Adelaide has suffered a 69-point loss to North Melbourne in Round Nine.

On a six-game losing streak, facing the winless bottom-of-the-ladder Adelaide, North Melbourne pulled a selection shock when he dropped star pair Ben Brown and Jared Polec.

In a game the under-pressure Roos couldn't afford to lose, it was a brave call. But it worked.

North snapped its run of losses with a 69-point rout of the Crows at Metricon Stadium that gave Majak Daw the perfect return in his first AFL game in almost two years.

Shaw's men were dominant from the start, jumping to a 23-point lead at the first change. The Crows steadied in the second term but conceded three late goals before half-time to fall 34 points in arrears.

North's 19.5 (119) to 7.8 (50) win was the highest score by any side this season and bettered the Roos' previous highest total by more than five goals, underlining the gap between the sides.  

The dominance was field-wide as Jed Anderson (28 disposals, eight clearances, eight tackles, one goal), Trent Dumont (24) and Aaron Hall (20 disposals, two goals) took advantage of a depleted Adelaide midfield and Luke McDonald (34) mopped up everything across half-back to provide plenty of rebound. 

Ruckman Todd Goldstein was again instrumental, while the Roos' mix of options in attack – they had seven multiple goalkickers – should also serve as a confidence booster as Cam Zurhaar led the way with three majors. 

The Crows' potency was non-existent after the later withdrawal of veteran spearhead Taylor Walker through illness, with mature-age small forward Shane McAdam (2.2) creating some chances.  

NORTH MELBOURNE                   4.1       9.1       12.2     19.5 (119)
ADELAIDE                                     0.2       3.3       6.7       7.8    (50)

GOALS
North Melbourne: Zurhaar 3, Davies-Uniacke 2, Hall 2, Higgins 2, Larkey 2, Mahony 2, Pittard 2, Anderson, Daw, Macmillan, Simpkin
Adelaide: McAdam 2, Atkins, Himmelberg, Laird, Murphy, Seedsman

BEST
North Melbourne: Anderson, Goldstein, McDonald, Dumont, Davies-Uniacke
Adelaide: Laird, Lynch, Seedsman, Crouch, McAdam

INJURIES
North Melbourne: Larkey (ankle), Taylor (left leg)
Adelaide: Walker (illness) replaced in selected side by Strachan