- Crows unravel after Taylor Adams taunt
- Adams awarded free kick for shoulder charge
- Swans recorded 42-point victory over Crows
Swans star Taylor Adams helped swing the match towards Sydney with a cheeky taunt to Crows defenders which sparked wild scenes during Saturday night’s match at Adelaide Oval.
The Crows led by 23 points late in the second quarter of the match, and they overcame Joel Amartey’s first blitzkrieg to still lead by 16 points late in the third.
However, things got wild when Amarty kicked his sixth and seventh goals, which prompted Adams to rub it in to the Crows players by holding up seven fingers.
Defender Mitch Hinge responded by dropping Adams with a heavy shoulder charge directly in front of the umpire.
Taylor Adams taunted the opposition by holding up seven fingers, resulting in him being flattened moments later
Adams was awarded a free kick that gave the Swans yet another shot on goal – and he converted.
‘That’s the worst thing I’ve ever seen,’ Port Adelaide legend Dom Cassisi said on Triple M.
‘If I was Nicks I’d drag him. That’s a coach killer. That does not help your footy club.
‘He blindsided him. He snipered him. For no reason. He came from 10m away. There was no need for it.’
However, many footy fans felt Adams took a dive.
‘A flopping soo. Weak as,’ posted one fan to X.
‘Is he an ex soccer player,’ responded another.
Former Port Adelaide skipper Tom Jonas believed Adams had sucked the opposition in to the act.
‘There’s been plenty of feeling in this contest tonight,’ he said on Triple M.
Adams was left writing on the pitch and was awarded a free kick, which he converted
Joel Amartey (pictured) proved too much to handle for the Adelaide Crows
‘One thing we know, Taylor Adams is a pest and he’s sucked them in and he baited them and he got what he wanted, which was a free kick. Really disappointing for the Crows.’
Amartey’s heroics eventually proved too much to handle for the Crows as Sydney went on to secure the 16.13 (109) to 10.7 (67) win.
The victory was Sydney’s ninth on the trot, and lifted them three wins clear on top of the ladder with a 12-1 record.
Amartey didn’t have a disposal to his name at quarter-time, but he kicked four goals in the second term and another four in the third to flip the match on its head.
He added another goal in the final term to give him 9.1 from 10 disposals.
But there was no room for sentiment from coach John Longmire, with Amartey spending the dying minutes of the game on the bench despite goal No.10 beckoning.
‘It was just my rotation,’ Amartey said with a laugh.
‘The boys played a hell of a game.
‘It’s a team game. The service I got this evening was pretty phenomenal.
‘You don’t know in our forward line who’s going to kick the goals each week,
‘I think that’s the beauty of our mids and our forward line, and that’s why we’re so dangerous at the moment, because anyone can have their day.’
The 24-year-old’s haul was the most by a Sydney player since Lance Franklin kicked 10 against Carlton in round 23, 2017.
Amartey’s previous personal best was four goals, but his magical night against Adelaide boosted his season tally to 31 goals and has put him in the mix for the Coleman Medal.
For rival clubs hoping to poach Amartey, you missed your chance.
Snared with pick No.28 in the 2018 rookie draft, Amartey re-signed with Sydney last year until 2026 and has no intention of leaving.
‘I love this place, I love Sydney. The boys here are my brothers now,’ Amartey told Fox Sports.
