Moments later, Stephenson swooped on another and the difference was only two points.
Thankfully, however, that was the Coasters’ last squawk. With four minutes to go, the Porp killed them off when he marked a Doughty pass in his outstretched fingertips and skewered a goal.
The Crows won for many other reasons, too. One of them was the work of Thompson, Goodwin, Stevens and Vince; they were the reliable diesel engines that motored the Crows to victory. Another was Walker, who is getting bigger, better and stronger with each game and at times on Saturday was frighteningly good. Tippett was another; outpointed for most of the game he surged in the final quarter, kicking three goals. Davis did the job on twinkle-toed Kennedy, and Reilly rid us of Priddis.
But for me the headline act was a young quartet with pace, skill and sizzle. Dangerfield, Sloane, Jaensch and Henderson created more buzz on Saturday than you’d get from a bucketful of caffeine pills.
Dangerfield, almost an old-hand by now but still only 20, was awful in the first quarter. He could hardly get near the ball and when he did he lost it or gave it away.
But he was magnificent in the second. The Eagles had raised their intensity, tackling hard and making the most of sloppy Crow turnovers. Time and again they popped the ball over the top of the Crows’ defensive zone, and their forwards ran into easy goals.
For a while, LeCras made le zone look like le crap.
The Eagles were winning the umpires, too, with their fierce assault on the ball and the ball-carrier.
The Crows needed someone to make a statement, and it was Dangerfield who grabbed the mike. His deeds did the talking: he wore three high hits in a row and won three corresponding frees, and he changed the tenor of the game.
Dangerfield has a long list of attributes that, in coming years, will make him an AFL champion. He is a strong overhead mark, he kicks goals, he has scorching pace, he goes in as hard as anyone has ever done, he is strong enough to stand up in tackles and release the ball to advantage, and he is a leader.
Sloane debuted a year later than Dangerfield but he shares many of his qualities. He is quick, and he is obsessive about getting his hands on the ball. His attack is as ferocious as Dangerfield’s and he has already shown an ability to lead by example. The two of them will become the heart of the Crows’ midfield.
Jaensch is slowly building a reputation, but he is building it with speed. In recent games he has shown that he can burn off opponents and kick goals at full pace. He tackles hard, he has courage, he keeps his feet and he has clean hands below his knees. In his six-game career his average disposal effectiveness is higher than 80%, which shows not only that he has good skills by hand and foot but also that he is cool under pressure. His ability to nail 55-metre passes is an asset that is difficult to over-value.
But perhaps the most surprising of the fast foursome is Henderson. He has been like a rocket this year. What’s not to like? He has height, spring and extreme pace, he kicks well, he goes in hard, he is prepared to chase and he can take a contested mark.
He kicked three goals against West Coast, each of them thrilling. For his first he beat two Eagles and coolly slotted it from the pocket. For his second he applied a perfect tackle on Schofield who, like Crows’ supporters six months ago, probably hadn’t heard of Henderson and didn’t know about his pace. And his third came in the final quarter: it was a pressure test on a 45° angle and it went straight through the middle.
In football terms, Henderson is a late developer - he will be 22 later this year. He comes from a basketball background, which might explain why he works the zone so well. It doesn’t explain his footy skills, though - they are as good as if had been playing all his life. Having him in the team comes with an added bonus: he releases Dangerfield to play full-time in the midfield.
All four of the pace quartet were important in the win against the Eagles. The exciting thing is that each will get better.
As in previous weeks, the joy of victory must be tempered with the knowledge that all but one of the wins this year have been against teams in the bottom half of the ladder. These are small steps the Crows are taking. There are many flaws that will not be fixed overnight. But with the likes of Dangerfield, Sloane, Jaensch and Henderson on the rise, small steps can quickly become long strides. Speedy ones.
