Live Updates - Adelaide Crows v Geelong Cats - Round 14 from AAMI Stadium

Posted by Tristan Heffernan

July 4, 2008

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AFL Round 14 - Adelaide Crows v Geelong Cats - 7:40pm ACST Live from AAMI Stadium

The second week of the split round is upon us and for the first time in a few weeks we have a cracking Friday Night Footy contest to look forward to.

The Crows welcome back Brad Symes from an ankle injury, as well as Kris Massie, however they lose star back flanker Andrew McLeod to a knee injury and have omitted Luke Jericho.

The Cats went into the break with a scintillating destruction of the West Coast Eagles in Perth, and have strengthened up even more by welcoming back Matthew Scarlett and Matty Stokes into the mix.

Last year’s clash at the same venue was a ripper with the Cats just prevailing in a close encounter - let’s hope tonight’s match is as equal a contest. So when game time rolls around, sit back, grab an ale as we fire all the updates to you live as they happen, only at DieHardFooty.com.

15 minutes to kick off - need something to pass the time? Check out our Top 10 Warning Signs Dream Team Is Ruining AFL For You - and make sure you don’t fall victim during tonight’s game! Although to be fair - you’re probably not human if you don’t…

All the betting through the week has been the Crows - $5 to $4 to win, and the line has shifted from 26.5 to 22.5 with a number of the satchel swingers. Banking on the dewy conditions bringing the two teams close together you would have to think - personally I struggle to see how the Crows will manage to kick a winning score against the Cats defence.

Geelong have won 31 of their last 33 - make you keen to take $4? Not me.

In and under rough stuff is going to suit me down to the ground - I have the little champ Gary Ablett Jr captain this week on Dream Team (yep I’m a genius) so bring on a big 160.

I’ve been brought back to earth already over on BigFooty - talking up tonight’s match to be a belter compared to the tripe we’ve had to endure the past few Friday nights and I’ve been warned against going the early crow. Bugger it, it’s impossible to get any worse.

Ricky O and Roo down on the boundary tonight, Ricky gives Roo a dig about complaining about the cold while he stands there in an extra coat - seasoned campaigner. Time for the first bounce!

First Quarter

20:00 - And of course Ablett goes forward. F&$k. Massie gone to him. Chappy marks and goes bang, albeit wide, and already the Cats are in front 1-0.

20:00 - Yep its still that time because Channel 7 have decided we’re in no real need of a time clock on the screen tonight. Fair dinkum.

So no time updates. Might be good for Crow fans - signs are horrid early as Stevie J gives himself a birthday present by snagging the first sausage roll.

Shirley gone to Bartel, and gives away a free for hanging on at a bounce right on cue.

Bock is on Johnson who just dropped a chance to line up for number 2. Chance to Ablett but he was grabbed - such is his form I expected him to shrug it and kick a checkside through the hey diddle but he is human after all.

Ling appears to be going with Scotty Thompson but has led him to the ball at least 3 times already.

9:00 - The clock is back! Counting up from 0 - so we’ve played 9 minutes, no one on duty at Channel 7 who can count backwards. Moooon has a shot on goal but just the minor score. 8-0. Bruce lets us know there’s a problem with the clock … at the ground. Knew it wasn’t 7s fault after all.

12:18 - Another goal to Steve Johnson and its 14-0 Cats. On his birthday. Did you know it’s his birthday? Bruce will make sure before the night is out.

14:00 - Crows are restricting the Cats - only 2 goals so far, fair enough, but they don’t even look like getting near the goals themselves. How exactly do they plan to win the game?

14:55 - Bit of talk about Porplyzia’s shoulder, appears to be worrying him somewhat. Hearts in mouths for a lot of Dream Team coaches. Stevie J almost snagged no. 3 then, and Ablett then set up Varcoe from 15m. Should have gone yourself Gary, Varcoe sprays it for a point. 15-0. How’s that betting move looking? Another rushed behind makes it 16-0.

17:11 - Even Selwood is outmarking Rutten on kickouts, and he sets up Corey for another shot on goal. Another behind, and where it could be a 5 or 6 goal margin, and probably should be, it’s 17-0.

19:22 - Have I put the mozz on this game? Not a great spectacle and it’s all down to the Crows defensive mindset. Will the Cats class be enough to marvel at?

20:30 - God Jr a bit lazy after a mark in the forward 50 - ran on just to dribble it through but shockingly runs it along the face of goals to miss everything.

21:30 - Crows on the board through a point from Van Berlo who decided to try and checkside one from about 30m. How about someone kicks a drop punt and see how they go?

23:20 - Vintage Cats as they go end to end resulting with Lonergan all alone 10m out and he slams it home. 23-1 and the bagmen may as well start filling out the deposit cheque already.

25:00 - Burton has just laid out Selwood with a bit of head on high contact - somewhat similar to that he got rubbed out for. No free kick and Selwood is livid. Silly really by Burton - they will definitely have a look at that, and while not as bad as last time, I wouldn’t like to be betting that he won’t get off unscathed for that.

26:22 - Crows murder a few chances and Cats have a chance to make them pay but Lonergan can’t make the trip from 50. 24-1 as its rushed through.

28:40 - Crows waste another chance and the Cats go forward thanks to a very soft 50 to Blake. Absolute mung from Blake but somehow it floats its way to the goal line and evades Crows hands for a goal right on the quarter time siren. 30-1.

Absolute procession that first quarter for the Cats. They had all the play and all the possession, whereas the Crows didn’t look like kicking a goal. Blistering first term for Bartel with 10 touches a lazy 43 DT points. In fact half the Cats side are on track for 100, compared to about 4 Crows.

Big news from the first quarter is the Burton incident. Not even a free kick was paid so not a lot has been made of it, but it’s definitely going to be a talking point - especially with how borderline it is. My gut feeling is he’ll get at least a week, simply because he’s been done already this year. In his favour is the fact that Selwood bounced up pretty much straight away, even if it was merely to remonstrate with the ump.

Lowest Adelaide first term for 10 years pretty much sums it up.

Second Quarter

20:00 - Clock is working properly now. Cats are just incredibly clean - they just don’t make any mistakes. Stokes robbed of a shot on goal and the Crows take it up the other end. Ends up with the Porpoise who takes a strong mark and goals from 50m. 30-7. Interesting scenes from quarter time of Bassett giving Bocky a royal spray over the last goal from Blake - Bass didn’t hold back on his feelings why he was the only one down on the goal line. Not great for morale at all, but maybe that goal will get them going in this second term.

16:45 - Cats go forward, and a fumble from Rutten is pounced upon by Lonergan who snaps through his 2nd from 40m. 36-7 and the Cats are looking mighty fine.

15:05 - Crows looking a bit better in this second term - at least they are getting forward. Burton dropping marks 15m out don’t help though. Up the other end and the Pink Pig gets a hands in the back free 15m out and looks set to goal again. Scotty Thompson gives it away and he is bathing in a fair old pink bath at the moment as Ling goals. 42-7.

13:10 - Better from the Crows and the pill ends up in the hands of Douglas 40m out. He drills it and the Crows get a bit of spirit going amongst them. Still getting flogged though - it’s 42-13.

11:30 - Burton has another chance on goal after a good tackle but sends an ugly helicopter goal wards which is marked on the line and cleared by the Cats. Doesn’t look on tonight the Bird Man, but you can’t deny the Crows’ intensity has lifted.

9:30 - Precision movement again by the Cats ends up with Chappy marking 35m out. He misses one you wouldn’t expect though, 43-13.

8:30 - Crows are having all sorts of problems bringing the ball out from behinds, and again the ball comes banged back over their heads from Wojak, but again just a minor score. 44-13. Crows need to get themselves in front if they are going to have any chance. They surge forward but only for a rushed behind. 44-14.

7:15 - Tyson Edwards sends one at goals from 50m, and as Den gets all excited going the early crow it lands on top of the goal post padding. Just a point. 44-15.

6:40 - End to end brilliance again from the Cats, leads to a clever snap from Stevie J to a running Kelly, who pops it over for Lonergan in the square for his 3rd. 50-15. Enright is up to a whopping 21 touches already.

5:20 - Geelong’s execution is just putting Adelaide to shame. Chapman hits a strong lead from Big Cam, who goes back and pumps another big boy. 56-15. Crowd is getting very restless, and understandably so.

4:50 - News gets worse Crows fans - Shirley has left the ground with a ton of claret pouring from his snout - early diagnosis from Dr. Olarenshaw is a broken nose.

4:20 - Clever play from Bassett stops a Cat forward thrust and on the rebound Porplyzia outmarks Tom Harley 40 out from goal. Gets a bit of boomerang on the kick though and whacks it into the post. 56-16. Shirley comes charging out of the rooms and looks set to come back on. Not exactly Paul Pierce-like, but good news nonetheless.

2:55 - Porplyzia is the only bloke who looks like it up forward for the Crows, and is this week’s recipient of the Bruce McAvaney ‘You just get the feeling…’ award. He’s the man apparently.

1:30 - Near farcical is the space the Cats get when moving forward. It’s amazing how much space they can find even when the Crows are flooding back. This time it’s Varcoe slipping into a spot 35m out and Moon wastes no time finding him. Varcoe shows the difference again with an effective kick for another Cat goal. 62-16.

0:35 - Almost a mark 20m out to the Porpoise, and then Thompson can’t capitalise on the crumb. Just a behind. 62-17 and that will be the score at the half time break as the siren blows.

It’s like watching seniors versus the ressies at the moment, and that might be being kind. Huge possession stats for the Cats - Enright has 23, Bartel 22 with 7 marks, 18 for Selwood. Ablett has been relatively quiet by his own standards - yet he still has 14 possessions at the break. No surprise that the usual suspects down back racking up the touches for the Crows - 15 for Johncock, 14 for Bocky. For you DT freaks - 91 for Enright, 82 for Bartel, then Ling, Selwood and Bock on 59.

Geelong have 249 disposals (a record!) to 172 of the Crows, which pretty much shows the way the game has been played. Marks inside 50 also 13-3 in favour of the Cattery.

Third Quarter

19:00 - Josh Hunt gets in the way of a dream start for the Crows to punch through a long shot from Scotty Stevens, so just a point for the Crows. 62-18.

18:15 - Interesting move to send Bassett forward, and he responds by leading up and then spotting up the Bird Man in the forward 50. This could go anywhere … if anywhere is STRAIGHT THRU THE GUTS! First goal Crows, 62-24.

16:40 - Bass is providing a spark - an awkward spark - but a spark nonetheless. Crows are still wasteful up forward though, and youngster Tippett is really being shown what the game is all about by Scarlett.

15:20 - Tys Edwards is toying with the comm box as he has another shot on goal which looks home, yet bounces on the goal line and back into play! Got Bruce this time - Den held his tongue.

13:55 - Crows have got all the play but an injury to Reilly means he is out for the game. Point to Goodwin - they need to start converting! 62-25 and the Cats go running away from the kick in again. Only as far as Massie though who runs down Ottens at half forward - that wouldn’t have happened in the first half!

11:30 - Getting all too predictable at the moment - Crows pump it in, Cats clear, turn it over at half forward, Crows take it and pump it in again only for the cycle to being. Not going to be let off all night and now Chappy has got free inside 50 and will line up the big sticks. He’s hooked it again though - and in fact hasn’t even made the distance. Awful kick from Massie hasn’t helped things, but luckily Den was there to put the mozz on Gablett - ’something good will happen here’ results in a shank and just a behind. 63-25. Oops 64-25 as Johncock can’t bring it back in and concedes another point.

8:40 - Bartel takes the handball for a flying shot on goal but comes up short. They look far from in trouble the Cats - not making any major additions to the scoreboard however. Haven’t needed to - Crows are not doing it themselves.

7:40 - Shouldn’t have spoken so soon - goal to Corey, aided by a wonderful shepherd by Piggy on the goal line - outpointing Scotty Thompson once again. 70-25.

6:00 - The Pink Pig has been too much for Scotty Thompson! Started to get into Lingy off the ball - Lingy just laughs back, a big ugly grin - he knows he’s got him.

4:10 - MOOON kicks one off the ground from 2m out - no happy birthday to Stevie J as he robs him of a certain goal. You can tell that one has got Johnson right in the heart, I could feel it from here. 76-25 as Roo chips in having a dip at his former teammates’ skill level.

3:10 - Comments from the Supercoach from Balls Brown on MSN who is seething he took the line on the Crows - ‘why dont adelaide say STEVE JOHSNON OPPONET - DO NOT LEAVE HIM ABLETT OPPONENT - DO NOT LEAVE HIM’. He does make a bit of sense.

1:50 - Massie pumps one through the middle and goes racing back up field like David Neitz in his prime firing up the troops. Unlike Neitz though Massie was sprinting to get off the round. 76-31.

1:15 - Time for Matty Stokes to have a dip at goal sporting a new crew cut, and like a true hungry small forward he makes no mistake. Cats answer again. 82-31.

0:40 - Crows fans minds are elsewhere - from FanFooty - abac3: reilly injured..i think i’ll have to steal his girlfriend. incredibly hot. and with a bung knee he wont be able to chase. Thinking clearer than the Adelaide box no doubt.

0:03 - Bird Man snaps on 3 qtr time siren, but guess what - just a behind. 82-32.

Cats really flexing their muscle late in the third term - they just floated along for the first half of the quarter as the Crows had a real solid dip, but got motoring late. As for the Crows - poor skills and poor decision making has been their downfall - they have been thoroughly outclassed and have another whole quarter to look forward to/dread. Interesting situation for viewers - do you push for some goals to the Crows to make things a bit closer, or do you write it off and kick home your line bet like Damo in the comments section? If you’re going for the Crows - don’t tell Damo…

Bartel and Enright continue to chalk it up - 122 and 116 DT pts respectively, with 32 and 30 touches. Bocky is up to 96 with 24 touches, and Corey has 85 with 20 of his own. 27 touches for Selwood. Only 62 DT pts for Gazza who’s mad run seems to have come to an end - still has a more than handy 19 touches though.

Slight medial knee strain for Reilly - 2-4 weeks the prognosis. Roo is giving some cracking comments talking with Ricky O - ‘When 2 players come off 2 more good players come on’ - who said the hard line by the AFL on interchanges wasn’t working?

Final Quarter

19:30 - What a classy start to the final term as Stokes pulls out a pirouette and then drops one through from 25 out in the pocket. Wonderful goal, 88-32.

18:40- Cats look primed for a big last quarter as they take it out of the centre and get it in the hands of Lonergan. He obliges by dobbing his 4th. Could be a real blowout on the cards - 94-32.

17:55 - Cats come again and this time its the Chap Man who takes a big grab in front and will line up from 30. Will he hook another? Nup he bends it the other way straight through the middle. The ton is up, and it’s getting messy. 100-32.

14:40 - Mackie getting in on the act with a shot but can’t quite get the accuracy. 101-32.

14:15 - The kick in breaks down again but Johnson can’t bend it around enough. 102-32.

14:05 - Channel 7 are absolutely obsessed with trying to catch Bomber Thompson doing something out of the ordinary in the box - they catch him having a drink and are over the moon.

13:15 - And there’s the replay.

11:15 - Junk time has well and truly started and the fizz has gone out of things as you would expect. Tyson Edwards helps himself to a goal to cut the margin to 64. 102-38.

10:00 - Maric for a shot now on goal as the Crows look to put some respect into the scoreboard. He sticks it through. 102-44.

9:00 - Flying shot on goal by the Pink Pig but can’t convert despite relishing a bit of freedom - 103-44.

8:25 - Now a point to Hunt having a ping from 50. Can’t blame him, would have thought he’d snap that up though. 104-44.

7:50 - Crows blow another kick in and the ball ends up with Stokes. Loves a goal this kid and was never in any doubt. 110-44.

6:20 - Huge possession stats - 38 to Bartel, 35 to Enright and Selwood. Johncock pushes forward and kicks himself a rare goal. 110-50.

4:33 - Matty Stokes is really pushing hard in junk time but could only snap a behind. Will be dirty on that. 111-50.

3:45 - Fair shambles then as Douglas couldn’t make the distance from about 35m out, but it’s gone through anyway. Johncock tried to claim he got a boot on it but replays show he didn’t. So I guess Douglas did make the distance cos he’s got a goal for his effort. 111-56.

3:10 - Mackie pushes forward for a goal of his own. Real good kid with a beautiful kick. 117-56.

2:40 - Bit of showtime now for the Cats as they Globetrot it up and Corey finishes it off with another snag. 123-56.

1:00 - Hungry snap by Stevie J wanting a bit of cake but can’t get enough on it and it’s rushed through. 124-56.

Siren sounds to end a rather lacklustre last 15 minutes or so. A whopping 68 point win to the Cats in clinical fashion. Not much to say - the Cats were simply too good, and showed why they are clear flag favourites.

Stats leaders - Bartel chalked up a huge 41, Selwood 37, Enright 36. 34 for Simon Goodwin. Gaz had a bit of a ‘down’ night for him - ‘just’ the 25.

DT leaders - Bartel obviously came up big - 145. 136 for Enright. 123 for Corey, 118 for Selwood, 117 for Tyson Edwards and Bock Bock Bocky keeps on racking them up with 115.

All in all, a game that went on for just a bit too long, but one can not help but be impressed by the polished performance of the Cats. Hope you enjoyed the updates and if you have any suggestions at all, please leave us a comment or shoot us an email from the Contact Us page. Good night.