Inspirational Adelaide captain Jordan Dawson has produced a masterful performance to power the Crows to a 57-point thumping of the stunned Western Bulldogs.
Starting as outsiders away from home and having lost to the Dogs earlier in the season, Adelaide charged out of the blocks at Marvel Stadium on Thursday night and never looked back.
The match was over by quarter-time as Adelaide piled on 9.2 — just two points shy of their largest ever first term — to lead by 41 points.
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The Bulldogs spent the rest of the margin trying to get back in the contest and briefly threatened to get close, but the Crows finished strongly to win 19.7 (121) to 9.10 (64).
Central to Adelaide’s dominance was Dawson, who is still grieving the tragic death in April of his brother, Jaryd.
But the outstanding left-footer put in a first quarter for the ages, booting three goals from his eight possessions and had two clearances.
Dawson finished with 32 disposals, joined by Sam Berry (29 and 11 clearances), Josh Rachele (four goals) and Riley Thilthorpe (three goals) as starring in the mauling.
Speaking for the first time since losing his elder sibling, Dawson revealed football had given him a sense of purpose during a period of intense sadness.
“I did find myself enjoying footy in the couple of hours to be able to switch off and have real understanding and clarity of what I was meant to do for those couple of hours,” Dawson told Channel 7 on Thursday night.
“I can’t thank the AFL enough, all the captains and obviously the Crows as well.
“They’ve been unbelievable to myself and the family.
“You obviously never wish this upon anyone, but you also don’t realise the support you have and the generosity around you until something like this happens.”
Six days after a rousing comeback win over nemesis Hawthorn, the Bulldogs fell flat in a performance coach Luke Beveridge had been trying to guard against.
Cody Weightman appeared to get the Dogs off to a perfect start when he was mobbed by teammates after kicking his first goal since returning from 18 months on the sidelines.
But with the players having already moved into position, the goal was overturned after replays revealed the ball had been touched.
Weightman eventually got his breakthrough goal late in the third quarter.
Ed Richards was comfortably the Bulldogs’ best with 28 possessions and a goal.
Adelaide’s fifth win from six games lifts them to fifth, jumping above the Bulldogs, ahead of a home clash with Melbourne.
Their only concern was a hamstring injury to Luke Pedlar, who kicked two early goals in his first game for three weeks.
