There were a number of worrying signs for Adelaide at the MCG on Saturday.
The first being the obvious – that a demoralising 27-point loss to Carlton resulted in the door for its final spot in the top eight tilting even more ajar for rivals beneath it.
Just as concerning, though, was simply how much the Blues – still languishing in 16th on the AFL ladder – looked like the better side in almost every aspect of the contest on their way to a rather comfortable 13.9 (87) to 9.6 (60) win.
Playing with the confidence Adelaide now severely lacks, Carlton outclassed and outworked Adelaide from start to finish to secure its fifth victory in seven games under David Teague.
But while one performance was littered with Blues positives, the other paints a nervous picture for the Crows.
Patrick Cripps was the inspiration behind Carlton's win, enhancing his Brownlow Medal chances with 39 disposals, 24 contested possessions, seven tackles and a goal to complement an incredible 19 clearances.
Veteran duo Kade Simpson (31 disposals, 12 marks) and Marc Murphy (31 disposals, five tackles) were also among the best, starring in a Carlton side that featured 11 individual goal kickers.
For Adelaide, there was little to smile about.
Brad Crouch (30 disposals, one goal) and Rory Sloane (26 disposals, eight tackles) were among the major ball winners, but featured in a Crows side that was thrashed out of the middle of the ground.
Much of the talk leading into the game had centred around one of those veterans, Eddie Betts, and his shock omission from the team.
But after Tyson Stengle booted the game's first goal – and Lachie Murphy added a second soon after – Adelaide must have felt justified in its selection of small forwards.
Crows skipper Taylor Walker also had two in the first quarter, but the Blues replied and through some nice passages steadied from a slow start to lead at the first change.
Cripps and Ed Curnow – who had 29 disposals between them in the first quarter alone – were crucial in helping Carlton gain the ascendency out of the middle.
Their ability to win the ball at will allowed the Blues complete control of the territory battle, helping the hosts pile on six of seven goals on either side of quarter-time.
The dominance built a handy 16-point advantage at the main interval, which Carlton set about extending.
Levi Casboult, having slotted two nice set-shots in the first half, then added a third when he guided home another from beyond 50m while on the run to start the third quarter.
And yet, while Carlton stretched its lead to 28 points early in the term, there was a lingering sense that it would struggle to shake Adelaide and take an insurmountable advantage.
But if there were any Blues nerves, Josh Deluca's goal less than 20 seconds into the final quarter – the result of yet another Cripps clearance – immediately settled them.
Will Setterfield's snap around the body then broke the back of the Crows, who slumped to their fourth loss in five games and their fourth successive defeat at the MCG.
MEDICAL ROOM
Carlton: Matt Kennedy limped from the field after appearing to roll his ankle midway through the first quarter. However, having gone down the race, the forward returned for the start of the second term.
Adelaide: In one of few positives for the Crows, they were able to walk away from the game with a relatively clean bill of health.
NEXT UP
Carlton has an eight-day break before hosting reigning premiers West Coast at Marvel Stadium on Sunday, while Adelaide returns home to meet St Kilda on Saturday night.
CARLTON 4.4 7.8 10.9 13.9 (87)
ADELAIDE 4.0 5.4 7.5 9.6 (60)
GOALS
Carlton: Casboult 3, Phillips, McKay, Simpson, Silvagni, Kennedy, Cripps, Lang, Deluca, Setterfield, Gibbons
Adelaide: Walker 3, Stengle 2, Seedsman, Murphy, B.Crouch, Jenkins
BEST
Carlton: Cripps, Simpson, Murphy, Setterfield, E.Curnow, Petrevski-Seton, Thomas
Adelaide: Sloane, O'Brien, M.Crouch, B.Crouch, Smith
INJURIES
Carlton: Nil
Adelaide: Nil
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Rosebury, Harris, Glouftsis
Official crowd: 38,369 at the MCG
