Sunday’s crowd of 53,445 was the biggest non-Showdown attendance for an AFL game at Adelaide Oval and the Adelaide Football Club’s biggest-ever crowd, eclipsing the previous best of 51,140 at Football Park in Round Five, 2003, against Port Adelaide.

The Crows have an average home attendance of 46,586 this season – ranked third in the League, narrowly behind Collingwood, which has an average of 47,957. Richmond leads the way with an average of 50,818 fans per game.

Adelaide’s first-quarter score of 8.3 (51) was its highest in an opening term since Round 22, 2011, when the Club kicked its biggest-ever first-quarter score of 9.4 (58) against Gold Coast.

It was the Crows’ highest-ever first-quarter score at Adelaide Oval, eclipsing topping their previous best of 6.4 (40) against North Melbourne in Round One this season.

West Coast recorded its lowest first-quarter score – 0.1 (1) this season. It’s only the second time this year the high-scoring Eagles have been held goalless in the opening term.

West Coast’s total score – 10.9 (69) – was also its lowest of the season.

The result was a 113-point turnaround from last time the two teams met. West Coast recorded a comfortable 56-point win at Domain Stadium in Round 15 this season, while the Crows ran out 57-point victors in the return leg.

Adelaide has now won six of its past seven matches, including the last three by an average margin of 85 points. The Crows sit in seventh spot on the AFL ladder heading into Round 23.

Scott Thompson and Brodie Smith were the joint-leading possession-getters on the ground. Thompson amassed 29 disposals to go with six marks and five inside 50ms. He also laid an equal-game high seven tackles.

Smith also finished with 29 possessions – his best return since Round Two, including a Round 22-high 23 kicks. The creative defender also generated a game and round-high 11 rebound 50ms, twice as many as the next-best player in the game. He ranked sixth for the round in metres gained (9,603).

Patrick Dangerfield won a team-high nine clearances, including six in a dominant first-quarter display, from his 28 possessions. Dangerfield also sent the ball inside 50m on five occasions, kicked a goal and set up another.

Small defender Rory Laird continued his push for All-Australian selection with another 27 touches. Laird also took five marks and generated three rebound 50ms.

Rory Sloane applied an equal-game high seven tackles, along with 25 touches, six marks, two clearances and a goal.

Crows captain Taylor Walker sent the ball inside attacking 50m seven times – more than any other player on the ground. Richard Douglas and Tom Lynch each generated six inside 50m entries. Walker also took a game-high 12 marks, including four inside 50m. Only North Melbourne defender Robbie Tarrant (14) took more marks than the Adelaide forward on the weekend.

Walker, who kicked three, was one of nine Adelaide goalkickers on Sunday. Josh Jenkins led the way with a career-high six to take his season tally to 41 – also a personal best. Lynch, Eddie Betts and Charlie Cameron each kicked two goals, while Dangerfield, Sloane, Riley Knight and Rory Atkins slotted one apiece. Betts also had a round-high four goal assists.

Jenkins also took six marks, including a game and equal-round high five contested.

Young defender Kyle Hartigan kept Eagle Jack Darling goalless for only the second time this season.

All Australian full-back Daniel Talia limited Coleman Medal leader Josh Kennedy to only one goal, from an untimely Crows turnover in the last quarter. Talia won more possessions (13) than Kennedy (11) and also restricted the West Coast spearhead to a solitary mark.

First-year defender Jake Lever, who battled resting ruckmen Nic Naitanui and Callum Sinclair, also impressed. Lever kept the Eagles talls to one goal and had an equal-team high nine one-percenters level with Talia. He also effected nine spoils – ranked fourth in Round 22.

Luke Brown limited 150-gamer Mark LeCras to 13 touches and two goals, both in the second half.

Ruckman Sam Jacobs won 32 hit-outs, helping to nullify the influence of Naitanui at the stoppages.

Match statistics
Disposals
Adelaide – 383
West Coast – 305

Kicks
Adelaide – 228
West Coast – 177

Handballs
Adelaide – 155
West Coast – 128

Free Kicks
Adelaide – 17
West Coast – 19

Clearances 
Adelaide – 31
West Coast – 36

Inside 50ms
Adelaide – 60
West Coast – 54

Contested Possessions
Adelaide – 141
West Coast – 140

Tackles
Adelaide – 41
West Coast – 46

Hit-outs
Adelaide – 37
West Coast – 37