Qualifying Final, 2002
Adelaide vs Melbourne
Saturday 14 September
Venue: MCG
Attendance: 51,533
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Final | |
| Adelaide | 8.2 | 12.3 | 14.5 | 20.10.130 |
| Melbourne | 1.4 | 8.10 | 16.15 | 17.16.118 |
Adelaide win by 12 points
Goalkickers: David Neitz 5, Travis Johnstone 4, Peter Vardy 3, Peter Walsh 2, Cameron Bruce 1, Brad Green 1, Adem Yze 1
Milestones:
100 games
Russell Robertson
The Crows blitzed Melbourne in the first term with five goals. Despite Travis Johnstone, the lone hand in the Demons midfield, adding their solitary goal. Even spearhead David Neitz was rushed into defence to try and stem the tide. Russell Robertson was wasteful with three behinds for the quarter.
Neitz went back up forward in the second term and kicked two of the first three goals of the quarter. When Green got the third the margin was slashed to 19. Having gone into the quarter 40 points behind they had cut the margin to 21, and could have been closer without two late misses.
Adelaide kicked the first goal of the third, but even without Nathan Brown who had been taken out of the game with injury, the Demons ran riot. When Peter Walsh booted his second late in the term the margin was 28 points and Melbourne had effected a 68 point turnaround in the space of two quarters.
Seemingly ready to walk their way into a preliminary final the Crows hit back again. Andrew McLeod returned from injury to park himself at full-forward and helped spark an amazing revival. When a Clint Bizzell howler from a kick-in gifted the Crows a goal they went on to boot the last six the game to record a two goal victory. Melbourne's last quarter score of 1.1 was their lowest of the year, at the worst possible time.
Johnstone, Bruce and Yze were the Demons best. Stephen Powell suffered a concussion and Nathan Brown a hamstring injury.
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Age - 15/09/2002