CONCEDING that conditions were hardly ideal to maintain dominance given the strong wind, Kuwarna (Adelaide) coach Matthew Clarke was pleased his team could come away with the four points against GWS Giants on the weekend. The Crows flew out of the blocks in the first term thanks to said wind and put a five-goal buffer on the Giants which was never headed in the 7.12 (54) to 2.10 (22) result.

“I thought we started really well and I thought the fourth quarter was pretty strong up into it (the breeze),” Clarke said. “Overall pretty happy. We came off a six-day break and it was a pretty solid game last week.

“The way they fronted up was really good and the way they were able to run it out also pleasing. In the middle two quarters GWS maybe have the better of it but we were able to hold on and get a pretty good result.”

Kuwarna’s midfield simply dominated around the ball, winning 11 clearances to four in the opening term, as well as 15-10 clearance contested possessions and a massive 15 inside 50s to three which with the wind explained the huge advantage on the scorebaord.

“First quarter our stoppage work was really strong, we were winning the clearance pretty comfortably and that let the ball live down in our end,” Clarke said. “We kicked a little bit inaccurately in that period, but it was off the back of clearance win in Q1.

“In the last quarter we started to use the ball a little bit better going back up into the breeze and had a few opportunities that we probably could have taken another one or two. Overall two quarters pretty good, two quarters just, but happy enough.”

When asked about the potential of putting a player behind the ball given the strong wind advantage, Clarke said initially they preferred to stick to their gamestyle, but eventually had to make the change for the last term.

“They probably had the advantage of playing with the breeze in the first one, they had the extra one behind the ball,” he said. “We didn’t go to that in the second, but in the fourth quarter we did, we rolled one back. We just felt that it was going to be necessary given the strength of the breeze. Probably not our preference to do that, but sometimes the conditions dictate.”

GWS Giants coach Cam Bernasconi said the first term essentially was the difference between the two sides, and he was proud of his his players “dug their heels in and fought back” to keep the deficit low after the first quarter danger signs.

“It was four goals seven to zero goals one in the first quarter and that ended up being the game,” he said. “But the ability to fight back and compete till the end and even have moments where we looked like the game was on our terms as well. I’m really proud of the players, they got challenged and instead of rolling over, they dug their heels in and fought back.

“There’s a lot of positives in the way that we defended, in the way we fought back in the contest, and even passages move the footy, it’s probably the best we’ve done and it’s pleasing doing it against a side like Adelaide who are a pretty good side.”

Kuwarna has a massive Indigenous Round clash against Brisbane at Norwood Oval next Sunday, while GWS Giants face off against the only side below them on the ladder in Gold Coast Suns, at People First Stadium.