Footy Repair: Fly’s Pies’ plan to take down Adelaide nearly works
Craig McRae got here to the Adelaide Oval with a plan.
A plan to defy a horror current run of type that had left Collingwood hanging to their place within the high 4 by their fingertips. A plan to storm the fortress of Adelaide, their replacements as ladder-leaders and flag-favourites, probably the most in-form and imperious opposition within the recreation.
In entrance of a file 54,283 screaming spectators filling Australia’s most stunning stadium to its buttresses – a much bigger crowd than any Showdown, or ultimate, that the venue has ever hosted – McRae got here inside three factors of pulling it off.
What he proved as a substitute was that Adelaide aren’t simply minor premiers, aren’t simply premiership favourites – however are realer than anybody may have anticipated.
Not simply any crew may stand up to the load of 71 inside 50s in opposition to – solely as soon as in recorded historical past has a facet claimed 4 factors having misplaced that depend by greater than 34. Not simply any crew may maintain a harmful Magpies ahead line goalless for just about two full quarters, occurring to win a recreation with simply 14 scoring pictures.
However particularly not an Adelaide crew whose weak point earlier than the beginning of the season, supposedly, was its defence.
This was a victory constructed on desperation. On grit. On guts and willpower. On coronary heart. And while you add these traits to the sensible talent, brute power and frenetic velocity the Crows already reveal on a weekly foundation, you’ve one thing particular.
McRae’s plan to take them down was a easy one: put Adelaide’s defenders beneath as a lot stress as humanly attainable.
To execute it took two issues: territory domination, and frenetic tackling stress as soon as inside 50.
The primary of these was achieved by a better than traditional defensive press which incessantly noticed Isaac Quaynor, Brayden Maynard, Harry Perryman and even Billy Frampton push up inside 60 metres of the Pies’ objective with the intention to type a veritable brick wall forward of the play.
The design? To check out the chink within the Crows’ armour: they rank within the backside 5 for share of defensive 50 possession chains translated into inside 50s, at a tick over one in 5. As a rule, they don’t transfer the ball finish to finish with explicit success – Matthew Nicks’ one wooden with this crew is linking up from stoppages additional afield and surging the ball to main forwards, or else forcing turnovers in midfield and pouncing with ferocity.
That’s regardless of scoring a league-best 24 factors per recreation from the ‘defensive midfield’ zone – that’s, the house between the centre circle and defensive 50. If the Crows get the ball in that house, they’re deadly – so to get the ball over it and inside 50 in any respect prices, then fill that house with black and white numbers, was a sound technique to curb Adelaide’s strengths.
The following step was so as to add a sprinkle of chaos to the Pies’ entries – particularly within the first half, it was noticeable to see torpedo punts, scrappy snaps and different junk float contained in the Collingwood ahead 50. Except a goal could possibly be hit on the lead – one thing the Magpies did thrice within the first quarter – the plan was, seemingly, to make it as tough as attainable for Adelaide’s star intercept markers in Mark Keane and Josh Worrell to repel.
Take this kick from Jordan De Goey – it’s a hack, however one directed at open house moderately than at any opponent. Worrell is prone to mark if he goals at Jamie Elliott, so the pure resolution is to take it away from that match-up.
Then, when the ball hit the bottom, sort out like males possessed.
As much as quarter time, the Pies had a staggering 11 tackles to 0 inside 50, harassing the Crows to inside an inch of their lives and forcing repeat entry after repeat entry because the Crows hacked the ball straight again to Magpie counterparts over once more, solely shopping for themselves seconds earlier than being pressured to defend once more.
Their 24 inside 50s for the quarter was probably the most in any time period for 2025, whereas the Crows’ differential of -18 was, naturally, their worst for the yr.
By its finish, the Magpies had 5 targets to at least one on the board, have been 25 factors to the nice, and it seemed for all of the world like McRae’s tactical masterpiece would carry a few well-known win.
However the Crows are not any strangers to needing to wrest momentum again – they did it two weeks in the past in opposition to Hawthorn, in any case.
Due to a outstanding uplift within the stress stakes – the went from a 164 stress issue within the first time period to 231 for the primary quarter-hour of the second quarter – Adelaide wrested issues again into their most popular territory of upper up the bottom.
All of the sudden, the sport was being performed not from deep of their defensive 50 in opposition to a manic Magpie ahead line, however additional up the bottom, the place the Crows’ harmful midfield and array of artful small forwards – and Izak Rankine, who manages to be each – may flip the tables on the Pies.
In a stroke, the Pies’ lead had been erased, and McRae’s plan, so profitable to quarter time, was proving an obstacle to truly scoring.
That development continued within the second half, with the Crows having retaken the lead and the Pies needing to discover a approach again. The within 50 depend learn 9-18 for the third time period, but repeatedly the Crows held them at bay in a fashion they couldn’t within the first time period.
This was a whole-team effort from Adelaide to clog up house: figuring out full effectively the Pies’ plan to get the ball in as quick as attainable when in possession, the Crows fought hearth with hearth. They flooded again in outstanding numbers, pushed their talls proper as much as the sting of defensive 50 to match the Pies’ interceptors, and bided their time.
After taking 5 marks inside 50 for the primary quarter, the Pies managed only one – and within the ultimate minute – within the third. Two of probably the most entertaining groups in footy have been lock in what was, successfully, a stalemate.
When the chance got here for a quick break, look the place the Crows’ numbers are – and look who’s forward of the ball.
The Pies have pushed up to date that they’re left dealing with an outnumber in their very own defensive 50 – in the meantime, for Adelaide, Darcy Fogarty is the one one among their ‘three-headed monster’ of their half when the play begins.
It’s Isaac Cumming, Alex Neal-Bullen and Ben Keays at floor degree in opposition to Darcy Moore and Billy Frampton – the previous and the latter mix for a Crows objective that, in the long run, proves totally essential.
That continued within the ultimate quarter, with the Pies as soon as once more dominating territory but unable to yield outcomes on the scoreboard.
Fifteen minutes handed with not a rating between them till the Crows finally broke the impasse – however two fortuitous kicks inside 50 yielded two marks for the Magpies, and with them a pair of targets to make sure the guests saved yapping on the heels, organising a grandstand ultimate 4 minutes by which all semblance of technique went out the window.
That is as shut as 2025 has but come to a ultimate.
From right here, it was all moments. Ben Keays sprinting into the center to mark a despairing Wayne Milera kick out of defence, figuring out full effectively to spill it was to ask an nearly sure turnover. Lachie Schultz flying right into a marking contest with barely a minute on the clock however solely managing to take down Nick Daicos and go away three Crows free on the drop to rebound. Keane’s desperation to twice foil on the dying Magpie makes an attempt to first mark after which snap for the profitable objective. Milera once more hacking clear within the ultimate seconds and one way or the other discovering the chest of Jordan Dawson.
None of it made sense. None of it was stunning, or slick, or scintillating, or something you’d normally say about Adelaide. This was pure slog. And it was wonderful to behold.
Adelaide gamers rejoice their win over Collingwood. (Photograph by James Elsby/AFL Photographs through Getty Pictures)
It was the kind of scrap this Adelaide crew have sometimes come out of because the dropping facet. What number of occasions have they been left to rue a slender loss in a recreation like this in opposition to a contender, in opposition to Collingwood as a lot as anybody?
The distinction right here? The Crows held their nerve on the end, and had the benefit of that second-quarter onslaught that gave them a lead they by no means relinquished, regardless of what number of occasions the Magpies remained in contact.
This was a win of coronary heart. And in pulling it off, Adelaide confirmed themselves as worthy ladder-leaders.
It’s going to take one thing particular to knock them off in September if this can be a string they’ve added to their bow – a string completely suited to finals footy.
For which this gritty epic serves as an ideal costume rehearsal for a crew who has by no means made it this far earlier than.
