Adelaide AFL forward Kurt Tippett is on the verge of tearing a game apart, rather than leaving Crows’ fans tearing their hair out.
So says Adelaide coach Brenton Sanderson after Tippett combined brilliance and waywardness to delight and frustrate in his side’s 56-point AFL loss to a rampant Hawthorn at the MCG on Sunday.
The giant forward claimed seven marks, booted 3.3 and showed every ounce of his great potential.
But two of his three behinds came from set shots at vital times – one in particular was punished heavily by Hawthorn with a two-goal turnaround early in the third term which snuffed out any chance the Crows had of winning.
Sanderson paid special tribute to Tippett’s game, and said once he ironed out the kinks in his kicking, the 24-year-old would be a match-winner.
“I’m sure he’s very close to tearing a game apart,” Sanderson said.
“From the naked eye today, he probably got a little too close to the man on the mark – not enough momentum going forward.
“We can see it from the coach’s box but, unfortunately, he misses and they score. That’s sometimes the momentum shifts that happen in footy.
“He did miss some goals we’d have loved him to kick, but it’s something he’s working hard on behind the scenes and I’m sure he will improve.”
More concerning for Sanderson was the lack of support for Tippett – the exception being crumber Ian Callinan, who also kicked three goals.
The Crows were heavily beaten in the tackle and possession counts – particularly uncontested possessions – as they slumped to their first defeat under new coach Sanderson.
“If we kick a goal instead of missing … there were too many times when there was 11-point shifts in the game when we miss and they score,” he said.
“They just made the most of their opportunities today but, having said that, we were beaten around the contests, out-tackled, and to allow a side to control the ball by denying us the ball.
“That was disappointing.”