Richard Douglas made a brilliant return from injury against Port Adelaide on Saturday.

Douglas collected a team-high 29 possessions (15 contested) and 10 inside 50ms, six clearances, three tackles and also kicked a long, running goal to help inspire a Crows comeback in the third quarter.

Brodie Smith and Matthew Jaensch continued their excellent starts to the season. Playing across half-back and pushing up onto a wing, Smith amassed 28 possessions, seven marks, seven inside 50ms, five tackles, two score assists and also kicked the goal to put Adelaide in front. Jaensch finished with 27 possessions, 14 marks and seven rebound 50ms in another polished display.

Rory Sloane was at his gut-running best, working tirelessly to help out the Crows defenders. Sloane racked up 27 possessions, six marks, five inside 50ms and also laid five tackles. Scott Thompson topped Adelaide’s contested possession count, with 16 of his 27 touches being contested. He also had a game-high eight clearances.

Eddie Betts was Adelaide’s leading goalkicker, slotting 4.1 including three goals in an influential second-quarter display.

Young midfielder Sam Kerridge played a tagging role on Port captain Travis Boak. Kerridge limited Boak to 19 possessions and one goal, while collecting 16 possessions and a goal of his own.

Full-back Daniel Talia also did a strong defensive job. Talia had the job on dangerous utility Justin Westhoff when he played up forward. The 2012 Rising Star held Westhoff to one goal from 12 possessions, and gathered 14 possessions himself.

Match statistics
Disposals
Adelaide – 362
Port Adelaide – 369

Kicks
Adelaide – 230
Port Adelaide – 207

Handballs
Adelaide – 155
Port Adelaide – 139

Clearances
Adelaide – 35
Port Adelaide – 32

Inside 50ms
Adelaide – 35
Port Adelaide – 32

Contested Possessions
Adelaide – 128
Port Adelaide – 154

Tackles
Adelaide – 67
Port Adelaide – 70

Hit-outs
Adelaide – 38
Port Adelaide – 32

Interchanges
Adelaide – 119
Geelong – 101