Almost, but not quite good enough
For almost half an hour the Mariners showed just how good they can be; for the next hour Adelaide showed how much more they need to do to be a competitive force.
In an open start to the match the Mariners, in a line-up unchanged from last weekend, were superb, pressing high, playing aggressively, and forcing Adelaide back. Playing football on the front foot, Montgomery, Hutchinson and Caceres dominated the midfield. Adelaide was reduced to spiteful fouls as the Mariners called the shots.
In the 23rd minute Caceres forced a turnover and won possession, took a couple of steps, and then belted the ball past Galekovic from the edge of the area. It was a stunning goal, his first of the season, long overdue, and it gave the Mariners a lead they fully deserved.
The joy was short lived; just over a minute later a brilliant goal from Carrusca evened the score. Given far too much space, the perils of pressing high, he sucked in three defenders with a right foot feint before crashing the ball past Reddy with his left.
A couple of minutes later Reddy tidied up at the near post as Goodwin’s cross threatened danger with the Mariners defence undone by Adelaide’s splendid football. Slowly the intensity of the Mariners’ press began to wane and Adelaide took control of the game.
The second half was a master class by the Reds with only Liam Reddy standing between them and defeat. Roux had replaced the injured Poscoliero but it didn’t make any difference as the Reds kept coming forward. Reddy saved from Djite and then Carrusca’s touch abandoned him when put through by Elrich. When Djite dived on the edge of the area, Carrusca’s free kick left Reddy breathing a sigh of relief as the ball floated wide with him flat footed.
The Reds got the goal they deserved, but it was cruel luck on Reddy, as, not for the first time this season they profited from a deflection which took Goodwin’s shot beyond Reddy. The Mariners were now in danger of losing their composure; they were second to every ball, and were reduced to hacking the ball away instead of playing for possession. Bosnar could have equalised, certainly should have done better, with a headed chance from Caceres’ free kick.
Anderson got a yellow for an unintentional handball – why is it referees can hand out the easy ones but fail to punish people like Carrusca who left his studs on Cernak in the first half?
Reddy then produced the save of the season with a brilliant one handed full length dive to deny Jeggo’s goal bound header. And then Josh Rose came so close to an equaliser with a right foot shot just wide of the post.
The Mariners were ultimately beaten by the better side but there was much to like in their early play. Reddy was so defiant that but for the deflection they may well have earned a point. Monty put in his usual hard shift, Cernak continued to impress with his enthusiasm but for me the MoM was the splendidly skilful Caceres who seemed to want to control the game although ultimately he didn’t have the support. I wonder, mischievously, just what he could achieve if he were wearing the red shirt of Adelaide?
) and sent him away. 
There is enough video evidence to lay a charge on Carrusca imho. 
