Adelaide overpowered St Kilda in an impressive 63-point win in its season-opener on Sunday.

Darcy Fogarty (four goals) was among a dozen goalkickers for the free-wheeling Crows in their 21.9 (135) to 10.12 (72) victory at Adelaide Oval.

Adelaide kicked five-goals-to none in the opening 18 minutes to set an ominous tone for the Saints, who were without seven injured first-choice players.

The Adelaide attack, led by Fogarty, Riley Thilthorpe (three goals) and Josh Rachele (two goals) feasted on plentiful supply from a dominant midfield.

Fogarty and Thilthorpe kicked two majors each in the term and Rachele had a hand, or a foot, in four of the initial five goals.

Adelaide led 7.2 to 2.2 at quarter-time before St Kilda stemmed the flow in the second term, kicking two goals to three to trail by 37 points at half-time.

But the floodgates opened again for the Crows in a powerful third quarter featuring seven consecutive goals in a 22-minute burst.

The spree included majors to Adelaide's three recruits: former Greater Western Sydney pair Isaac Cumming and James Peatling and ex-Melbourne forward Alex Neal-Bullen.

The trio were serviceable on debut with Cumming finishing with two goals and 16 disposals, Neal-Bullen gathering 21 touches and Peatling 19.

Their efforts were overshadowed by captain Jordan Dawson (27 disposals, two goals), Izak Rankine (28, two goals), Jake Soligo (29 disposals, one goal) and Matt Crouch (31, one goal) who formed a slick on-ball brigade.

Adelaide's Josh Worrell (25 disposals), Mark Keane (21) and Rory Laird (29) ruled in defence and the Crows' attack was ever-threatening.

Fogarty and Thilthorpe were aerial forces while Rachele snapped two classy goals in addition to creating others.

Such was Adelaide's command, veteran Taylor Walker (one goal) was rested midway through the third term to give substitute and highly touted draftee Sid Draper his AFL debut before a 42,895-strong crowd.

SCOREBOARD

ADELAIDE         
7.2     10.4     17.7     21.9 (135)
ST KILDA           
2.2      4.3       7.7      10.12 (72)

GOALS
Adelaide: Fogarty 4, Thilthorpe 3, Rankine 2, Rachele 2, Dawson 2, Cumming 2, Walker, Soligo, Peatling, Neal-Bullen, Keays, Crouch
St Kilda:
Wood 2, Higgins 2, Hall 2, Wanganeen-Milera, Hill, Garcia, Cordy

BEST
Adelaide: Dawson, Rankine, Soligo, Rachele, Fogarty, Crouch, Worrell
St Kilda:
Macrae, Wanganeen-Milera, Wilson, Sinclair, Hall
 

INJURIES
Adelaide: Nil
St Kilda:
Nil

SUBSTITUTES
Adelaide: Sid Draper (replaced Taylor Walker in the third quarter)
St Kilda:
Hunter Clark (replaced Angus Hastie in the third quarter)

 

Crowd: 42,895 at Adelaide Oval