Adelaide midfielder Anne Hatchard has been recognised for an integral 22 possession performance in the Crows’ gutsy win over Collingwood. 

Hatchard also had six marks and two tackles in Sunday’s clash, which secured Adelaide’s position as Minor Premiers. 

Her performance landed her a spot in the womens.afl Team of the Week for Round Nine. 

Hatchard said the Crows knew a win over the top-two Pies would require full focus. 

“(Collingwood is) definitely strong, they’ve got strong midfielders and crazy-talented forwards,” she said. 

“Going into that game we knew that we had to bring the pressure, bring the contest and play our Crows footy.”

But the Minor Premiers finish came as a surprise even to the seasoned Crow. 

“This season, losing two games, you think, ‘Hopefully you can make a Top 6 spot’, and next minute you’re playing to be top of the ladder,” she said. 

Hatchard’s performance wasn’t the only standout, with the midfielder heaping praise on sister duo Hannah Button and Rachelle Martin. 

“Hannah and Rachelle are just tackling machines - Rachelle can somehow just pluck the ball out of nowhere,” she said. 

The pair landed 19 tackles between them, the fourth-highest sibling tackle count in the AFL and AFLW. 

“Chelsea Randall stood up in that game, her contest is amazing and she reads the ball so well,” Hatchard said. 

The 23-year-old said defender Dayna Cox’s return from injury was also a boon for the side. 

“(Dayna) is massive - I love watching her play… she went out there, played strong and did an awesome job,” she said. 

The Crows will have the week off before a home preliminary final on the weekend of April 9. 

“It’s a bit weird having a week off! But it’s gonna be great, especially for some of the older bodies, to have a bit more of a break leading into the next game,” Hatchard said. 

Adelaide will take on the winner of Saturday’s Melbourne versus Fremantle final - the only two teams that beat the Crows side during the home-and-away season. 

But Hatchard isn’t daunted by the task. 

“Any team you come up against you’ve just gotta give it your best shot,” she said. 

“To have another home Grand Final on the cards, it gives me goosebumps just thinking about it.

“Hopefully we can get as many fans out to the finals as possible… that’s why we play footy.”