Crows down Giants in AFL

Captain Taylor Walker and Eddie Betts kicked five goals each as Adelaide ended Greater Western Sydney’s club-record unbeaten streak on Saturday night with a 22-point AFL victory.

Betts’ haul included a goal of the year contender in the Crows’ 15.17 (107) to 13.7 (85) win at Adelaide Oval.

Walker and Betts ran rampant as the Crows piled on eight goals to one in a match-defining third-quarter blitz as the Giants slipped to their first loss in seven outings.

Betts kicked three in a 14-minute purple patch, including a remarkable 40m effort – after trapping the ball on his haunches, he rose and tiptoed along the boundary line, delicately keeping the ball in, before launching an audacious snap shot.

Adelaide, now entrenched in the top eight with six wins and four losses, turned a two-point halftime lead into a whopping 46 up at the last change.

The Sydneysiders rallied in the final quarter with five unanswered goals before Betts settled Adelaide’s nerve with the sealer two minutes from fulltime.

The mercurial Betts was also damaging drifting into the midfield while young teammates Jarryd Lyons (20 possessions) and Rory Atkins (28 disposals), and veteran Scott Thompson (22 touches) were influential.

And Adelaide’s backline was sturdy, led by Daniel Talia who kept Jeremy Cameron to one goal from a free kick, and Kyle Hartigan whose opponent Jonathon Patton was goalless.

The Giants were forced to rely on midfielders for goals – Toby Greene kicked three and fellow onballers Dylan Shiel and Tom Scully booted two each.

Greene, Shiel (29 disposals), Stephen Coniglio (30 touches) and Josh Kelly (29 possessions) were prominent but teammate Adam Kennedy was concussed in the final term ahead of the Giants’ challenging dates in the next fortnight with Geelong and Sydney.

Stay up to date with the latest sports news
Follow our social accounts to get exclusive content and all the latest sporting news!