Sydney have survived a late cost to pip Adelaide by one level and strengthen their grip on a finals spot.
But the Crows’ playoff hopes ends with a heartbreaking 11.8 (74) to 10.13 (73) consequence on a rain-soaked Adelaide Oval on Saturday evening.
The Swans had been 44 factors up late within the second quarter however Adelaide stormed within the final quarter, booting 4.8 to 0.1 solely to fall simply brief.
Crow Ben Keays thought he’d given his facet the lead with 60 seconds to go however his shot hit a objective publish.
Sydney take seventh spot by two premiership factors into their final home-and-away sport – an SCG conflict towards top-four fancy Melbourne.
But Thirteenth-placed Adelaide’s probabilities of sneaking into the finals disappear.
Swans winger Errol Gulden continued his wonderful season with 30 disposals, Chad Warner (25 touches) was a standout and Oliver Florent (21) and Tom Papley (one objective) had patches of affect..
Heeney’s scoring polish in assault was supported by Hayden McLean (two targets) whereas Nick Blakey (21 disposals, seven marks) was outstanding in Sydney’s stingy defence.
Adelaide entered the spherical because the competitors’s highest-scoring crew however didn’t flourish in assault till their last-term press.
Taylor Walker and Josh Rachele kicked two targets every and Crows on-ballers Rory Laird (31 possessions), Matt Crouch (26) and Jake Soligo (28) revelled within the moist.
The Swans discovered 4 goalkickers of their sturdy 4.3 to 1.3 opening time period.
And when Heeney slotted two targets in 90 seconds – a roved snap adopted by a set shot – Sydney’s lead blew out to a harmful 30 factors.
Adelaide’s Harry Schoenberg replied earlier than the Swans stamped their authority with three consecutive targets making a 44-point benefit.
Crow forwards Walker and Shane McAdam scored late to scale back Sydney’s result in 32 factors at halftime, 9.5 to 4.3.
Adelaide could not make inroads in a slog of a 3rd quarter though Crow Izak Rankine produced a spotlight as each groups scored two targets.
Rankine collected possession on a boundary and, from the tightest of angles, threaded an instinctive checkside objective.
The Crows turned 32 factors down and got a pulse with three consecutive targets inside 4 minutes of the ultimate time period.
After a sequence of behinds, Keays celebrated what he believed was the go-ahead objective with a minute remaining just for the ball to brush a objective publish.
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
