton produced 19 disposals, 13 tackles, eight clearances and a goal.

Senior Coach Ryan Davis spoke on the following post-game.

Clearance response the difference

After being disappointed with elements of last week’s performance against Geelong, Davis said the Crows had put a big focus on their work around the contest.

That focus translated into a commanding clearance result against Brisbane (34-14), an area Davis believed helped lay the platform for the win.

“It started in the contest,” Davis said.

“There was certainly a big focus point for us last week playing against the Cats. They did some things to us that we weren’t too pleased with, so to be able to come out and go plus-21 in the clearances was a huge step forward for us.

“Brisbane has got a very powerful midfield, and we needed to bring our best, which we did today.”

Crows had contributors across the ground

Davis was pleased the win was not built on one player alone, praising the spread of contributors who helped Adelaide gain the upper hand around the ball.

Asked about having more players impact the contest, rather than relying solely on Marinoff, Davis said Sarah Goodwin, Charlton and Egan had all helped make Adelaide more dangerous.

“I thought Sarah Goodwin, Teah Charlton, and Grace Egan came up through the half-forward line and had a real impact on the game as well.

“To be able to get a good spread across the midfield certainly makes us more potent going forward and makes us hard to stop.”

Grace Kelly’s versatility is a major weapon

Grace Kelly’s work rate and ability to impact at either end of the ground was another talking point after the win.

The 32-year-old finished with 18 disposals, 426 metres gained, eight intercepts and five score involvements.

Davis said Kelly’s flexibility gave Adelaide options behind the ball, while her speed and aerial ability made her dangerous with space ahead of her.

“Her flexibility to be able to go plus-one behind the ball when we need it, her speed level, her aerial ability and at ground level, is a fantastic asset to have,” Davis said.

“But also, you put her in a paddock, one-versus-one in some space, and she’s a seriously dangerous player.”

Staying aggressive to win the game

Adelaide held a 13-point lead at three-quarter time and entered the final term kicking into the breeze.

Davis said the message was to keep attacking the contest rather than protecting the margin.

That attacking approach allowed India Rasheed to kick an important goal against the wind and helped the Crows close out a significant away victory.

“We needed to continue to go in the game,” Davis said.

“That was probably a bit of the mantra during the week, that we were playing to win. Previously we might have just put the foot on the brake a tiny little bit.

“The messaging was just to get after the game, continue to attack, continue to get our shoulders to the goals and make something happen.”

Win could be pivotal for Adelaide’s season

Davis said the result was an important one for the group after a disappointing loss the previous week.

The win was also a major breakthrough for the Crows, who had not won an away game against Brisbane in 1711 days.

“To be able to tick that off on a travel where our season is in a little bit of a balance, with very important wins coming up, it was a huge moment for the group,” Davis said.

“I’m extremely proud of how they bounced back off the disappointing loss last week to Geelong and then to be able to put a team performance on the park like that today was awesome.”

Davis said the win would prove crucial in staying in touch with teams around them, ahead of clashes against Fremantle, Port Adelaide and Richmond.

“To be able to stay in touch with those is a very important piece for our season,” Davis said.