Crows secure AFL minor premiership after Rankine furore
Shayne Hope |
Adelaide will relish the chance to freshen up for their AFL flag tilt after clinching the minor premiership without banned ace Izak Rankine in a 13-point win over North Melbourne.
As Rankine started a four-match suspension over his homophobic slur, the Crows ended a tumultuous week by resisting a late fightback in their 17.11 (113) to 15.10 (100) victory at Marvel Stadium on Saturday.
Four Kangaroos goals in a six-minute burst in the final quarter got the home side back within two straight kicks.
But the Crows, who coach Matthew Nicks conceded were “beaten up” around stoppages and “put to the sword” in the contest, steadied late to secure the result.
“In the end we grinded out a win that we really wanted,” Nicks said.
“We were looking to try and find our best but we didn’t necessarily find that tonight.
“But I thought the 23 guys that represented us, the fight they showed was enough to get the job done.
“We’ll now work on freshening up and getting ourselves right.”
Adelaide’s ninth consecutive triumph confirmed they will top the home-and-away ladder for the first time since they reached the grand final in 2017, with the best winning ratio in club history (18-5).
It came amid the furore surrounding Rankine’s homophobic taunt directed at a Collingwood opponent, which has threatened to derail the Crows’ flag bid.
They comfortably passed the initial on-field test, though far greater challenges lie ahead in September, including a likely encounter with the Magpies in a qualifying final.
“It’s good reward for what’s been a big year for us,” Nicks said.
“A challenging one where we’ve had a lot of experiences along the way and we’ve learnt a lot.
“It’s been a bit of a grind over the last three weeks. It’s been not necessarily our best footy but it’s got the job done.
“That’s put us at the start line in a position as good as you possibly could be.
“We give ourselves the best chance to have a crack at it.”
Riley Thilthorpe, Ben Keays and James Peatling kicked three goals each to help Adelaide overcome North Melbourne, with Jordan Dawson (23 disposals), Sam Berry (24) and Rory Laird (23) busy.
But the Kangaroos, who finish a sixth consecutive season in the bottom three, refused to lie down.
All-Australian candidate Tristan Xerri was superb in the ruck with 25 disposals, 12 tackles and seven clearances.
North dominated stoppages (48-27) and contested possession (141-112), and gave themselves a chance at an upset in the first-versus-sixteenth clash with more inside-50s (52-48).
Luke Davies-Uniacke (31 disposals, 12 clearances), Luke Parker (27,10) and Harry Sheezel (32, six) fought hard, and Paul Curtis kicked three goals.
“They’re a formidable opponent,” Kangaroos coach Alastair Clarkson said.
“But what we’re really proud of is there was probably three times in the game where they slipped away and our boys just dug in.”
AAP
