There's making a comeback, then there's doing it in style.
That's exactly what AFLW MVP Erin Phillips did in her first game of the season, booting 4.2 to guide her side to their first win of 2018 against the Western Bulldogs.
The Adelaide co-captain, whose absence was notable in the Crows' opening two losses, had immediate impact upon her return and alongside experienced campaigners Chelsea Randall and Ebony Marinoff, willed Adelaide to a seven-point victory.
The Bulldogs led at every change, succumbing to the relentless Crows in the final quarter.
Getting the jump on the reigning premiers early, the Bulldog midfield worked hard to shut down the Crows' offensive style of play.
Emma Kearney and Ellie Blackburn were stellar in the midfield for a third straight week, accumulating 20 and 17 disposals respectively.
Yet the Crows had an answer for the rampant Bulldogs, bringing Sarah Perkins into the middle to combat their dominance.
The tactic was effective, with the full forward finishing her day with 11 possessions, subsequently allowing Marinoff and Randall to rise to the forefront while the Dogs were focused on stopping Perkins.
With Perkins up the ground, the Adelaide forward line had one major target, and that was Phillips.
Already with two goals under her belt, the Bulldogs were determined to shut the superstar down to ensure their third victory of the season.
But there was no stopping her on her return.
Phillips slotted her third with relative ease, and the Crows were in front for the first time.
The lead was short-lived, as Katie Brennan willed her side to a five-point lead at the end of the third term.
There would have to be something magical to get the Crows over the line, and the answer - like many of the Crows' problems - was Erin Phillips.
Crumbing the ball in the forward pocket, Phillips snapped a miraculous goal from a ridiculously tight angle on the boundary to give her side a one-point advantage early in the final quarter.
The Bulldogs managed to wrangle back control after Phillips' display, and locked the ball into their forward 50 for seven minutes.
The Adelaide defence stood tall under the assault, conceding only a minor score to bring both teams to 34 points apiece.
An all-important behind from Rachel Killian put Adelaide up in the game's final minutes, and the sealer from Jenna McCormick brought the Crows home.
The sting of defeat was even worse for the Bulldogs, with Brennan being helped off the ground in the final quarter with a suspected ankle injury.
No contact was involved in the incident, and the extent of the injury is yet to be determined. With Phillips back in the side, Crows supporters as well as AFLW fans, have much to look forward to for the final four games of the home and away season.
With their co-captain back in the side and seemingly injury-free, the Crows will aim to notch up their second win of the season against Greater Western Sydney.
After licking their wounds, the Bulldogs will hope to restore their pride in what is coincidentally the first AFLW Pride Game against the Blues.
ADELAIDE 1.1 2.2 4.4 6.5 (41) WESTERN BULLDOGS 2.1 3.1 5.3 5.4 (34)
GOALS Adelaide: Phillips 4, McCormack 2 Western Bulldogs: Brennan 2,Kearney, Utri, Lochland
BEST
Adelaide: Phillips, Randall, Marinoff, Perkins
Western Bulldogs: Kearney, Blackburn, Lochland
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