Adelaide has swatted aside a resilient, yet hapless, Carlton outfit by 55 points in what was a clinical performance against the competition's cellar dwellers.
The Crows trumped the Blues through their superiority in uncontested ball, outside run, and effectiveness up forward as Carlton had little answer to an efficient Adelaide side.
Mitch McGovern proved to be the big target up forward in the absence of skipper Taylor Walker, slotting five goals for the night, while Josh Jenkins too was influential with three of his own.
While a leg injury to Wayne Milera proved to be the only downside for the Crows, the Blues conversely struggled to find many positives as they succumbed to their seventh loss of the season.
It appears it will only get even more difficult for Carlton, with Levi Casboult set to miss several weeks with a suspected rib injury after being kneed in the side late in the final term.
The horror night for Carlton didn't show early however, as the Blues surprised many by slotting the opening goal of the game via returning ruckman Matthew Kreuzer.
But Adelaide soon responded with the next three goals of the game in an end-to-end start.
It was clear from the outset Adelaide would seek to play their way through the Blues, and via rebounding defenders Rory Laird and Paul Seedsman, the Crows proceeded to pile on a further four goals - separated by an Andrew Phillips major - to leave the scoring at seven goals to two in the first term.
Despite an early Adelaide goal in the second term, Carlton slotted the next two goals via young stars Harry McKay and Paddy Dow, to hand the latter his first goal in league football and give the Blues a little bit of a spark.
Adelaide remained under the pump, turning the ball over three consecutive times in their own inside 50.
With the Blues unable to capitalise on their intense pressure, scoring three consecutive behinds, it wasn't until McKay booted his second off the back of some fine build-up play that the Carlton were rewarded for their efforts.
While the Crows managed to stem the flow of goals and in turn lift their intensity, Carlton managed to restrict Adelaide's ball movement and, on the back of outstanding second quarters by youngsters Dow, McKay, Lochie O'Brien and Sam Petrevski-Seton, headed into the main break full of hope just 17 points down.
But their ambitions were quickly dashed, as the Crows started the second half in scintillating fashion, returning to their form of the first quarter.
Booting three unanswered goals and enjoying waves of uncontested footy, Adelaide quashed any momentum the Blues possessed coming into the second half.
Both teams were guilty of several missed opportunities in what was becoming a scrappy affair, until Hugh Greenwood and McGovern kicked truly to give the Crows a 40-point lead over a fading Carlton outfit.
The Crows' big men up forward, coupled with the rebound and grunt provided by Laird and Richard Douglas, proved too much to handle for the Blues, as the likes of McGovern, Jenkins and Tom Lynch began to re-assert themselves on the contest.
With the forwards firing, Adelaide kicked six goals in the quarter opposed to Carlton's one, to enter the final break 48 points up.
Despite battling to maintain some respectability to the scoreline, Carlton were ultimately outclassed by the Crows in a four goal to two term, during which Adelaide once again demonstrated their ability to move through defensive lines at speed, to ultimately run out 55-point victors.
As Casboult went down after copping a knee in the side from Tom Doedee with five minutes of play remaining, the Blues' task of notching up their maiden victory of 2018 appears to now be far greater.
It will be a big week for Adelaide as they face off against Port Adelaide in the Showdown, while Carlton will be searching for their first win of the season against Essendon on Saturday afternoon.
ADELAIDE 7.2 9.3 15.8 19.11 (125)
CARLTON 2.1 6.4 7.8 10.10 (70)
GOALS
Adelaide: McGovern 5, Jenkins 3, Douglas 2, Greenwood 2, Betts 2, Lynch 2, Gibbs, Laird, Mackay
Carlton: Casboult 2, McKay 2, Wright, Dow, Graham, Kreuzer, Phillips, Curnow
BEST
Adelaide: McGovern, Douglas, Laird, M. Crouch, Jenkins
Carlton: E. Curnow, Thomas, Simpson, Cripps, Dow
INJURIES Adelaide: Milera (leg) Carlton: Casboult (ribs), Plowman (quad)
Comentarios