3 minute read
Adelaide’s top eight hopes are dangling by a thread as they head into a must-win clash against Richmond on Thursday night.
The Crows began the 2024 AFL campaign with hopes of making finals, but have managed to pick up just the four wins so far.
Adelaide are 10 points behind eighth spot and unless there is a huge turnaround in form and fortunes, they will miss out.
Mathew Nicks' side are 12.00 to make the eight and they have to start with a resounding win over Richmond.
The Tigers are going through a rebuild, and it shows. They have just the one win so far and sit second from bottom on the ladder.
Richmond are 3.50 to suffer most losses this season, with only North Melbourne at 1.20, below them.
. What: Adelaide v Richmond
. Where: Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
. When: 19:30 (AEST), Thursday 6th June 2024
. How to watch: Kayo, Foxtel, Channel 7
. Odds: Adelaide 1.13, Richmond 6.00
Crows look to bounce back
Adelaide have won just one game in the last four, which leaves them sitting in 14th spot on the ladder and way off the top eight.
The win was a big one, beating a West Coast side that does not travel well, by 99 points at the Adelaide Oval.
But they could not back it up and put in a poor performance when losing by 27 points at Hawthorn at the weekend.
They now have a great chance to bounce back against the Tigers, and nothing other than a big win will do.
If they are to dish out the same punishment that West Coast received, then the Crows are priced at 7.00 to win by 73+ points.
Adelaide were poor against the Hawks, but Brayden Cook and Chris Burgess managed to step up to the plate with three goals each.
Burgess can be backed at 11.00 to kick the first goal of the game, while Cook is available at 12.00.
The duo will be needed even more as it looks as though gun forward Taylor Walker will miss the game through injury.
Tigers in need of a lift
Richmond stunned Sydney back in March, picking up a five-point win on home soil, but have been in free-fall since.
It is their only win of the season so far and they have lost the last eight games on the bounce.
They have conceded more than 100 points in three of the last five games, and against Geelong at the weekend they leaked 99 points.
The Tigers ran Essendon close the week before, losing by just 12 points, but there have been few positives for head coach Adam Yze this year.
To make matters even worse for Richmond, there are fears that exciting young forward Mykelti Lefau suffered a serious knee injury in the loss to Geelong.
Marlion Pickett is also struggling with a calf injury and is also set to miss a few games, just to stretch the Tigers even more.
The Tigers did win by 32 points at the Adelaide Oval last season, and can be backed at 11.00 to cause an upset and win by 1-12 on Thursday night.