‘I don’t like losing’: Crows smarting after first loss of the year

Adelaide coach Matthew Clarke says his side has a lot of work to do if it’s to be a genuine finals contender

ANNOYED Adelaide coach Matthew Clarke says the Crows will have to play better than they did in Saturday’s loss to Brisbane if they’re to challenge deep into finals.

Despite the three-point defeat at the Lions’ home ground being the first blemish on their season, Clarke was frustrated with the loss, saying his team was out-worked.

LIONS v CROWS Full match coverage and stats

Brisbane won the clearances (29-23), contested possessions (117-102), and tackle count (70-48) – all metrics Clarke believes indicate his team was just a touch off the pace.

“I don’t like losing,” he said post-match.

“We lost contest and got smacked in the clearances and their pressure … there was a big differential in tackles across the day.

“When those things don’t go your way, you tend to get beaten.

“It was a pretty good game. We just don’t feel like we held up our end of the bargain for the four quarters.”

After outplaying Brisbane for much of the first term, Adelaide had just a four-point lead at the opening break.

The hosts flipped the contest in the second quarter, ratcheting up their pressure and kicking 3.6 to 1.0 to take a firm grip on the four premiership points before the Crows hit back hard in the third.

Clarke said his team’s inability to turn 34 inside 50s into more than nine scoring shots was also a problem.

“That final connect was just a bit off,” he said.

“We have another good challenge next week in North, but we’ll have to play a bit better than that if we want to go deep into finals.

“We think our best footy is going to be in the mix with all the teams towards the top of the ladder. I think there’s genuine chances right through the eight.”