After leading by 16 points at quarter-time, the Crows were outscored by 21 goals to six in the last three quarters.
Brownlow medallist Mark Ricciuto and Andrew McLeod well held for much of the afternoon by Michael Firrito and Brady Rawlings.
Simon Goodwin, Tyson Edwards, Matthew Bode and Graham Johncock offered some resistance for an Adelaide side that was only missing Mark Stevens from its best 22.
Adelaide coach Gary Ayres was calm and collected after the Crows’ poor showing against the Kangaroos, but was blunt in appraising his side.
“After the first ten minutes of the second quarter, from there on in, I thought it was – to use three words that always come to mind when you play poorly – disgraceful, pathetic and embarrassing,” Ayres said.
“The energy and intensity levels really dropped off in that latter part of the second quarter and it just seemed to be that we became shell-shocked and went into our shells.”
“I would say numbers wise that 16 players – who I would’ve said today – were average.”
The Roos were well led by midfielders Shannon Grant, Anthony Stevens, Adam Simpson and Brent Harvey, while versatile utility Leigh Brown was a terrific focal point, booting six goals from full-forward.
The Crows paid dearly for inaccurate early kicking.
Adelaide had two more scoring shots to half-time – 15 to 13 – yet trailed by 18 points. There were many to blame for the Crows’ inaccuracy, but Scott Welsh was the chief culprit with three behinds, while Wayne Carey booted 1.3.
The Roos’ engine room of Stevens, Grant and Simpson were the chief instigators behind their side’s six-goals-to-nil second term, along with Brown, who booted two majors, to make it three for the first half.
After early goals to Drew Petrie and Corey Jones, courtesy of a lovely left-foot snap, Brown put the Kangaroos in front with two marks and goals in two minutes.
He was too strong in the air for Crows’ defender Ben Hart, who was eventually replaced by Nigel Smart.
The third term was a goal feast, with Brent Harvey taking over the leadership of the Roos’ midfield.
Johncock reduced the margin to just 14 points with an early major for the Crows, but the Roos then piled on five goals in seven minutes to blow the margin out to 43 points and effectively shut the gate.
Finding an avenue to goal was all too easy for the Kangaroos, booting nine six-pointers to five for the quarter and adding another six to Adelaide’s one in the final term.
Former Kangaroos’ captain Carey was a prominent figure in the first half before fading in the second.
Carey showed glimpses of his greatness when he snapped a beautiful goal from the boundary midway through the first quarter, but was also involved in minor skirmishes with former teammates Troy Makepeace and Grant.
As Grant lined up a shot at goal from just outside 50 in the second term, he intentionally backed into Carey who angrily reacted by collecting him above the shoulders, conceding a 50-metre penalty and gifting best-on-ground Grant one of his two majors for the afternoon.
Kangaroos: 2.3, 8.5, 17.7, 23.11 (149)
Adelaide: 4.7, 4.11, 9.13, 10.14 (74)
GOALS: Kangaroos: Brown 6, Corey Jones 3, Grant, Wells, Motlop, B.Harvey 2, Rawlings, McKernan, Simpson, Petrie, Firrito, Makepeace 1.
Adelaide: Doughty, Johncock, Ricciuto 2, Carey, Bode, Stenglein, Hentschel 1.
BEST: Kangaroos: Grant, Stevens, Brown, Simpson, Harvey, Colbert, Firrito, Wells.
Adelaide: Goodwin, Edwards, Bode, Johncock, Massie.
INJURIES: None.
CHANGES: Kangaroos: Archer (groin) replaced by Harris.
Adelaide: None.
REPORTS: Biglands (Adelaide) by umpire Morris for striking Petrie (Kangaroos) in the final quarter.
UMPIRES: Kennedy, Morris, Nicholls.
CROWD: 19,231 at the MCG.
