Neal‑Bullen praises Crows’ growth after MCG statement win

Adelaide Vice-Captain Alex Neal-Bullen has praised the Crows’ ability to manage momentum in the Club’s thrilling 14-point win over Collingwood at the MCG.

Speaking after the Round One victory, Neal-Bullen said the win also highlighted the side's growth in the off-season.

“It’s one of the toughest challenges in footy to come to the MCG and play the Magpies and we showed that we’re able to play our brand of football and deal with the challenges and momentum swings,” Neal-Bullen said.

“It just shows the growth in our game since our last match back in September,” Neal-Bullen said.

After a tight first half, the Crows raced out to a 30-point lead at three-quarter time, then withstood Collingwood’s pressure to secure the four points.

“We didn’t want to shy away from the occasion,” Neal-Bullen said.

“We understood what the opposition were going to do, but we also wanted to focus really hard on what we could do and I thought we did that.

“In the first half we were able to execute and were fundamentally sound, then there was a 15-minute patch in the third term where we were able to manage momentum really well and score.

“As the game of AFL goes, they were able to get that momentum back but we made sure they couldn’t get the game completely back on their terms, so it shows huge growth in that area.”

Neal-Bullen was among Adelaide’s best on Saturday night, finishing with 26 disposals, seven marks, a goal and a game-high 12 score involvements.

“It was one of those games where you’re working up and down the ground a lot,” Neal-Bullen said.

“We certainly had some moments of first game rustiness, but I thought it was a balanced performance from the whole team and when you’re able to take your opportunities in-front of goal, geez that feels good.”

Neal-Bullen hoped supporters were proud of the Crows’ performance in their first game of the season.

“For us, we want to show that we deserve these prime time games and that we can stand up to the occasion and the challenges thrown our way, so hopefully the fans are really proud of what we showed in the first game,” Neal-Bullen said.

“I’ve never heard so many away fans at the MCG, so I’m so proud of the fans that travelled, we certainly heard you all.

“We’ll enjoy the win but once we get back to Adelaide we’ll reset and focus on the Bulldogs.”

The Crows play their first home game of the year against the Western Bulldogs on Friday, March 20, in Round Two.

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