Adelaide stalwart Nathan van Berlo made a successful return from a year-long injury in the Crows’ 10-point win against North Melbourne in Sunday’s AFL pre-season game.
Van Berlo’s solid return and four goals from Eddie Betts helped the Crows down a fast-finishing North at Port Lincoln’s Centenary Oval.
Adelaide led by 50 points at three quarter-time but just held on to win 1.12.9 (90) to 0.11.14 (80) – the Roos kicked 6.5 to one points in the last term.
Luckless Adelaide forward Tom Lynch was concussed when collected by a Jack Ziebell hip in the first quarter as the Crows gave their new senior coach Phil Walsh a first-up victory.
Lynch was perched over the ball when accidentally struck by Ziebell’s hip, the incident similar to how the Crows forward broke his neck in round 20 last year.
But the 24-year-old was cleared of serious injury after being stretchered from the field during a performance notable for van Berlo’s comeback.
Van Berlo, who missed all of last season with an Achilles injury, gathered 13 disposals and kicked the game’s only supergoal in a heartening display.
“I was a little bit toey today but I feel a bit better with a run under the belt now,” van Berlo told Adelaide radio station 5AA.
Adelaide’s victory was built on prolific ball-winning feats of Brad Crouch (26 disposals) and Jarryd Lyons (20 disposals) while Port Lincoln-born Betts was among a spread of nine goal-kickers.
North, who took 20 minutes to register a score, were well served by recruits Shaun Higgins and Jarrad Waite, who kicked three goals each.
Ex-Bulldog Higgins gathered 17 disposals and former Carlton forward Waite made the most of his opportunities while Ben Cunnington (19 possessions) and Ryan Bastinac (18 disposals) were prominent.
The Roos trailed by 25 points at halftime and were blitzed by Adelaide in the third term – the Crows booted six goals, including van Berlo’s long-range major, to North’s two and led by 50 points at the last change.
But North regained respectability with a powerful finish which rattled the Crows, kicking six unanswered goals in the last quarter.
“We have taken the deliberate approach to not worry about any intra-club games so this was our first competitive hit out,” North coach Brad Scott told reporters.
“So we expected some rustiness which we certainly got in the first half or so.
“But really what you’re hoping for is some good match practice against good opposition and to get through unscathed and we achieved all those things.”
Meanwhile,Port Adelaide’s head coach Ken Hinkley will step aside for two AFL pre-season games, allowing defensive coach Matthew Nicks to take control.
Nicks, considered a head coach in waiting, will lead Port in pre-season games against Richmond in Lavington, NSW, on March 14 and against the Adelaide Crows the following weekend.
“Nicksy’s work as defensive coach has been of a very high quality and we think it’s good for him, the coaching group and the players if he gets a chance to put the game plan together,” Hinkley said in a statement on Monday.
“Anything we can do to develop our coaches is going to help the team.”
Nicks, a former Sydney player, has been Port’s defensive coach since 2013 and was a development coach at the club in the two seasons prior.
“This is a great chance for me to continue to develop my own coaching skills, sitting in the seat of the senior coach,” Nicks said in a statement.
Hinkley will coach Port in their opening pre-season game against West Coast this Sunday.
