INSIPID, embarrassing and unacceptable.

That's how Adelaide coach Brenton Sanderson described the Crows' 77-point-loss to the Sydney Swans, his worst as coach.

Sanderson said they played like a bottom-four side against a team who is the benchmark of the competition.

"Their method around the ball was better than us, they tackled, they chased, they won it, they ran hard forward and it was just an insipid performance by our footy club," Sanderson said.

"We were beaten by a much better team; we were embarrassed actually, on our home deck.

"Unacceptable performance right across the board and it won't happen again."

Adelaide was hammered in the second and third quarters. During that time the Crows lost the inside 50s 43 to 13 and conceded 13 goals to two. At one point, they trailed by 99 points in the last quarter but managed to reel it back with some late goals.

"I don't often talk to the players straight after the game but I did tonight." Sanderson revealed.

"The thing that I'm disappointed in was that tonight Sydney didn't have much to play for to be honest.

"We should've been the ones that were the hungrier ones.

"We'll see if it's a one-off when we take on the Tigers next week."

Sanderson said it was the Swans' relentless pressure that exposed Adelaide's skill errors.

"We didn't want to handball today but they pressured us into coughing it up by hand," he said.

"We just panicked; we didn't absorb the pressure they were putting on us, which is disappointing because we're a better side than that."

Veteran defender Ben Rutten was one of Adelaide's best and said the hiding his side received at least showed what it takes to be a premiership contender.

"They bullied us," Rutten said.

"We got a first-hand look for what the level required is."

Jared Petrenko went off at half-time after hurting his AC joint in his shoulder while Sam Jacobs copped a knock to his knee. Jacobs is expected to play next week but Petrenko is unlikely.

The loss is Adelaide's fifth at home this year and at 5-6, making the finals is only getting harder, especially with a coming trip to face Richmond at the MCG on Saturday afternoon.

"We're not going to roll over and die," Sanderson said.

"Our season's not over. We'll keep picking the players that want to stand up.

"We learnt a bit today about a couple of guys, we know the guys that want to fight, we'll keep putting in players that deserve their opportunity.

"If they're not giving us what we need consistently, we'll need to leave them out."