Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks was adamant his side's fast start to the season won't alter expectations after the club made it three wins from four games this year, matching its tally for the entire 2020 season.

It means the Crows will finish the round just outside the top four and only percentage behind their biggest rival, Port Adelaide, as expectations continue to rise for Nicks' young side.

But Nicks said his message remains the same, despite the rapid turnaround in fortunes.

"Our expectation was to compete and play a brand of footy that people liked watching and our members and supporters want to come to Adelaide Oval to watch us play," Nicks said after the victory.

"We want to walk off the ground and be proud of the effort we have put out there.

"We have got the results over this first month and that is the reward you get when you play a certain style, but there is no change in expectation.

"We will continue to work on our game and we have got so much work still left to do … we are a young group and with that there comes a challenge for consistency."

The Crows looked to be in trouble when they trailed North Melbourne by four points at three-quarter time on Sunday, but an eight-goal-to-one final term ensured a happy ending to the round four clash.

"I am really proud of our group to finish the way they did," Nicks added.

"We were confident that if we were within striking distance at three-quarter time that we had the legs.

"We have shown a couple of weeks in a row now that we have done the work during the pre-season and the guys are fit and can run games out."

Nicks singled out a host of his players for special mention, with stand-in captain Tom Doedee and experienced midfielder Rory Laird among those praised for the leading the way in the final quarter.

The Adelaide coach was also impressed with the efforts of Darcy Fogarty, with the 21-year-old booting three goals in an eye-catching first senior game of the season.