Adelaide has temporarily advanced to third position on the ladder, after overcoming a resilient Western Bulldogs outfit by 37 points in what was a tightly-contested battle in torrential conditions.
Atrocious weather and a relentless downpour of rain in the opening half did little to dampen the spirits of either side, who fought tooth and nail in an effort to secure the four points.
While the scoreline suggested a relatively one-sided affair, the Dogs' figures of 2.14 and the final score was a pale reflection of the endeavour exerted by the visitors, who challenged the Crows for much of the game.
But it was the Dogs' last quarter which ultimately let them down in the end, with their inability to pounce on half-chances the primary reason for the six-goal blowout.
Eddie Betts once again showed his class with four goals in the wet, while Rory Laird carried on his supreme form with 28 touches, 15 of which were contested.
Rival ball-magnet, Jack Macrae, finished his night with a game-high 36 disposals, and was best afield for the Bulldogs.
Despite just one game separating the two teams - with the Crows and Dogs sitting fourth and 13th position respectively - it was expected to be the Crows with all the dominance.
As the heavens opened up just before the opening bounce, the run-and-carry style of both games rapidly turned into a scrappy territorial slog, with clean possession and smooth passages of play absent.
With every score crucial given the conditions, goals were gold as the Crows hit the jackpot with three unanswered majors for the term.
The wet didn't faze the dynamic Betts however, who from the left flank 50m out kicked the first of the game in spectacular fashion, giving the Crows a handy lead early.
As the rain came down in sheets, the slippery conditions negated any sense of structure, with meterage gained the sole objective of the two teams.
Patrick Lipinski was a strong instigator of the Bulldogs' movement forward, often finding himself at the bottom of packs and scrapping his way through the throngs of bodies to gain ground.
While ball-magnets Macrae and Marcus Bontempelli found themselves with ball in hand 11 times for the term, Laird was just as effective all over the ground with his eight disposals.
As the Crows attempted to move the ball through hacks along the ground, the Bulldogs sought to flick the ball around to break through the congestion before going long, as evidenced by the handball count which stood at 19-58 by quarter-time.
Despite the ball resting in the Bulldogs' forward half for a significant portion for the term, the Crows managed to boot two important goals in the last two minutes of the term from Darcy Fogarty and Tom Lynch to enter quarter-time 16 points up.
The Bulldogs once again owned the ball throughout much of the second term, yet only mustered 1.2 for their efforts.
While the Crows were inundated with rain in the first term, the inclement weather was soon replaced by a manic Bulldog offensive, placing the Crows under the pump early.
Yet just two behinds as a result of the Bulldogs' forays forward did little to frazzle the Crows, whose absorption of pressure allowed them to remain well within the contest.
With no goals for almost 15 minutes, a contentious free kick for below the knees contact eventually gave the Bulldogs their first of the night through Lukas Webb, cutting the margin back to just 10 points.
Despite the controversial goal riling up the offender in Daniel Talia and the home crowd, the Crows failed to hit the scoreboard with a major, thanks to the determined Bulldog defence led by Bailey Williams and the returning skipper, Easton Wood.
The Dogs too were unable to steal another major, even with some spectacular soccer skills and a blistering dash along the wing from Jason Johannisen resulting in no score.
Although failing to kick a goal for the term, the Crows managed to persevere through the Dogs' relentless press, escaping half-time with a handy eight-point lead.
While the Bulldogs' pressure remained consistent, the Crows managed to find their feet in the much-improved conditions, putting together another unanswered three-goal term.
With the style of play in a similar vein to that of the second quarter, goals - and the frequency of them - once again proved to be sporadic, yet the Crows were able to pounce upon the numerous opportunities presented to them.
As the rain fully cleared and the ground dried up at the beginning of the quarter, Myles Poholke took full advantage, booting Adelaide's first goal since the first term to put the margin back to desperately-needed double figures.
Laird continued to dominate through his intercept plays, giving the Crows several chances to repeatedly push themselves into their attacking half, helping to create two further goals for Adelaide.
A precise Betts drop punt from the opposite pocket of his first goal oozed nothing but class, before the Crows jumped away to a 27-point lead thanks to a Lachlan Murphy major several minutes later.
With Webb still the only goalkicker for the Dogs, it was going to take a monumental effort in the final term to overcome the four-goal deficit and steal the four points from the home side.
But the ideal start for the Dogs was dashed in the space of just 26 seconds, with Josh Jenkins dribbling through his first goal of the night.
Although Matthew Suckling snapped a miracle goal six minutes later, the Dogs' hopes were soon evaporated as Betts put through his third and then fourth of the match.
As the margin ballooned out to 37 points, the pressure and intent remained consistent, with both sides surpassing their respective club tackling record for a match (108).
Despite the aggression shown in the match, the Crows left their home turf with relative comfort as the game petered out, with their sixth win of the season placing them in good stead for a top-four lock.
Adelaide will have a nine-day turnaround to recover before facing off against Melbourne at TIO Traeger Park, while the Western Bulldogs will have to wait only a week before being back under the Friday night lights when they play Collingwood.
ADELAIDE 3.1 3.3 6.6 9.9 (63)
WESTERN BULLDOGS 0.3 1.7 1.10 2.14 (26)
GOALS
Adelaide: Betts 4, Fogarty, Murphy, Poholke, Lynch, Jenkins
Western Bulldogs: Webb, Suckling
BEST
Adelaide: Laird, Betts, Ellis-Yolmen, Seedsman Greenwood, Gibbs
Western Bulldogs: Macrae, Wood, McLean, Williams, Johannisen, Lipinski
INJURIES
Adelaide: Nil
Western Bulldogs: Nil
TALKING POINTS
1. DOGS DETERMINED, BUT CHANCES GO BEGGING
Now sitting at 4-5, the Bulldogs had the chance to sit on par with the Crows at 5-3 but ultimately let the opportunity go begging.
While there's no questioning the Dogs' endeavour against last year's runners-up, missed chances in front of goal ultimately ruled them out of contention.
Although determined in their approach - in particular with their dominant second quarter,- as well as surpassing the club tackling record for a single game (108), the Bulldogs ticked all the boxes except for converting in front of goal.
Although the poor weather was always going to result in inaccurate kicking, 2.14 for the match was costly, with several opportunities unable to result in crucial six-pointers.
The Crows conversely seemed to find a knack to pounce upon their opportunities, and it was this which in the end proved to be the difference.
2. EXCELLENT EDDIE
In his 100th game for the Crows, Eddie Betts proved yet again how he is both one of the most dangerous and incredible small forwards ever to play the game.
With a silky goal in the downpour on the left flank, the small maestro followed up in the third term with a skilful set shot from the opposite pocket.
Finishing with four goals for the match, Betts' four years at Adelaide has been nothing short of remarkable, with the dynamic forward averaging 2.5 goals a game and is effectiveness.
With his nine kicks, Betts booted four goals; the Bulldogs meanwhile kicked two majors from their 212 kicks.
Freakish.
3. BELOW THE KNEES CONFUSION
It seems to be there is a rule each week which causes controversy, and is picked apart beyond belief in order for everyone to understand the how it should be interpreted.
This week is no different, with the contact below the knees rule surrounded in confusion following a dubious free kick in the second term.
As Lukas Webb and Daniel Talia chased the ball down in the Dogs' attacking half, the latter slid down for the footy in an attempt to clear it from defence.
But as Webb continued his run forward, he was upended by the Adelaide defender, resulting in a free kick and subsequent goal to the Bulldogs.
With both players running the same way, it will be interesting to see how the AFL justifies the decision, especially given the fact the incident occurred in the wet.
4. BALL-MAGNETS BRILLIANT DESPITE THE CONDITIONS
Horrendous weather or not, ball-magnets will always be just that.
As two of the leading disposal-winners this season in Jack Macrae and Rory Laird went head-to-head under the Friday night lights, the duo proved their elite, albeit underrated, status yet again.
Finishing with 36 and 28 touches respectively, it's the contested possession count which is even more remarkable, with Macrae the pick of the bunch with 25, while 15 comprised Laird's total.
Only behind Nat Fyfe and Tom Mitchell, the two players are undoubtedly superstars of 2018, with their form looking less likely to falter as they continue to rack up the numbers.
5. THE FALCON OF ALL FALCONS
Copping a falcon on any day is bad enough, but when the Sherrin is waterlogged and is fired from close-range, it's a recipe for disaster.
Ed Richards was the recipient of one of the most brutal falcons ever witnessed, after Richard Douglas slammed the ball forward in an attempt to clear the ball.
Staggering after the ball rocketed into his face, Richards' unfortunate blow had everyone grimacing in agony as his face quickly became a similar colour to his face.
A simple "ouch" pretty much sums it up.
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