The raging bull delivers
When the game was on the line against Fremantle, once again it was Patrick Dangerfield who stepped up to the plate
A week after simply dominating Essendon with 29 touches and three goals, Dangerfield again flexed his rapidly bulking muscle to finish round 20 with another 34 disposals and two goals.
His teammate Rory Sloane said he hadn't played with a more damaging player.
"I think his speed and the way he can win his own footy and stand up when needed, I think he's going to be one of the best players in the competition," Sloane told AFL.com.au.
"Raging bull, that's his nickname around here."
Dangerfield's performance was capped by two breathtaking third-term goals from outside 50.
The first was a set shot, 53m from goal on a 45-degree angle.
It would have tested even the biggest of key forwards, but Dangerfield showed he is as powerful as any player going around by calmly slotting the goal.
His second goal of the quarter was even better.
He swooped on an awful Josh Jenkins shank between half forward and the wing, accelerated to full speed, ran between two opponents and unloaded from 55m.
"At that set shot, I said to him to go back and kick it, there was a bit of wind there and I know he's got the leg to kick them," Sloane said.
"I think the confidence is high at the moment in 'Danger', he's feeling good and we love having him up and about this time of the year."
Coach Brenton Sanderson was expectedly also full of praise for the exciting 22-year-old.
While Dangerfield was drafted under former coach Neil Craig, Sanderson will see the best out of Dangerfield, who re-signed with the Crows earlier in the season for another two years.
Along with Sloane, Dangerfield was elevated to the leadership group in 2012 and Sanderson said his on-field leadership was amongst the strongest in the club.
"His whole game was great, but you're right, in the third there was a couple of times where he just extracts the ball from a stoppage situation and bursts away and there's not many players who can do that," Sanderson said.
"There's players who are good inside, but they haven't got his power to get out of a contest.
"When we ask for a special effort from our team it's normally him that's the one that's standing up."
Harry Thring covers Adelaide news for AFL.com.au. Follow him on Twitter: @AFL_Harry.