Crows slammed after being held to record low

Adelaide has been slammed aft a woeful show saw it grounds the lowest people successful nine past successful a 63-point nonaccomplishment against Essendon.

After being somewhat controversially handed a uncommon Friday nighttime fixture, Matthew Nicks' broadside failed to amusement up connected the large signifier arsenic the Bombers ran retired 11. 18. (84) to 2. 9. (21) winners astatine Marvel Stadium.

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The show flew successful the look of the competitiveness Adelaide has shown passim the season, peculiarly against much fancied opponents, adjacent if talisman Taylor Walker was absent.

Adelaide's attack with the shot was notably antithetic to erstwhile weeks, with slower shot question that yet played into Essendon's hands arsenic the Crows managed conscionable 31 Inside 50s. The stop-start play led to questions implicit what Nicks' crippled program was.

Adelaide manager Matthew Nicks' (L) crippled program near overmuch to beryllium desired with the Crows scoring a grounds debased (Getty)

"That is arsenic disappointing an outing arsenic we've seen from them successful a while," Melbourne large Garry Lyon told Fox Footy. "I expected truthful overmuch more."

"A extremity successful either fractional from this Adelaide broadside that pushed Brisbane for 3 quarters past week is simply a immense let-down.

"I inquire the question again: what were they trying to execute from the opening bounce?"

"They were shell-shocked and they overreacted to thing that had been letting them down this play and that was the absorption being capable to instrumentality a heap of intercept marks," St Kilda large Nick Riewoldt added.

Essendon youngster Archie Perkins kicked 3 goals and collected 18 possessions successful his champion lucifer for a twelvemonth (Getty)

The dismal show from Adelaide led to Riewoldt's erstwhile teammate Nick Dal Santo calling for the Crows to beryllium fixed a Friday nighttime shot prohibition for the clip being.

"They had antecedently been averaging 77 points per game, contiguous they had 21, it's not capable and they won't beryllium invited back," helium told Fox Footy's First Crack.

"[That's the past premier clip TV slot] for a play of time. We recognize however invaluable the premier clip slots are, you get to beryllium seen connected a nationalist stage.

"They didn't enactment their champion ft guardant contiguous and I deliberation they'll suffer aggregate opportunities until you tin beryllium that you're up to that standard."

Fresh disconnected signing a caller deal, Darcy Parish was held to conscionable 19 touches arsenic Adelaide applied a hard tag connected him (Getty)

Adelaide's struggles overshadowed what was a nonrecreational show from Essendon, who snapped a tally of 2 consecutive losses.

Ben Rutten's broadside led from siren to siren with stand-in skipper Zach Merrett delivering a best-on-ground show with 35 disposals, benefitting from a hard tag connected midfield moving made Darcy Parish (19 disposals).

First twelvemonth prima Archie Perkins delivered his champion show of the play with 3 goals and 18 disposals, portion Peter Wright was the Bombers' different aggregate goal-kicker.

The triumph moved Essendon to ninth connected the ladder with a clash against the bottom-placed Kangaroos connected the skyline successful Round 18, portion Adelaide volition look West Coast astatine home.

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