AFL Finals Scoreboard: Adelaide Crows vs Western Bulldogs

AFL Finals Scoreboard

By Andrew McGarry

HT: Adelaide 7.2 (44) leads Western Bulldogs 5.8 (38)

Arty Jones has another and responds for the Dogs

This is a man in form alright! He and Naughton remain the biggest Bulldog threats, and they combine there as Jones gets on the end of the Naughton pass inside 50.

Jones nails the set shot for his second and pumps his teammates up. The game has come to life in the second term.

Josh Rachele bags another! Crows making a move!

Josh Rachele is having a really impactful first half, working so hard from midfield into the forward line. No Bulldog was willing to go with him there as he pushed forward into space.

He marks and converts his second to give Adelaide an 11-point lead with four minutes to play in the second.

Cal Ah Chee puts Adelaide in front!

Jordan Dawson just split the entire field open with one kick from half-back to Rachele, who somehow had the entire outer wing to himself.

Rachele went inside to Soligo, and eventually Ah Chee was able to crumb a loose handball, break a tackle and snap a goal. He's a proven finals performer and he's making his mark here for the Crows.

Brayden Cook has his second and the Crows are level

Taylor Walker hasn't been having a brilliant night, but that's a telling intervention. He was much too strong for Williams in the one-on-one inside 50, and then he was clever to spot Cook running into goal from the other wing.

This one is ebbing and flowing with these momentum swings in the second. We're all tied up again.

Aaron Naughton gives the Bulldogs the lead!

Three quick ones for the Dogs! Naughton has finally held on to one of these long bombs in his direction, albeit on the second attempt, and goes back to convert.

The Crows have been rocked by these quick ones as the Dogs take a lead they might feel they have deserved all along.

A shocking free kick allows Arty Jones to level it up!

Arty Jones was running back with the flight in an attempt to mark, but spilled the beans with Michalanney nearby. Somehow the ump has decided Michalanney infringed upon Jones, handing him a free kick which would have been insanely soft in round 10, let alone an elimination final.

Jones kicks the goal and blows some kisses to the crowd, who respond with a chorus of boos. We're all tied up.

Joel Freijah snaps one back for the Bulldogs

Freijah has been busy tonight and has now hit the scoreboard with a clever snap from the middle of the pack.

Similar to Rachele's goal, it's little moments of quality that are deciding this game at the moment. Back to a one-goal game.

Josh Rachele with a moment of class for the Crows!

The game has been screaming out for some real quality, and it's Rachele who provides it a forward 50 stoppage. Only needed a split second to get a brilliant snap away from the congestion.

This one has been a tough watch at times, but players like Rachele can elevate it. Crows up by 12 now.

QT: Adelaide 3.1 (19) leads Western Bulldogs 1.7 (13)

The Western Bulldogs lead the inside 50 count 19-11, but have managed only 1.7 from that return. Too often the ball has been bombed on Aaron Naughton's head, and Mark Keane and co are well on top in the air.

The Crows have done a better job of taking their opportunities, but have ridden their luck at times too. Still, apparently this is the first time they've won a quarter in a final under Matthew Nicks, so they're in no hurry to turn that down.

Brayden Cook finds another for the Crows

When Adelaide has been able to breach the Bulldogs' press they have found so much space out the back. This time it was a combination of Neal-Bullen and Cook who used that space to create a goal.

The Dogs are dominating the inside 50s but are not using it well enough going forward. Crows lead by six late in the first.

Ben Keays wobbles one through for the Crows

Adelaide weathered a bit of a storm from the Bulldogs, coughing up only one goal in the process. Now they're looking to hit back the other way.

Keays had a look at the goals moments earlier but missed his snap. This time, despite a fumble, he was able to get boot to ball and send a bomb through from 30 out. Crows back in front.

Ed Richards kicks the Bulldogs' first

Ever since Fogarty's goal, the Bulldogs have had total territorial control of this game. The Crows have not been able to get out of the back half at all, and despite a few Bulldogs misses, finally the goal has come.

Naughton marked a ball which he knew was touched but the umpire didn't, dishing off quickly to Richards who snapped truly. Impressive early signs from the Dogs.

Darcy Fogarty kicks the opener for the Crows

The Bulldogs couldn't kill the long ball in, but once it hit the deck I don't think they were expecting big Fog to do the crumbing.

Could be a trucky night for the big Adelaide forwards in the wet, but perhaps not if Fogarty is that good off the deck. Quick little pick up and snap from the edge of the goalsquare and the Crows are away.

There's a VERY late out at Adelaide Oval

Western Bulldogs defender Michael Sellwood is OUT. He's been pulled after hurting something in the very final warm ups.

Lachie McNeil is coming in to replace him, and is literally running across the ground to join his teammates after the national anthem. That is a big loss for the Bulldogs too, coming up against a very dangerous Crows forward line.

The Welcome to Country and anthem are complete, and we are ready at last for this one. The rain is tipping down, making it four out of four finals this week to have been played in the wet.

Players are in position, here we go.

The teams have hit Adelaide Oval

The noise when the Crows made their entrance was quite something. There are few places like Adelaide Oval when it's really pumping, and tonight it is absolutely pumping.

Taylor Walker's last game at home adds a bit of extra spice to it, not that this occasion needed it. Nearly time for the formalities and then the bounce.

A big night for Matthew Nicks

There have been rumblings this week, in the media and beyond, that an Adelaide defeat tonight would result in the dismissal of coach Matthew Nicks. These are just rumours of course, though Crows officials did not exactly put the fire out with their public comments throughout the week.

Regardless of the veracity of those rumours, there is no doubt that all the pressure is on the Crows tonight. After last year's finals no-show, another defeat at home in September would be tough to come back from.

How these teams got here

The Bulldogs have had to go around the long way, courtesy of wildcard weekend, to get to an elimination final that in previous years they would have qualified by way of their eighth-place finish.

Their legs will be heavier this week, but great confidence would have been taken from last week's pulsating win over Collingwood. They needed some luck and a Magpie miss after the siren, but they were the better side on the night and deserved the victory.

The Crows snuck into the top six on percentage and so avoided the wildcard weekend, and will be hoping that week off will make a difference tonight. A loss tonight would be a bitter pill for the Crows to swallow and could have massive repercussions.

Adelaide absolutely wiped the Bulldogs at Docklands earlier in the season, thanks largely to brilliant captain Jordan Dawson. Plenty of eyes will be on him again tonight.