Adelaide got the jump at the start of the game, kicking five goals to one against the woefully inaccurate Dockers, but Freo fought back with four goals to just one in the second term to close to within a goal at half-time.
The Dockers hit the front moments after the resumption, only for the Crows to get four of the next five as they looked set to pull away, but Fremantle hit back with the last two of the third quarter and first two of the last to close to within a point.
Amazingly though, after Adelaide kicked a behind almost 17 minutes into the last quarter, neither team scored for the next 10 minutes, before the Crows sealed the win with four late goals.
The home side was led by dual Norm Smith medallist Andrew McLeod, who gathered 34 possessions, while Simon Goodwin played another brilliant game in the middle, and veterans Darren Jarman and Nigel Smart also played well.
Heath Black battled hard for Fremantle in the midfield, almost matching McLeod’s touch tally with 32, and Troy Cook, Brad Bootsma and the returning Dale Kickett also contributed well, while Clive Waterhouse kicked four goals.
After early misses by both teams, Hayden Skipworth booted the first goal of the game for the Crows after five minutes, before Matthew Pavlich goaled for Freo, only for Goodwin and Matthew Robran to answer for the Crows.
When first-gamer Adam Richardson and Goodwin again made it five for Adelaide after some wasteful kicking for goal by the Dockers, the home side led by 21 points at the first change, 5.3.33 to 1.6.12.
After a couple of behinds in the first quarter, Waterhouse managed to kick straight early in the second term, and despite Robran slotting his second, the Dockers crept closer with a pair of goals to Justin Longmuir and another to Cook.
And if Paul Hasleby had managed a goal seconds before the half-time siren from just inside 50m, Fremantle would have led at the main break, rather than trailing Adelaide 5.8.38 to 6.6.42.
After Hasleby made up for his earlier miss to put the Dockers in front four minutes into the second half, the Crows broke a run of four straight goals to Freo with four of the next five goals to Ben Marsh, skipper Mark Ricciuto, Chris Ladhams and Stuart Bown.
With his second and third goals Waterhouse narrowed the gap to three goals, and when defender Shane Parker popped up and added another late in the quarter, the Crows led by just 12 points at the last change, 10.15.75 to 9.9.63.
When Waterhouse kicked his fourth and then Daniel Bandy got another after several misses by both sides, the deficit was just one point, but after an astonishing run of 10 scoreless minutes, Bryan Beinke, Tyson Edwards, Ken McGregor and Smart all goaled to bury the Dockers, before Jason Norrish got a late one for Fremantle.
Scoreboard:
ADELAIDE: 5.3 6.6 10.15 14.19.103
FREMANTLE: 1.6 5.8 9.9 12.11.83
Goals: Adelaide: S Goodwin 2, M Robran 2, B Beinke 1, S Bown 1, T Edwards 1, C Ladhams 1, B Marsh 1, K McGregor 1, M Ricciuto 1, A Richardson 1, H Skipworth 1, N Smart 1. Fremantle: C Waterhouse 4, J Longmuir 2, D Bandy 1, T Cook 1, P Hasleby 1, J Norrish 1, S Parker 1, M Pavlich 1.
Best: Adelaide: A McLeod S Goodwin D Jarman T Edwards S Bown N Smart. Fremantle: J Longmuir C Waterhouse H Black D Kickett T Cook B Bootsma.
Injuries: Adelaide: M Robran (head). Fremantle: nil
Reports: Nil
Umpires: M McKenzie M Head S McInerney.
Crowd: 38,292 at Football Park.
