sport news Adelaide Crows hold off brave West Coast resistance as Eagles turn around ... trends now
The West Coast Eagles have been left to rue a horror first quarter that featured a shocking mistake in front of goal as they turned the rest of the match against Adelaide into a contest before falling 13.10 (88) to 8.9 (57).
It was far from champagne AFL footy. Nothing could go right for the hapless Eagles in that first term as the Crows stormed out to a 32-0 lead and it looked like another flogging was on the cards for Adam Simpson's side.
That first term was best summarised by Josh Kennedy's frightful bungle at the top of the goal square, when he first bottled a mark but then missed all four sticks from a position where it was almost impossible not to score.
Kennedy did find some redemption late in the match, though, with a much better snap at goal that brought his side back to within 21 points.
While the tale of the tape will show the Eagles were well beaten, the truth is they were the better team for most of the remaining three quarters.
Adelaide squandered their chance to improve their percentage, which could prove costly if they are in the mix for finals at the end of the regular season.
While it was an important win, fans weren't happy with the quality of their team's performance.
Finally, mercifully, Rory Laird put the game to bed after West Coast gave away a free kick for lying on the ball. It snapped a five-game losing streak and is the fourth win of the season for the Crows.
One positive for West Coast is they managed to avoid being the first AFL side to be hammered by 50 points or more in eight consecutive matches.
Shane McAdam of the Crows celebrates a goal with teammates Lachlan Murphy, Darcy Fogarty, James Rowe and Wayne Milera
Taylor 'Tex' Walker said failure to finish off games strongly was a recurring issue for the Crows this season, but was happy to claim the win.
'We've played some pretty good footy against some top four sides in Geelong, Saints and Brisbane, we just weren't able to finish our work. That was probably a little bit of a problem again today' he said.
Walker has been mentoring young teammate Darcy Fogarty this season and the forward was one of the best on-ground, kicking three goals along with Walker and Shane McAdam.
'He's working hard on his craft and working hard on his fitness so it's great for him to be able to get some reward,' Walker said.
Alex Witherden of the Eagles and Shane McAdam of the Crows compete for the ball
The umpires came under scrutiny in the second quarter when West
