Adelaide three-time Premiership star Ebony Marinoff says the Crows have plenty more improvement to come, following a thrilling 14-point win against North Melbourne.
The Crows are in the top eight for the first time in Season Seven and have improved their record to 2-1 with a 4.6 (30) to 2.4 (16) victory at Unley Oval on Saturday.
Adelaide’s result didn’t come without a fight, as the hosts were 11 points down at quarter-time and one point behind at the main break.
Speaking to the media on Monday, Marinoff said winning the past two games had been a step in the right direction but the slow starts needed to be addressed.
“It’s nice to be in the eight,” Marinoff said.
“I’ve been really impressed with the way we’ve been able to grit through the past couple of games and get the four points.
“That shows we are able to play some really good footy, we just need to be more consistent and absolutely just win more quarters of footy.
“We haven’t started well at all in our first three games, so what I’d hope for as a group that we’re going to be focusing on is our start.”
Marinoff said she was pleased with how hard Adelaide’s forward line had worked and the continued improvement in youngsters, like defender Chelsea Biddell.
“Danielle Ponter had the game of her life on the weekend and we are always at our best when she’s at her best, so that was really exciting to see,” Marinoff said.
“Ash Woodland again was really impressive on the weekend.
“We’ve seen Chelsea Biddell, her growth last year, I think she’s been fantastic over the past couple of weeks as well.
“We’ve got girls who are stepping up and we need to keep getting better."
The Crows travel to Melbourne to take on Collingwood, who are undefeated, on Sunday.
“It’s a really good opportunity for us to come up against one of the best teams in the competition that are in form and give it our best shot,” Marinoff said.
“They’re missing some of their best stars in Bri Davey and Britt Bonnici out with ACL injuries but they’ve still been able to be undefeated.
“I think if you’re an outsider you can see there has been some growth but also the world is our oyster for the next part of the season.”
Adelaide plays Collingwood in Round Four at Victoria Park on Sunday, with the first bounce at 11.40am (ACST).