It was a dour struggle early with both sides eager to play a short-pass style of game and maintain possession of the ball. The Kangaroos slowly gained the upper hand but wasted several opportunities in front of goal – scoring the first five points of the match before Robert Shirley sprayed one wide for Adelaide.
Rookie Shane Harvey missed a golden opportunity to open the account for the Roos with 25 minutes played – blazing his shot wide after receiving the ball in space 15 metres out from goal.
The Kangaroos had seven points to the Crows two when Daniel Wells finally broke the deadlock with a superb running goal from the 50. Martin Mattner had the chance to goal for Adelaide from a set shot in the dying seconds but missed to the left to see his side trail the Kangaroos 0.3 to 1.7 at the first break.
Hopes of the game opening up slowly faded as the second quarter progressed with keeping possession continuing to be the order of the day. Leigh Brown continued the Roos’ horror run in front of goal – missing a very gettable set shot – but Adelaide was unable to make them pay at the other end.
Despite the excellent conditions both sides turned the ball over regularly and appeared unable to work the ball effectively into attack.
Adelaide’s Scott Welsh was having his own problems kicking for goal – scoring consecutive points midway through the term – but the Kangaroos were unable to add to Brown’s point and finished the quarter having scored a solitary behind.
Tyson Stenglein lined up a set shot from 50 as the half-time siren sounded but hooked his shot to leave the Crows goalless for the half and four points in arrears of the Roos.
With one major scored in the first half the third quarter was a relative goal-fest with three goals rattled through.
Welsh put Adelaide in front when he registered his side’s first goal of the match at the three-minute mark, while Wells missed a much simpler shot than his first-quarter goal soon after.
Sav Rocca scored the Roos’ only goal of the term at the 20-minute mark to regain the lead for the Kangaroos but Ian Perrie helped the Crows to a seven-point lead at the last break when he split the middle from 50.
Tyson Edwards had the crowd on its feet when he goaled from his non-preferred side early in the last but quickfire majors to Shannon Grant and Rocca saw scores level with 10 minutes played.
A bit of Andrew McLeod magic had Adelaide back in front minutes later and Tyson Stenglein added breathing space when he converted from point-blank range soon after.
The Kangaroos’ last chance came with two minutes left when Shane Harvey missed on the run from 35 metres out.
Adelaide coach Neil Craig was unsure about what cuaed it to be such a low-scoring affair. “I’m not sure why it unfolded like that but at the end of the day we’re pretty happy with the result obviously.
“I think in the past the Kangaroos have taken it to us a bit in terms of the running department and they’ve certainly been pretty successful against us in the stoppages as well, so we certainly had a big focus on that, to get back on the front foot in that area.
“And I think the really pleasing thing tonight – particularly after the first quarter – was our ability to run the ball which is probably something they haven’t seen from us in the past. That’s something we actually want to get better at as well, we consider that very much a part of playing competitive footy.
“It was a battle of wills and it was good that we came out on top."
Roos coach Dean Laidley had praise for Adelaide's defense, but said his team's cause wasn't helped by such poor conversion.
"We kicked 1.7 in the first quarter and missed very easy shots. I know Adelaide had their chances but where our shots were compared with where theirs were, theirs were quite difficult and from a distance. That sort of stuff kills you when you go interstate," he said.
Adelaide: 0.3, 0.10, 2.17, 5.19 (49)
Kangaroos: 1.7, 1.8, 2.10, 5.12 (42)
Goals: Adelaide: McLeod, Welsh, Perrie, Stenglein, Edwards
Kangaroos: Rocca 2, Wells, Motlop, Grant
Best: Adelaide: Bassett, Goodwin, Edwards, Perrie, McGregor, Stenglein
Kangaroos: Grant, Simpson, A Stevens, Harris, Wells, King
Injuries: Adelaide: Nil
Kangaroos: Sinclair (suspected concussion)
Changes: Adelaide: Nil
Kangaroos: Makepeace (leg) replaced in selected side by Firrito
Reports: Nil
Umpires: McBurney, Rowe, Margetts
Crowd: 37,562 at AAMI Stadium
