FOUR goals to Taylor Walker and two to Patrick Dangerfield helped Adelaide overcome its poor kicking to beat Fremantle by 28 points at AAMI Stadium on Saturday.
Dangerfield's best-on-ground performance included his two majors booted from beyond 50m as the Crows won 17.17 (119) to 14.7 (91) to consolidate their top-two position.
But the home side had 34 scoring shots to just 21 and were guilty of some costly turnovers which kept Fremantle in the contest.
Michael Walters kicked three goals for Fremantle but Matthew Pavlich was held to just two by Daniel Talia, ending the spearhead's run of great form.
In the opening term, Adelaide dominated the play, peppering the goal without much reward.
Josh Jenkins missed an easy shot from 20m in the opening two minutes, setting the tone for the day, before Walker managed the opening major of the game.
When Ian Callinan snapped truly, the Crows had three early goals and had stretched the lead to 15 points.
But Fremantle began to win the clearances and goals from Matt de Boer and Michael Barlow reduced the deficit to just two points before Scott Thompson kicked straight from a free to have Adelaide out by nine points at quarter-time.
In the second term, the teams traded goals until Kepler Bradley put Fremantle in front for the first time, kicking straight from 25m.
That was short-lived, however, with the Crows replying within a minute when Callinan picked up his second to take the home side to the main break with a four-point advantage.
In the third term, the Crows threatened to break the game open with brilliant running goals to Dangerfield and Richard Douglas but failed to put Fremantle away with some missed opportunities.
Walters also kept Fremantle in the hunt with two goals for the quarter with Adelaide leading by 22 points at the final change.
In the last term, the teams traded goals until Walker booted his fourth, putting the game and perhaps a spot in the top eight, beyond Fremantle's reach.
ADELAIDE 4.5 7.8 12.15 17.17 (119)
FREMANTLE 3.3 7.4 10.5 14.7 (91)
GOALS
Adelaide: Walker 4, Dangerfield, Callinan, Wright 2, Douglas, Johncock, Mackay, Riley, Sloane, Thompson, Vince
Fremantle: Walters 3, Pavlich 2, Ballantyne, Barlow, Bradley, De Boer, Duffield, Hill, Mayne, Neale, Pearce
BEST
Adelaide: Dangerfield, Wright, Talia, Walker, Johncock, Reilly
Fremantle: de Boer, Mundy, Barlow, Duffield, Pearce, Griffin
INJURIES
Adelaide: Nil
Fremantle: Mayne (concussion)
SUBS:
Adelaide: Aidan Riley replaced Lewis Johnston in the fourth quarter.
Fremantle: Lachie Neale replaced Chris Mayne at half-time.
Reports: Nil
Umpires: McBurney, Margetts, Wenn
Official crowd: 35,027 at AAMI Stadium
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL
