AFL Adelaide Crows vs Western Bulldogs live updates: Izak Rankine returns for Adelaide Oval blockbuster blog, scores, stats

They’re up and about now! Hynes bit off a risky kick to the middle, and Ah Chee absolutely detonated through the back of Jacques to spoil the ball and take out the man.

Soligo’s kick found Dawson’s chest and the skipper took his time, lined them up and nailed the goal. Twelve points.

It’s pretty well documented Josh Rachele has a background in the round ball game. Those skills clearly haven’t left him, that was a sensational soccer effort from the pocket from Rachele.

That has got the crowd going now. The Crows can feel something.

Another goal from a free kick for the Bulldogs, but this one was there. Butts took a few steps after picking the ball up and then was pinned by Naughton in a strong tackle.

His set shot was a beauty again. Naughton is a deadeye these days, and the Doggies have a gap.

The Crows have the firepower inside 50 to win this game, but the Bulldogs are defending the ground so well and that is just not getting down there with enough speed and threat.

The quarter really swung on that miss from Butts, because a goal there and the place erupts into life. Instead Adelaide Oval deflated, even more so with the Darcy goal straight after.

The Western Bulldogs have been the better side here, but the Crows are only three goals back. Plenty of life left in it.

Let off at one end, Sam Darcy has launched his first of the night from 50 to silence the crowd good and proper!

Absolutely no idea what the free kick was for. Umpire said holding, so we’ll go with that. He’s the perfect blend of tall, strong and gangly that he can sell just about any contact to an umpire.

Jordan Butts has missed a set shot from 15 metres out, directly in front! Perhaps that’s why until an hour ago he’d never kicked a goal in the league.

He’s absolutely let Sam Darcy off there, who lost the plot and conceded a 100 metre penalty by carring on like a goose. Butts has had his number all night so far, and if he’d kicked that the place would have exploded. Could be a telling miss.

Some really tough efforts in there from a few Crows. Keays put his head over it at first and wore the Lobb bump, then Soligo went in hardest to win the ball and dish out to Fogarty.

The Fog has two goals in the term, both on the run. The Crows can score when they get it in there, but therein lies the problem.

Jordan Butts has had a decent night, but that’s a bad error. The Crows had the outnumber, a two-on-one on Naughton, but Butts overcommitted and gave away a free kick.

The Crows had made a bit of a move early in this term but the Dogs have well and truly settled. They’ve missed some chances too, but with that goal have a deserved 22-point lead.

Again the Crows can’t get the ball out of defence. They tried to take the kick quickly that time but couldn’t get past Kennedy at half-back.

Freijah pumped it back in deep to Bontempelli who was out the back and in the box seat for the easiest goal of the night.

Straight from the centre bounce this time for Adelaide. Berry broke free and hit Walker on the chest, and Tex quickly realised that Lobb had run past the contest and the coast was now clear.

Walker played on, ran to 50 and smacked it home. For the first time tonight, there is real energy and momentum in this crowd and with the Crows.

Now a stoppage goal at the other end, with the ball scrambled forward from the throw in and then fed to Fogarty running into space.

Fogarty almost lost a handle on the ball but was poised enough to gather, straighten and goal. Crows respond.

Dream start to the second half for the Bulldogs! Aaron Naughton sold the dummy, bought himself a little bit of space and slotted a cool drop punt.

That’s a stoppage goal for the Bulldogs, who had number flooding through half-forward there. Problems for the Crows.

Let’s see if Matthew Nicks has been able to come up with a plan to counter the Bulldogs here, as more of the same will lead to defeat for the Crows.

Ball is in the air and we’re underway again.

The Crows were about half a second away from another shot on goal there, but the siren just as the ball was entering Josh Rachele’s hands.

The way the Bulldogs are defending is really causing the Crows some headaches. They are so quick to retreat back and to clog dangerous spaces when Adelaide has the ball in its back half, and the Crows haven’t figured out a way through the mire just yet. The Dogs stifled the Giants in the same way last week so this is clearly Bevo’s new formula, and so far it is working.

When the Crows do go forward they look dangerous, and they’ll be encouraged by the fact that all of Dawson, Rachele, Rankine, Fogarty and Ah Chee have plenty more to offer in the second half. Those are the guys, along with Thilthorpe and Tex, who have the class to pick through a very well organised Bulldogs outfit.

A really important Adelaide goal just before half-time. The Crows have really struggled to get the ball forward from the backline in this quarter, but on one of the rare occasions they did managed to give Thilthorpe a run and jump at the footy.

Great set shot from 45 out on the angle too. They needed that one.

I’m not sure if they did that the easy way or the hard way.

The Bulldogs forced the turnover in the middle of the ground and had three blokes free inside 50 as a result. Freijah handballed to Baker, who could have shot immediately but instead chose to run. He ran about 25 metres without a bounce, sidestepping blokes for fun, before finally snapping a goal from the square. Dogs have four in a row and a gap in the game.

The crowd is going nuts because nobody quite knows what the umps are up to. There was a certain holding the ball against Murray that wasn’t paid, then Soligo thought he’d taken a chestmark only for Baker to burst it out of his hands.

Williams eventually marked and goaled as the boos ring out. Dogs have made a move.

Great hands from Croft, who looked like he was lipping off at the Crows’ defence when he was still halfway down from the mark. Got a bit about him, this young fella.

Hasn’t been a night for Darcy or Naughton just yet, but Croft has made an impact.

Somehow the Bulldogs keep it alive in the forward pocket, with English and then Bontempelli bringing the ball back in by hand and finding Freijah in position to snap.

Dogs needed that. Back in front.