Adelaide suffered a 15-point defeat to Melbourne at Adelaide Oval on Thursday night. The Demons secured a 10.18 (78) to 8.15 (63) victory, marking their fourth consecutive win despite facing some challenges throughout the match.
Led by youngster Jake Soligo in midfield, Adelaide showed improvement compared to previous weeks. However, despite a strong effort and a final-quarter fightback, they couldn’t overturn Melbourne’s lead.
Although Adelaide dominated in key statistics such as inside 50s, clearances, and scoring shots in the first quarter, they struggled to convert their opportunities into goals. Melbourne capitalized on their chances, scoring four unanswered goals around halftime to establish a 28-point lead by three-quarter time.
Adelaide rallied in the final quarter, sparked by goals from Jordan Dawson and Josh Rachele. However, Melbourne’s earlier efforts proved enough to secure the win, as they held on despite not scoring any goals in the final quarter.
The final scoreboard read:
Adelaide: 2.5 (17), 3.8 (26), 6.9 (45), 8.15 (63)
Melbourne: 2.0 (12), 6.7 (43), 10.13 (73), 10.18 (78)
Key goal scorers for Adelaide included Fogarty, Rankine, Laird, Walker, Keays, Dawson, and Rachele, while Melbourne’s goals came from Fritsch, Pickett, van Rooyen, Petty, Petracca, and Chandler.
Standout players for Adelaide were Soligo, Dawson, Laird, Keane, and Rankine, while Melbourne’s top performers included Petracca, May, Fritsch, Gawn, McVee, and Viney.
In terms of substitutions, Berry replaced Burgess for Adelaide in the third quarter, while Woewodin replaced Brown for Melbourne in the fourth quarter.
