Cats season off to poor start with loss to Crows

AFL 2021 round 1; Adelaide Crows v Geelong Cats; Adelaide Oval, Saturday 20 March 2021 Ben Jensen DEPENDING on who you talk to, ‘footy is back’ but unfortunately for Geelong it wasn’t a happy occasion, the 2020 runner-up losing to 2020’s wooden spooners the Adelaide Crows – supposedly the first time in fifty years this has happened. Before the game ‘Isabella’ on Twitter (see below) warned ‘DO NOT TAKE THE CROWS LIGHTLY’ and she was certainly the money.

After outscoring the Cats four goals to two in the first quarter the Crows really opened up in the second with a seven goal quarter (more than they scored in some games in 2020!) The Cats clawed back some of the half-time deficit of 38 points in the third quarter and again out-scored the Crows in the final term but it was too little too late.

Charlie Constable was the Cats’ first substitute under the new rules, replacing Sam Menegola who was listed as having a shoulder injury. Patrick Dangerfield may be the first Cat suspended after colliding with Crow Jake Kelly, the latter suffering concussion after the resulting head knock. Dangerfield will attract scrutiny as he initiated the bump.

Earlier today Geelong’s AFLW side lost to the Greater Western Sydney Giants at GMHBA Stadium by 7 points in a game that saw only three goals kicked on a superb autumn day in Geelong. And the VFL men’s side lost to Coburg 6.9 by 22 points at Deakin University.

DO NOT TAKE CROWS LIGHTLY https://t.co/HgyewJrOBc

— Isabella 😺 (@_izzy10) March 19, 2021

Ratugolea 2, Close, Hawkins

AFL 2021 ROUND 1
ADELAIDE CROWS V GEELONG CATS
SATURDAY 20 MARCH 2021, 16:35 AEDT
ADELAIDE OVAL

ADELAIDE CROWS: 4.4, 11.7, 13.9, 15.13 (103) DEFEATED
GEELONG CATS: 2.3, 5.5, 10.8, 13.13 (91)

GOALS
ADELAIDE CROWS: Walker 5, Rowe 2, Frampton 2, McHenry 2, Lynch, Murphy, McAdam, Schoenberg
GEELONG CATS: Parfitt 2, Hawkins 2, Smith 2, Stanley, Rohan, Menegola, Blicavs, Guthrie, Dahlhaus, Miers

BEST
ADELAIDE CROWS: Walker, Laird, Sholl, McHenry, Rowe
GEELONG CATS: Dangerfield, Guthrie, Blicavs, Smith, Parfitt

INJURIES
ADELAIDE CROWS: Brown (sore achilles), Kelly (concussion), Hinge (shoulder)
GEELONG CATS: Menegola (shoulder)

CHANGES
ADELAIDE CROWS: Nil
GEELONG CATS: Nil

SUBSTITUTES
ADELAIDE CROWS: Mitchell Hinge (replaced Luke Brown)
GEELONG CATS: Charlie Constable (replaced Sam Menegola)

REPORTS
ADELAIDE CROWS: –
GEELONG CATS: –

CROWD: TBC at Adelaide Oval

UMPIRES
FIELD: Ray Chamberlain, Simon Meredith, Brent Wallace EM: Giles Lewis
BOUNDARY: Chris Bull, Jason Moore, Matthew Konetschka, Mark Thomson (not that one)
GOAL: Daniel Hoskin, Steven Axon EM: Peter Challen

GEELONG CATS – SELECTED SIDE
IN: –
OUT: –
B: Lachie Henderson, Mark Blicavs, Jed Bews
HB: Tom Atkins, Tom Stewart, Jake Kolodjashnij
C: Isaac Smith, Joel Selwood, Sam Menegola
HF: Shaun Higgins, Gary Rohan, Cameron Guthrie
F: Gryan Miers, Tom Hawkins, Luke Dahlhaus
FOLL: Rhys Stanley, Brandan Parfitt, Patrick Dangerfield
INT: Mark O’Connor, Zach Guthrie, Jordan Clark, Josh Jenkins
EMER: Charlie Constable, Francis Evans, Jack Henry, Quinton Narkle

ADELAIDE CROWS – SELECTED SIDE
IN: –
OUT: –
B: Andrew McPherson, Jordon Butts, Luke Brown
HB: Will Hamill, Brodie Smith, Jake Kelly
C: Lachlan Sholl, Rory Sloane, Paul Seedsman
HF: James Rowe, Billy Frampton, Ned McHenry
F: Shane McAdam, Taylor Walker, Lachlan Murphy
FOLL: Reilly O’Brien, Rory Laird, Ben Keays
INT: Sam Berry, Harry Schoenberg, Tom Lynch, Tom Doedee,
EMER: Chance Jones, David McKay, Mitchell Hinge, Darcy Fogarty