Adelaide spoiled the farewell party for West Coast's retiring champions with a 45-point win on Saturday night, lifting Taylor Walker into the Coleman Medal lead in the process, on an emotionally charged night at Optus Stadium. 

Premiership captain Shannon Hurn and Norm Smith medallist Luke Shuey were chaired from Optus Stadium through a guard of honour alongside game-changing ruckman Nic Naitanui as the Eagles closed an era that has been defined by the trio. 

While the match got away from the Eagles in the final quarter, it was a performance worthy of their three club greats up to that point, with Adelaide putting its foot down to kick the last eight goals of the game and win 17.21 (123) to 12.6 (78).

Walker was the star with a bag of nine goals that moved his season tally to a career-best 75 – one ahead of Carlton spearhead and 2022 Coleman medallist Charlie Curnow, who plays Greater Western Sydney on Sunday.

The veteran booted four goals in the final quarter and missed a set shot in the dying minutes that he would normally convert as the Crows ended their season with an 11-12 record to narrowly miss finals. 

Walker's intent was evident early when he took the ball out of the ruck in the opening two minutes and snapped a brilliant goal on his left foot from 45m after shrugging off two Eagles. 

It launched an entertaining first quarter that saw Oscar Allen get his eye in early from long range and Shuey hit the ground running with three first-quarter clearances and a terrific running goal on his left. 

While Walker added a second, the Crows were wasteful and entered the first break with a 10-point lead that should have been more after controlling play and dominating inside 50s (18-7). 

The Eagles' commitment to the cause was evident in the second term when their pressure went to a new level, with Andrew Gaff providing a highlight with his chasedown tackle on Josh Rachele as the classy Crow ran towards an open goal. 

With their defensive intent high, the Eagles' offensive game got rolling. Their best passage with the ball involved Liam Duggan and Samo Petrevski-Seton linking up on the wing before Tim Kelly delivered inside 50 with class to Allen, who kicked back-to-back goals from 50m set shots.

It capped a five-goal-to-one quarter that opened up an 11-point lead for the home team at the main break, with Jack Darling extending that to 17 when he converted off the ground in the first 20 seconds of the third term. 

With the game at risk of getting away from his team, Walker lifted and kicked three of the next four goals, including a brilliant snap set shot from the boundary as the Crows took control.   

It was a rollicking quarter with 10 goals kicked as both teams took the entertaining clash to a new level. When Darcy Fogarty converted his set shot from beyond 50m, the Crows took a seven-point lead into the last break before Walker did the rest.

SCOREBOARD

WEST COAST        3.1   8.3   12.4   12.6 (78)

ADELAIDE             4.5   5.10   11.17   17.21 (123)

GOALS

West Coast: Allen 4, Darling 3, Cole, Cripps, Jones, Shuey, J Williams 

Adelaide: Walker 9, Rachele 3, Soligo 2, Fogarty, Gollant, Keays

BEST

West Coast: Kelly, Allen, Duggan, Shuey, Hough, Darling 

Adelaide: Walker, Laird, Crouch, Soligo, Dawson, Rachele 

SUBSTITUTES

West Coast: Jamaine Jones (replaced Luke Edwards in the third quarter) 

Adelaide: Riley Thilthorpe (replaced Reilly O'Brien in the third quarter)

Crowd: 47,027 at Optus Stadium