It seems inevitable that the Adelaide Crows will fall from the top eight and the 87 – 60 loss to Carlton in Round 19 was emblematic of a campaign gone awry.
They face a far sterner test than St. Kilda in Round 21 of the Toyota 2019 AFL Premiershipcompetition when they travel to Perth to face the West Coast Eagles at Optus.
The current No. 9 Power are hosting Sydney in the upcoming round and the two clubs are squeaky close on percentage. If the Eagles beat the Crows and the Power beat the Swans, it could mean a flip for the last finals slot.
These sorts of scenarios always spur speculation and the recent scuttle to affect the Crows is the report that there is a rift between coach Don Pyke and forward Josh Jenkins.
Pyke for all the world presents an appearance of a man floundering in deep water while refusing to let go of a favourite anvil.
A couple of weeks back, he sat his star forward Eddie Betts and for the game with the Saints, Jenkins was sacked to the state league for the second time this season.
Assistant coach Ben Hart was designated to carry the message that there is nothing amiss in Crow land.
“He (Jenkins) didn’t have a run-in,” Hart told reporters on Monday.”He had a conversation about not playing on the weekend.”
Compounding Jenkins’ woes was the fact that the Crows’ state league side were on a bye last weekend.
The wound was being demoted from the senior side, the salt was being sent to a side that was not playing.
Jenkins is contracted through two more seasons, but he could be trade bait for rival clubs.
The game in Perth might decide the season for the Crows. They have Collingwood and Western Bulldogs remaining on their home-and-away fixture.
The Eagles came to Adelaide in Round 10 and left with a 12-point win.
In the middle of the fixture, it seemed as though Adelaide was on a valid path. Following the loss at home to West Coast, they won three consecutive and the Rounds 12 and 13 wins over GWS and Richmond, respectively, was the precise medicine needed going into their bye, but losing four of their next five upon resumption have left Adelaide on shaky ground.
