The changes
Reliable small defender Luke Brown returns for Adelaide, having missed the Crows’ win over the Saints in Round 12 with a fractured cheekbone.
Riley Knight is the unfortunate omission, with the ladder-leaders opting for just the single change heading into their Round 14 clash with Hawthorn.
What to expect
Heading into the second half of the season, Adelaide sit atop of the AFL ladder with a percentage that monsters the second-placed GWS Giants.
The ability to score, and score big, has been a feature of the Crows’ season so far. They are number one in the league for points scored, having scored 160 more points than the next best, Port Adelaide.
Having scored 140 or more points in seven of their 12 games so far, there is no secret to how the Crows are generating such higher scoring rates. They rank first in the competition for marks inside 50 and goal assists, and are also second for total inside 50s.
Put simply, the Crows have an abundance of scoring options- they have six players who have scored 16 or more goals this season. They are Eddie Betts (34 goals), Taylor Walker (31), Tom Lynch (19), Charlie Cameron (18), Josh Jenkins (16) and Andy Otten (16).
To put this into context, Melbourne and Essendon have four players that have achieved that benchmark and the Eagles, Cats and Giants trail next with three each, with ten teams having two or less players with 16 majors for the season.
Evidently, the Crows scoring power is incredibly superior over the rest of their competition, but their midfield also deserves some praise.
The Crows are the number one contested ball side in the competition, with three players, Rory Sloane, Matt Crouch and Brad Crouch, inside the game’s top 20 contested possession averages.
They also rank third in clearances, aided by the fact that Sam Jacobs has had more hit-outs than any other ruckman in the game.
The Crows are a formidable outfit. If the Hawks are to cause an upset away from home, they will have to stem the attacking game style of Adelaide with staunch defence and an aim to possess the ball themselves and keep it out of the hands of the Crows’ ball-users.
Read: Last time we met the Crows
Players to watch
At no other ground in the country does Eddie Betts average more goals than Adelaide Oval.
An All Australian for the last two years, Betts has averaged just shy of three goals a game over his 43 games at the South Australian venue and he’s averaging precisely three per outing there this year.
It is news to nobody that Betts is one to keep an eye on, but with the Hawks’ usual Betts-minder Ben Stratton not playing, the onus will fall on another Hawk to lock away the exciting goal sneak.
After averaging almost 27 disposals through the first ten games of the year, Rory Sloane has suffered a drop to this rate in his past two games, finding it only 18.5 times over that period.
Having had the bye last week to re-energise, Sloane seems due for a return to his stellar early season form but the Hawks will be determined to shut the 27-year old down.
