Adelaide Assistant Coach Scott Burns says the workrate of the Crows’ young midfield is what helped propel the Club to a gritty victory over St Kilda on Saturday night.

The Crows handled the wet conditions well and recorded a 10.11 (71) to 5.9 (39) win against the Saints at Adelaide Oval.

Speaking to the media on Monday, Burns said the Club was buoyed by the youngsters’ performance. 

“I thought the boys in the middle, the young fellas with their contest, just to get the ball forward (was the most pleasing),” Burns said.

“Post quarter-time we ended up winning midfield clearances by a reasonable amount and won the inside-50 battle.

“From there, it’s pretty hard in wet conditions for a team to go the length of the ground from their defensive 50 to forward 50, so that was really pleasing.

“(It was good to see) some of the young fellas who got the opportunity and even some of our senior players who are really stepping up and playing consistent football.”

The match was significant for Hugh Bond, who made his AFL debut on Saturday night, with Burns praising the 19-year-old’s efforts in halting St Kilda small forward Jack Higgins.

“It was an outstanding debut,” Burns said.

“Jack Higgins is averaging three-and-a-half shots a game, he’s been a terrific small forward this year.

“In those conditions as a small defender if you’re isolated and you’re deep, it only takes one mistake or slip with your feet and you’re out of position.

“Those experienced small forwards can easily control the drop of the ball, so I thought he (Bond) was outstanding, not only on Higgins, but he came off a few times and saved us as well. “It was a great first-up game for the young fella.”

Adelaide now has a quick turnaround with a Round 19 clash against Essendon at Marvel Stadium on Friday night awaiting the side.

“Essendon has probably been a bit disappointed with their last month or so but they’ll respond pretty aggressively I would’ve thought this Friday night,” Burns said.

“We’ve been better but we still haven’t been perfect over the past month so there’s still a fair bit of improvement for us as well.

“It’s going to be a tough exercise for us to go over there, it’s a short turnaround, it’s our second six-day turnaround in a row.

“We’ll make sure the players are as fresh as they can be to hit the ground running on a dry track.”