Adelaide midfield star Patrick Dangerfield might be a freak but he’s going to need a lot more help if the Crows want to turn their AFL season around, says coach Brenton Sanderson.
The powerful 23-year-old did all he could to try to help the struggling Crows down Richmond at the MCG on Saturday, with 28 hard-won disposals in their 16.14 (110) to 10.12 (72) defeat.
But for inaccuracy, he might have managed to get them closer, kicking 2.4.
Fellow midfield bull Scott Thompson also did his bit with 29 touches and a goal.
He and Dangerfield also notched nine tackles and 17 clearances between them.
While they couldn’t have done much more, Sanderson said there were a few teammates who could have.
“We need better output from our entire squad,” Sanderson said.
“We leave a lot to Dangerfield. He kicked 2.4 today – attracted plenty of ball through the midfield.
“He’s one of a kind. He’s a freak of the competition.
“I’m very thankful that he plays for us but we’re probably leaving too much to him.
“He left everything out there today – he tried as hard as he could. We just need a few more contributors.”
The Crows also desperately need a forward to stand up, with their past three games having yielded their three lowest scores of the season.
The absence of Taylor Walker (knee) for the season, combined with the off-season departure of Kurt Tippett is clearly hitting hard.
Not helping the cause was Adelaide’s poor field kicking and an off-the-ball free kick against Bernie Vince in the third term, which denied teammate Matthew Wright a shot for goal.
Thompson said it was pointless bleating about the impact of losing Walker and Tippett and the Crows just needed more from the players they had.
“I’m sick of talking about it; the club’s sick of talking about it,” Thompson said.
“We’re not going to beat around the bush – they’re not playing. We need to get better.”