Round 19
Saturday, June 28, 7.10pm (local time)
Adelaide Crows v Melbourne, Adelaide Oval
First quarter: Adelaide Crows 4.4 (28) to Melbourne 3.1 (19)
Adelaide got the early jump, booting 3.2 to claim a 20-point lead.
But midway during the term, Melbourne hit back, booting three of the last four goals before the opening change.
Tom McDonald got the ball rolling, when he kicked the red and blue’s first at the 14-minute mark.
And when Jordan Lewis landed a classy goal from just outside 50, the Demons had two in a row and trailed by just nine points.
Bryce Gibbs landed Adelaide’s fourth late in the term, giving his side a 15-point buffer, but when Bayley Fritsch marked before the quarter-time siren and converted after it, Melbourne cut the margin back to nine points.
Second quarter: Adelaide Crows 6.8 (44) to Melbourne 5.7 (37)
The second term had similar overtones to the opening quarter.
The Crows again jumped out to a 20-point lead. And it wasn’t until the 16-minute mark, when the Demons got their first for the term – courtesy of Jake Melksham, who registered his 99th AFL goal after taking a fine grab.
Both sides wasted opportunities in front of goal, with the Crows adding four behinds and Melbourne notching up six for the term.
But when T.McDonald became the first multiple goalkicker of the match, during time-on, he helped reduce the deficit to seven points at half-time.
Clayton Oliver had 16 disposals by the main break, while Crow Matt Crouch had 17.
Third quarter: Melbourne 12.11 (83) to Adelaide Crows 7.10 (52)
Melbourne started the second half in fine style. Lewis opened the third term with his second, and when Melksham landed his 100th AFL goal at the six-minute mark, the Demons hit the front for the first time in the match.
Two minutes later, Hugh Greenwood recorded Adelaide’s first for the second half – in the process, becoming his side’s first multiple goal scorer for the night. But it also proved to be the Crows’ only major for the term.
When Bayley Fritsch secured his second midway through the term, it was the start of a brilliant period for the Demons, which produced five in a row.
Jay Kennedy Harris booted his first goal since round 22, 2015, while T.McDonald bagged his third, as Jeffy Garlett and Jesse Hogan opened their account.
By three quarter-time, Melbourne led by 31 points in a stunning turnaround.
Final quarter: Melbourne 13.12 (90) d Adelaide Crows 10.17 (77)
Although Melbourne entered the final term with a lead of more than five goals, Adelaide dominated the last quarter to almost pinch the match.
There was a sense of déjà vu for Melbourne – given it led by 29 points early in the final term last Saturday night, before falling to Geelong by a kick-after-the-siren at the Cattery.
But the Crows were wasteful in front of goal – kicking 3.7 to 1.1 in the final term – giving the Demons a 13-point victory.
And when Alex Neal-Bulen ran into goal and kicked the match-winner at the 31-minute mark, Melbourne claimed its 11th win of the season.
Oliver finished with 31 disposals, while M.Crouch had a game-high 32 touches.
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