Adelaide was hoping to make it consecutive SANFL wins when it travelled out to Maughan Thiem Kia Oval on Saturday afternoon, but reigning premiers Woodville-West Torrens ran over the top of the young Crows by 83 points.

Last year's No.25 draft selection, Brayden Cook, became the 15^th player to debut for the SANFL Crows this season and finished with 15 disposals.

Other key performers were Kieran Strachan who dominated the ruck battle with 51 hitouts, while captain Matthew Wright led from the front with 21 disposals and two goals.

Losing 24.11 (155) to 11.6 (72), Adelaide SANFL coach Michael Godden said facing the Eagles was a steep learning curve.

“The negative was how we played collectively as a team, we were beaten, but individually there were some really solid performances,” he said.

“The Eagles are an outstanding outfit and played really well, they didn’t really give us much of a chance to get our hands on the footy.

“We hope that when we play the Eagles again, or any good team for that matter, that we have improved.”

Godden was pleased with B. Cook’s debut, as well as the performances of Tariek Newchurch and Elliott Himmelberg.

Himmelberg’s match included 10 marks (five contested) and a goal, while Newchurch booted three goals from 16 disposals.

From the opening bounce Woodville-West Torrens went inside 50, but the early stages of the match were promising for the Crows as they registered the next six inside 50 entries.

Despite this period of control Adelaide could only manage one behind.

Heading towards the clubroom end the Eagles found the first goal of the match through a Zane Williams snap in the grandstand pocket.

Woodville-West Torrens started to play the game on its terms, holding the ball in its forward half and setting up strongly across the centre line.

The Eagles eventually found its second goal from a Jack Hayes set shot, before Williams and Clay Cameron made it three goals in as many minutes.

The Eagles led by 23 points at the 19-minute mark.

At the mid-way point of the opening term Himmelberg was Adelaide’s leading possession winner with five touches, which included two marks, while Strachan was dominating the ruck battle with 13 hitouts in the first quarter.

From the initial Williams goal Woodville-West Torrens had 14 of the next 15 inside 50 entries.

Adelaide finally found its first major in the 26^th minute through Jake Cook and trailed by 18 points at quarter time.

The Crows again looked sharp in the early stages of the second quarter with repeated forward 50 entries, but again failed to capitalise on their opportunities.

Luke Pedlar caught his opponent holding the ball 40 metres out directly in front, but the kick went wide.

Adelaide had to make every post a winner and failed to do so, and the remainder of the term belonged to the Eagles, whose ex-AFL players in Tyson Stengle, Riley Knight, Daniel Menzel and Jimmy Toumpas started to have an impact.

The Eagles again trapped the ball inside 50 and booted the first four goals of the second term to open up a 44-point margin at the 18-minute mark.

Hoping to snap the string of Eagles goals the Crows set up with numbers behind the ball.

Strachan took an intercept mark deep in defence to launch an attacking transition.

Adelaide made the most of it, working the ball up to centre half forward where Pedlar found J. Cook on the paint of 50m.

J. Cook spotted an open goal square and wobbled his second goal through against the run of play.

James Mathews kicked Adelaide’s third goal late in the second term to make it a 38-point margin at half time, 9.7 (61) to 3.5 (23).

Adelaide lifted its intensity early in the third term, starting from a Chayce Jones rundown tackle at centre half back.

He instantly played on to Pedlar and the Crows looked to take the game on through the corridor.

However, the ball was turned over and on the counter-attack Woodville-West Torrens found the first goal of the second half through Menzel in the opening two minutes.

This set the tone for the third quarter as the Eagles piled on five unanswered goals in the opening eight minutes.

Wright – who had 13 disposals in the first half – kicked a steadying goal for the Crows from a free kick to bring the margin back to 62 points.

Williams booted his fourth goal for the Eagles during the third term to take it out to a 75-point ball game in what became an eight goal to three quarter.

Adelaide managed to move the ball from end to end through Newchurch and Wright and into the waiting arms of Ben Davis at the top of the goal square.

Adelaide’s experienced players of Wright (18 disposals), Daniel Jackson (17) and David Mackay (15) were leading the Crows possession tally at three quarter time, while Knight, Hayes, Joseph Sinor and Stengle were controlling proceedings for the Eagles.

Wright kicked his second goal late in the third quarter but Woodville-West Torrens led by 71 points at the final break.

Former Crow Stengle filled his boots with three final quarter goals (four for the match), while Newchurch finished strongly with three final quarter majors.

Adelaide showed some positive signs during the final term and finished with a five-goal quarter.

The Crows will be hoping to return to the winner’s list next Saturday against Central District in Elizabeth.

ADELAIDE     1.3     3.5         6.5          11.6 (72)
WWT             4.3     9.7     17.10      24.11 (155)

GOALS: Newchurch 3, J. Cook, Wright 2, Davis, Boyle, Himmelberg, Mathews.
BEST: Himmelberg, Newchurch, Wright, B. Cook, Mackay

Crowd: 1673