Tippett and Walker kicked 102 goals between them in 2012 and led the Crows to a preliminary final appearance. The former left for Sydney at the end of the season, while Walker ruptured his ACL in Round 5 against Carlton, ruling him out for the rest of the year.
It has left a new-look Adelaide forward line for the Kangaroos’ defence to deal with.
Josh Jenkins has essentially stepped into the Tippett role, playing as a key forward and pinch-hitting in the ruck (assisting Sam Jacobs). Originally selected by Essendon in the 2011 Rookie Draft, he was sent to the Crows from Essendon for pick 31 in the 2011 National Draft.
Standing at 198 centimetres and 106 kilograms, Jenkins moves with the agility of a midfielder, helped in part by his basketball background. With 14 goals in eight games, he is the equal leader of Adelaide’s goal-kicking.
Scott Thompson could be the defender assigned to Jenkins, although Brad Scott and the match committee would have to be wary about what could happen with changing match-ups when the Crows’ forward moves into the ruck.
An addition to the Adelaide forward line in the last three weeks has a surname all North Melbourne fans are very familiar with, McKernan. Shaun is the younger brother of dual premiership player Corey McKernan.
The 22-year-old has been in and out of the side throughout his short career, but has turned in three solid performances so far this year. Like Jenkins, he can also spend some time in the ruck when things aren’t working for him around goals, giving the Crows and Brenton Sanderson an array of options.
McKernan is a similar build to Jenkins at 196 centimetres and 99 kilograms. If Thompson doesn’t match-up on Jenkins, he could go to McKernan, while Nathan Grima is also more than capable of the role.
The third forward making up the new look Adelaide setup is Tom Lynch. Like McKernan, Lynch is a player who has been in the AFL system for a few years. Initially drafted by St Kilda in the 2008 National Draft, he spent three years at the Saints before being traded to Adelaide following the 2011 season.
In just his 10th game for the Crows, Lynch kicked 10 goals against Greater Western Sydney. It put him in rare company; he was only the third player in Adelaide’s history to score 10 or more goals.
Lynch is slightly undersized compared to Jenkins and McKernan at 192 centimetres. If Thompson and Grima are to take Jenkins and McKernan, it leaves Lachlan Hansen and Michael Firrito as options for Lynch.
While the aforementioned three talls form Adelaide’s aerial attack, the Crows, out of necessity, have looked to their smaller forwards and midfielders more often to fill the goal-kicking void left by Walker and Tippett.
Patrick Dangerfield and Richard Douglas have 23 goals between them for the year. Dangerfield tends to spend more time in the middle than his team-mate, but Douglas’ accuracy so far this year in front of goal (10.2) has been hurting opposition teams.
In two of the three games since Walker’s ACL injury (excluding GWS in Round 7), no Adelaide player has kicked more than two goals. It’s a sign of a team spreading the load and means the North defenders and midfielders have to be extra wary of their opponent’s avenues to goal.
