The Crows broke the game open early in the final term and then held off a late surge from the Hawks to run out winners 2.7.11 (71) to 1.7.7 (58).
Crows forward Trent Hentschel continued his good start to 2006 with three goals while midfielder Chris Knights kicked two goals, including a nine-point super goal.
Hentschel was the dominant forward on the ground (four marks and 14 possessions), while Knights (16 possessions) showed that he may prove to be a valuable addition to the Crows midfield this season.
For the Hawks, Jarryd Roughead (12 possessions) showed he is ready to make the full-forward post his with arguably his best performance for the club.
Roughead booted two goals and set up several opportunities for his team mates with his strong, bullocking style of play.
Roughead only took three marks but provided a contest and enabled the likes of Mark Williams (two goals) to feed off his good work.
While Roughead played close to goal, fellow top draftee, Lance Franklin (12 possessions and three marks) roamed far and wide across the half forward line and impressed with his work rate.
Both sides rested key players for the game with the Hawks without Shane Crawford and Peter Everitt and the Crows resting Mark Ricciuto, Jason Torney, Nathan Bassett and Ben Hart.
The Crows jumped the Hawks in the first quarter, posting the first three goals of the game inside four minutes. Matthew Bode goaled first from a free kick followed by another from the impressive Knights and then Hentschel snapped truly from the forward pocket.
The Crows led by 19 points at the six-minute mark of the opening term but a more worrying statistic for the Hawks was that none of their players had touched the ball.
The Crows' trio of tall forwards – Ian Perrie, Ken McGregor and Hentschel – were proving more than a handful for Danny Jacobs, Trent Croad and the inexperienced Zac Dawson.
Between them they took eight first-quarter marks as the Hawks rushed numbers back behind the ball to stem the early onslaught.
Eventually the Hawks regained their composure and, in particular, through Rick Ladson, they began to work themselves into the game.
Ladson started on the interchange bench and kicked the Hawks’ first goal after ten minutes following some strong work from Roughead at full-forward.
Ladson finished the first term with 14 possessions (he finished with 35 for the game) as the Hawks went to the quarter-time break 12 points down.
Whatever Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson said to his team at quarter-time worked as the poor skill level and turnovers that cost the Hawks early began to disappear.
The Hawks over-used the ball in the first term, a legacy of their tendency to push numbers back, but at the start of the second term they began to run and look long to Franklin and Roughead inside 50.
Once again, some good work by Roughead at full forward enabled Mark Williams to run into an open goal for his first of the game and with Sam Mitchell (30 possessions), and Chance Bateman (24 possessions) on top in the midfield, the Hawks clawed their way back into the game.
The Hawks skipper, Richie Vandenberg began the game on the interchange bench but when he came on in the second term he had an almost immediate impact.
Scott Thompson was penalised for throwing the ball on the wing and a subsequent 50-metre penalty provided a nine-point goal opportunity for Vandenberg which he duly completed.
Despite completely dominating the start of the game through their tall forwards, the Crows had been pegged back when both sides went to the main break even.
The Hawks began the second half with a golden opportunity to take the lead as Harry Miller ran towards goal from an acute angle but his attempted checkside kick finished off target.
From the resulting kick-in, the ball ended with Thompson who marked and kicked truly from 45 metres – the Crows' first goal since the four-minute mark of the opening term.
Successive goals to the Hawks through Williams and debutant Max Bailey, who marked strongly in the goal square, nudged the Hawks back in front. The Crows then replied through a nine-point goal from Knights but, with the three-quarter time siren about to sound, Tim Clarke goaled to reduce the margin to four points at the final break.
A nine-point goal to the Crows' Luke Jericho early in the final term and subsequent goals to Hentschel and Burton pushed the margin out to 26 points.
Roughead then kicked two goals in quick succession, the first from a fortuitous free kick and the second from a mark to reduce the margin to 14 points.
Another mark 30 metres out from goal with four minutes to go presented Roughead with an opportunity to reduce the margin to single figures.
His kick missed and the Hawks' hopes of victory ended as the Crows closed the game down and held on for victory.
ADELAIDE: 0.3.3, 0.3.7, 1.5.9, 2.7.11 (71)
HAWTHORN: 0.1.3, 1.2.4, 1.5.5, 1.7.7 (58)
NINE POINT GOALS: Adelaide: Knights, Jericho 1
Hawthorn: Vandenberg 1
SIX POINT GOALS: Adelaide: Hentschel 3, Knights, Bode, Burton, Thompson 1
Hawthorn: Roughead 2, Williams 2, Bailey, Clarke, Ladson, 1
BEST: Adelaide: Hentschel, Knights, Bode, Reilly, McLeod, Edwards, Burton
Hawthorn: Ladson, Mitchell, Roughead, Bateman, Croad, Dawson
INJURIES: Adelaide: Shirley (leg), Skipworth (leg)
Hawthorn: None
REPORTS: Nil
CROWD: About 5000 at Aurora Stadium
