Rampant Crows demolish the Saints

Adelaide 18.15 (123) def. St Kilda   8.12 (60)

Adelaide and St Kilda kicked off the split Round 12, with the Crows pummelling the Saints by 63 points at the Telstra Dome in Melbourne tonight.

The Crows enter the mid-season break with a 10-2 win-loss record, and depending on other matches this weekend they may take top spot, while the Saints (6-6) are hanging perilously onto seventh.

Adelaide set about destroying any realistic hope St Kilda had of winning early, with a ten-goal to three first half. While the Saints rallied in the second half, the match as a contest was well and truly over before the main interval.

The bearded burbler (aka fat lady) could be heard in the next suburb, and around the world online, after 14 minutes of the second quarter when Scott Thompson slotted his second major, Adelaide’s ninth of the match.

The Crows dominated from the opening bounce. The lacklustre Saints were treated to a training clinic led by Simon Goodwin, Martin Mattner and Tyson Edwards.

St Kilda, in defeat, were served well by Brendon Goddard, Luke Ball and Jason Gram, however the injury ravaged Saints were clearly out played and lost veteran pair Robert Harvey and Max Hudghton (knee) during the second and third terms’ respectively.

Despite being involved in a sickening collision last weekend, Saints skipper Luke Ball bravely led his team out. Mark Ricciuto returned for the Crows, after he missed last weekend with a groin injury.

Adelaide kicked the first five goals, Trent Hentschel booted two of his three goals in the opening term, while the Saints finally found the target, through Stephen Milne, as the clock ticked into time-on.

Goddard slotted the Saints second as the home team ventured back into the game, if only briefly. Adelaide took a 20-point lead into quarter time.

There was no let-up from the Crows in the second quarter, the opening four goals added more misery for the Saints faithful under the roof at the Dome.

Andrew McLeod shrugged off a nagging foot injury, for which he will have surgery on during the 16-day break, to boot the first major of the second term.

Ricciuto and McGregor joined Thompson in the goals-spree, while the Saints lone major came from Nick Riewoldt.

Adelaide led at half time by 42 points, and stretched that to 50 by the final change with three goals to two.

Hentschel opened the scoring in the second half, while Riewoldt and Milne grabbed consecutive majors mid-way through.

Adelaide won the final quarter with another five goals, despite the Saints clawing back to 41 points the Crows kicked away again late with the last three majors.

Next round, St Kilda host Hawthorn at the Telstra Dome on Saturday afternoon (July 1), while Adelaide host Geelong at AAMI Stadium on Sunday (July 2).

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