Pyke happily embraces dull Crows

IT wasn’t pretty but Adelaide found a way to win against a dogged Carlton at the MCG.

Crows coach Don Pyke was thrilled with the tenacity his players showed in yesterday’s 13.11 (89) to 12.5 (77) win.

Adelaide have suffered losses to unfancied North Melbourne and Hawthorn this season and another boilover was on the cards when the 15thplaced Blues hit the front in the last quarter, but a three-goal burst sealed the Crows’ win.

“I’m just proud of our guys to hang in there ... Carlton got in front and (we) were able to find a way to win, which is sometimes what you do in this game,” Pyke said.

The encounter pitted the highest scoring side in the league in Adelaide against the lowest, but the Crows strug- gled to break clear of the Blues’ stifling pressure.

Pyke’s men led by 18 points at quarter-time in a game high on stoppages and low on entertainment but Carlton were more direct in the second term.

Matthew Kreuzer (42 hitouts) was instrumental in the ruck and around the ground, while Bryce Gibbs (30 possessions) had 10 of his 15 tackles for the match by halftime.

With Rory Sloane quiet, Matt and Brad Crouch did a lot of the heavy lifting in close for the Crows, with Richard Douglas and Brodie Smith also important.

“In spite of the loss we feel like we’re hard to play against as a footy club,” Bolton said.

“We didn’t give up the fight today – we played right to the line.” CARLTON V ADELAIDE 1.0 5.1 8.2 12.5 4.0 6.1 9.7 13.11