Young Crow stars in Showdown triumph

NAB: Adelaide head into the start of the AFL season with confidence following a 24-point win over arch-rivals Port.

Rory Sloane booted two supergoals in Adelaide's win over Port Adelaide. Picture: Sarah Reed Source: News Limited

CAM Ellis-Yolmen is emerging as the Crows' next power midfielder after Adelaide beat Port Adelaide in its final practice match at Football Park.

Ellis-Yolmen finished with a team-high 27 disposals, 22 of which were contested, five tackles and six clearances.

He looked every bit the senior player he has had the promise of becoming since arriving at West Lakes as the No. 64 draft pick at the end of the 2011 season.

SUPERCOACH SCORES: CROWS V POWER

He has only played one senior AFL game — as a substitute in Round 12 against Fremantle last year — but was only shaded by the brilliance of Eddie Betts, who added more to the highlights reel as he turned opponents inside out.

There were indications of what to expect from both teams this season on display.

NAB: Port Adelaide's coach Ken Hinkley fronts the media after his side's disappointing 24-point loss to the Crows.

Ellis-Yolmen's contribution came against as Adelaide promised a sharp improvement in its first year under new coach Phil Walsh.

But the win should be tempered by the fact that the Power were missing players such as Paddy Ryder, Angus Monfries, Hamish Hartlett and Chad Wingard.

For the Crows, a more intense forward press was obvious, and there were times when Port Adelaide struggled to break out of their inside 50 area.

Adelaide was also winning the contested ball and getting the ball forward more often, but the Crows weren't without issues. They were spraying it in front of goals and rushing it at times, and they could also be accused of overusing it by handball.

It's a taxing style of football to have the majority of players run up and down the ground like a basketball side, but the Crows worked over the Power in the third quarter and look like they have improved their running power significantly over summer.

Patrick Dangerfield caused havoc at stages during the game. Source: Getty Images

There is still some tweaking to do for the Crows, but they were outstanding in the third quarter, when they broke the game through two long goals from Rory Sloane and strangled the Power's efforts to attack.

But there were also players who made onlookers hopeful for the upcoming season.

Ellis-Yolmen had passages when he was the most dominant player on the ground after years of promising to be something special and this could be his year. He reads it well around the packs and had a sense of calm about him when the game was at its busiest.

Eddie Betts spent a bit of time in the midfield and brought the same magic he has in attack to the area. It will be a balancing act to decide how much time he roves the packs, because some of his work in the forward line had onlookers out of their seats.

One of the best moments of the afternoon was when he beat a couple of taller opponents, danced around them and to set up one of the Crows' goals.

NAB: Crows coach Phillip Walsh fronts the media after his side's 117-93 win over Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium.

Captain Taylor Walker stood out, and continued in the same vein he has in previous practice matches; he tends to set up as many goals as he kicks and is comfortable working a long way up the ground for a key forward.

The ruck dual was worth watching in itself, and it was difficult to split Adelaide's Sam Jacobs and Port's Matthew Lobbe. They are both top-drawer ruckmen in the competition; what's more important is how good their support is.

For Port, it was the players you expected who caught the eye, not least the cool Robbie Gray, captain Travis Boak, veteran Kane Cornes and the balanced Matthew Broadbent.

Forward John Butcher, a forward who is a standout athlete and competitor, had three goals by half time and looked like he had buried the wobbles in front of goals as he was taking his shots from deeper in attack.

It is not panic stations for Port Adelaide, but they will watch closely how they struggled to move the ball out of the backline as they review the game.

Adelaide young gun Brad Crouch was subbed out with a left foot injury. Picture: Sarah Reed Source: News Limited

At times, it looked like they were more stagnant than the brave and risk-taking Power of last season.

But then it must be remembered that this was just a practice match, and there was nothing riding on the end of it than finding out more about the players.

FIVE THINGS WE LEARNT

1. THERE'S hope in John Butcher yet. The horror of just four touches and no scoring shots last week in a half-strength Port Adelaide side was erased by the time he held his fourth mark inside 50m and slotted his third goal midway through the second term. It could have been his fourth, if not for an earlier miss. And has that kicking action been tidied up over summer?

2. CAPTAINCY sits well on Taylor Walker. It's been noted already this pre-season but the evidence just keeps mounting up. From the exemplary skills of his opening supergoal to the team-first bodywork and touch that set up multiple shots at goal for the likes of Josh Jenkins and Eddie Betts, the skipper looks to be flourishing with the leadership.

NAB: John Butcher has soccered the ball to score a goal for Port Adelaide in their clash with the Crows at AAMI Stadium.

3. DISPOSAL remains a work in progress at Adelaide, especially by foot. Disposal efficiency all game was below 70 per cent for the Crows, which quality teams regard a benchmark. The clean movement from the likes of Richard Douglas and Brodie Smith was great, but Adelaide's typical ball movement and desire to press up the ground puts a premium on accuracy to avoid being burnt on the turnover. It's got to lift a notch.

4. SCOTT Thompson won't play in Round 1. In fairness to the veteran, his spot was in doubt thanks to a hamstring injury that has prevented him from playing a pre-season game. But elite players generally get some forgiveness. Unfortunately for him — or fortunately for the Crows — Cameron Ellis-Yolmen stepped up as the type of big-bodied midfielder coach Phil Walsh will appreciate.

5. THE Power has ample room for improvement. After the first term Port rarely looked in the contest. Their attacking play was totally blunted by the Crows, their contested work and tackling was well down, marks inside 50m were rare — yet on paper it was just a three-goal loss. With at least five first-choice players out and Phil Walsh's inside knowledge of the Power's game plan, the only way is up.

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