After a goalless first quarter, the Eagles needed a spark to get them going and it was provided by small forward Jamie Cripps.

After Jack Darling kicked the club’s first major early in the second quarter, laying the ball across his boot from the pocket, Cripps entered the action.

From the Darling goal, the ball went back to the middle and the Eagles, through Nic Naitanui and Luke Shuey got it forward and Cripps finished off the opportunity. At the next bounce Naitanui and Elliot Yeo combined to get it in the hands of Cripps, who nailed his second in a minute.

Cripps continued to play a key role, kicking 5.3 with his goals coming in a variety of ways – set shots, on the run and squeezing them through from the pocket. He had 13 score involvements and 25 possessions, nine of them contested, which represented a career high.

His previous best numbers came in round one, 2015 against the Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium when he kicked five goals from 19 possessions. The major difference was the Eagles won this time.

In Cripps’ role where he covers so much ground, he doesn’t always get reward for effort. Against the Crows he did and was clearly best afield.