The captain on the bench with a suspected concussion, two defenders ruled out and a three-time Club Champion sore...

Adelaide had its back well and truly up against the wall in the final few minutes of its clash with Essendon at Marvel Stadium on Friday night.

But the visitors managed to snatch a two-point victory with a last-gasp goal courtesy of Josh Rachele and a standout performance from Ben Keays.

In the coaches box, it was hectic, as Club leaders searched for strategies to lift the Crows to a win while players seemingly dropped like flies.

“It was just one of those games where we just kept losing soldiers,” Assistant Coach Nathan van Berlo told AFC Media. 

“Contingency plans were almost thrown out the window, we didn’t plan to the level of player loss that we had.

“We ended up having to move magnets around consistently and try to find the freshest players available to play in and around the footy.

“We had Rory Laird ahead of the ball, we had Riley Thilthorpe on a wing, Billy Dowling spent a lot of time behind the ball with Lachie Sholl... a lot of guys were out of position, playing different roles.”

The Crows used their substitute in the second quarter, with Brayden Cook coming on to replace defender Nick Murray who injured his knee.

Jordon Butts then went down late in the third with a foot injury, while Jordan Dawson and Laird also watched from the sidelines late, leaving a young midfield group to stand up.

“We had Dawson and Laird on the bench in the last minute or so, and that meant at the last centre bounce we had Sam Berry, Hugh Bond and Ben Keays in there which was a unique mix for us,” van Berlo said.

“We are really proud of the way they were able to execute roles in different positions.

“It was a juggling act (working out who was fresh) and there was a lot of discussion around it, a lot more than normal.

“It was really pleasing that we got the result, but guys were able to be flexible in their mindsets, which was great.”

Van Berlo said constant dialogue between the coaches, fitness staff and players helped define the strategy.

“Finding the freshest player is usually a discussion with Burgo (High Performance Manager Darren Burgess) downstairs, sometimes it’s a bit of a gut feel and sometimes it’s actually talking to players,” van Berlo said.

“Speaking to Rory Laird, he was sore and he said he can give us a little bit around the ball but he can’t stay there for a long period of time so we opted to move him forward and get some fresher legs around the footy.

“It was a combination of discussions with players, coaches and a bit of a gut feel, and thankfully it all worked out.”

The Assistant said the coaching cohort was proud of how the players handled the pressure, while specifically pointing out Keays’ influence, together with that of forward Darcy Fogarty.

Keays finished the match with a career-high five goals, 22 disposals, 28 pressure acts, 12 score involvements and eight tackles.

Fogarty, meanwhile, booted two crucial goals in the final term.

“We talk about Ben Keays, we know he’s going to run and run and run and give us some energy around the footy, so we made that call at three-quarter time to get him around the ball,” van Berlo said.

“That proved a really big call in the last quarter and Keays’ game was outstanding.

“There were guys who played in their position who just elevated - Darcy Fogarty’s game as a whole, but especially in some critical moments in the last quarter.

“I could almost go through every individual, there were lots of important moments - and there were definitely a few magnets moved.”

The Crows now have a nine-day break before hosting Hawthorn at Adelaide Oval next Sunday.

Van Berlo said the players would enjoy a few days off, before getting back to work ahead of Round 20.

“Wins like that definitely do help with cohesion and especially doing it away from home and under adversity," he said.

“With injuries and what was presented and being up then conceding seven in a row and being on the back foot, there’s probably no bigger challenge.

“For all those reasons, it should give them confidence and build the belief and connection."