Wingman David Mackay says the team is “shattered” by its sub-par performance against West Coast.

Despite being below their best for most of the game, the Crows held a two-point lead going into the final change at Adelaide Oval on Saturday, but came to a grinding halt in the fourth quarter.

The fast-finishing Eagles outscored the home team 6.5 to 1.2 in the last term to run out comfortable 31-point winners. Adelaide has been on a rollercoaster ride all season, but Mackay admitted he didn’t see Saturday’s result coming after a month of improved form from his side.

“It was a really poor performance in the end. We were in front at three-quarter time and had everything to play for. It was really disappointing to finish the way we did,” Mackay said.

“We were beaten in every area of the game in the last quarter. The players feel (for our fans). We feel like our form has been building throughout the year and we didn’t see this performance today coming. It’s back to the drawing board to improve next week and turn the result around.

“It’s pretty shattering.”

Adelaide’s final quarter was disastrous, but alarm bells started ringing much earlier in the contest.

The Crows kicked the opening four goals of the game, but had no answer as West Coast piled on nine of the next 11 majors. The Eagles’ final score of 20.16 (136) was the biggest score Adelaide has conceded in a match all season.

Coach Brenton Sanderson was visibly frustrated by his team’s “capitulation”.

“We started the game well and then had that horrible patch to finish the first quarter. We saw more of that in the second quarter, unfortunately. The boys dug their heels in and got back in front at three-quarter time, but to be outscored 1.2 to 6.5 in the last quarter, that’s the part that really makes us angry. Unfortunately, we capitulated,” Sanderson said.

“The boys looked like they were struggling to run out the last quarter but sometimes when you can’t win the footy you look like you’re tired. There are no excuses today at all.

“It frustrates us in the coach’s box. The players are obviously feeling the same and I know our fans are exactly the same tonight. They should be bitterly disappointed that we let a great opportunity slip today.

“West Coast played well and we certainly weren’t at our best for the majority of the game today.”

Sanderson was critical of his team’s lack of run, over use of the handball and ineffectual forward 50m entries. He admitted it was hard to explain the vast difference in performance compared to last week’s spirited win against Collingwood at the MCG.

“What our fans saw on TV (against Collingwood) last week was very different what we saw, particularly, in the last quarter today,” he said.

“We didn’t win many positions today. I thought our defenders were badly beaten. Our midfielders got touched up and our forwards, although they kicked a couple of goals, the ball just came out of there too easily.”

“We didn’t have enough players really stand up when it mattered today, which is chalk and cheese with what we saw six days ago.

“I’m really angry with the outcome of the match today.”

The loss leaves the Crows sweating on the results of other games to see if they will maintain their spot in the top eight at the end of the round.

Sanderson said Adelaide’s focus would quickly switch to a tricky match against the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba on Sunday.

“There are plenty of doomsayers out there, who don’t think we’re capable of competing in September action. We’ve got to wait another four weeks to see if we have been good enough to qualify, but internally within our group we’ll focus on preparing for Brisbane in eight days,” he said.

“We’ll see what sort of response we get.”