Kangaroos Coach Alastair Clarkson Exposes the Stark Truth of a Daunting Road Trip

North Melbourne’s head coach, Alastair Clarkson, has addressed the ‘brutal reality’ that his team has yet to secure a victory at the Adelaide Oval as they get ready to challenge a formidable Adelaide side in round three.

The Kangaroos have not emerged victorious against the Crows since 2020, while their last triumph over the Power dates back to 2019. Conquering either team in South Australia remains an elusive feat.

Last weekend, Clarkson’s Roos achieved what could be described as their standout win under the guidance of the four-time premiership coach, clinching a 59-point victory against Melbourne.

Clarkson is optimistic that they can carry the momentum from that performance into what is expected to be a significant early-season test.

“We are acutely aware of how challenging this match will be. We’ve never won at Adelaide Oval, whether it’s been against the Crows or the Power,” Clarkson conveyed to reporters on Friday.

“The harsh reality of our sport is that if we don’t show up with our absolute best, we won’t be competitive. That brings us swiftly back to reality.

“While we were all thrilled with last week’s win, we face an even greater challenge ahead. With no intention of disrespect towards Melbourne, our history at Adelaide Oval makes this a more daunting task, since last week we played on our home turf and this time we’re stepping into unfamiliar ground where we’ve struggled to succeed. It’s time for us to roll up our sleeves and get down to it.”

“Top teams manage to deliver week in and week out, but we haven’t been able to achieve that consistently at this footy club for a long time. We feel like we’re in a better position to maintain our form from week to week compared to previous seasons.”

Adelaide has been performing exceptionally well so far, racking up 135 points against St Kilda in round one and then 161 points against Essendon in the following match.

Clarkson believes the key to the game will be limiting the Crows’ entries inside 50.

“They’ve been averaging close to 150 points in each of their games, so it seems every player in the Adelaide Crows forward line is getting their share,” noted the Roos coach.

“A key aspect of managing that is to limit their supply; they’re recording over 60 inside 50 entries. If the ball enters their forward line 60 times, they’re going to score.

“It’s not solely about whether our defenders can contain their impact. The crucial question is: Can we stop the supply in the first place?

“We’ve got to cut off their supply, otherwise if they achieve 60 inside-50 entries, they’ll likely score 20 times, and we’ve got to find ways to prevent that.”