Crows’ stunner leaves Pies flat

ADELAIDE forward Mitch McGovern kicked a goal after the siren to seal a heart-stopping draw with Collingwood at the MCG.

In a high-scoring, unpredictable, shootout yesterday, the ladder-leading Crows trailed by 50 points early in the third quarter before they conjured up an astonishing comeback to secure a 15.13 (103) to 16.7 (103) result.

Collingwood led by 21 points midway through the final term when Daniel Wells booted his third goal for the match.

But the Crows would not be denied and booted the next four majors, with McGovern’s calm and collected set shot from 30m cementing the third draw of the season.

The Pies had earlier looked unstoppable, booting six straight majors either side of halftime to open up an eightgoal lead.

Nine of the next 10 goals went Adelaide’s way as the Crows carved the margin to three points early in the final term.

Ben Reid, Jarryd Blair and Daniel Wells answered back but Adelaide again reduced the deficit to single digits.

The Pies tried desperately to hold on but allowed Jake Kelly to mark uncontested before McGovern’s huge contested mark and smooth finish secured the two points.

It was a remarkable finish for the Crows, who booted 13.4 in the second half after managing just 3.4 in the first.

Adelaide coach Don Pyke described the result as “bittersweet”, saying he thought Collingwood had deserved to win the game.

“We sort of stole a couple of points at the end,” he said.

“Some of the things we did in the early part of the game just weren’t to the level. But then at 50 points down, they kept persevering and found a way to give themselves a chance.”

Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley was left frustrated by his side’s failure to execute their game plan after halftime.

“It’s pretty clear – if you give Adelaide turnover opportunities, they’ll take them,” he said.

“They’re the best in the comp at it, and we weren’t able to take that away from them for long enough.”

Crows forwards McGovern (four goals), Jenkins (three) and Otten (two) proved the difference in the second half, while Matt Crouch (36 dispos- als, nine clearances) was immense in the midfield.

Wells and Taylor Adams were superb for Collingwood, each finishing with 34 disposals and three goals, with Levi Greenwood’s hard tagging restricting Rory Sloane to 16 touches.