A FAST-PACED, attacking match defied pre-season standards as Adelaide held off a frantic finish from Carlton, securing a three point win at AAMI Stadium on Friday night, 4.11.7 (109) to 2.13.10 (106).

The match looked over at three-quarter-time with Adelaide leading by 30 points, but the Blues kept the Crows scoreless in the last and stormed home with four goals, only to beaten by the clock.

Blues coach Mick Malthouse said turnovers in defence proved costly.

 "We really did make a lot of basic errors in our back half, both backline players and our mids that got down there," he said.

 "The ball we gave up in the forward line they scored from, the ball we got in the forward line we didn't necessarily score from.

 "It's just another extension of being better under pressure."

 Taylor Walker was sensational for the Crows, proving that his mojo is far from lost.

 The bulked-up forward took seven marks, had 16 possessions and kicked five goals (including two super goals) on his way to a stunning return to form less than a week after he was kept goalless by Geelong's Harry Taylor.

 While poor defending allowed Walker to slot his second nine-pointer with ease in the third quarter, his first was straight out of a Wayne Carey highlights reel as he wheeled around off the mark and nailed it from 55 meters.

 Adelaide coach Brenton Sanderson looked on in awe of Walker's performance.

 "'Tex' was brilliant," Sanderson said post match.

 "A week's a long time in footy, I know that's the famous saying, but he bounced back tonight, he played well. His energy was up, he's invaluable to our success going forward."

 The early signs were good for the Crows as the home side cleared the ball with ease and star midfielders Scott Thompson and Patrick Dangerfield both racked up quality possessions.

 Adelaide's advantage at stoppages led to scoreboard ascendancy and Josh Jenkins' second goal ensured his side skipped away to an early lead.

 Carlton’s Dennis Armfield turned on the jets to run down reigning AFL Grand Final sprint champion Patrick Dangerfield not once, but twice in the opening term and then sold some candy to boot his first – reducing the margin to two goals just before the first change.

 Pint-sized Crow Ian Callinan made way for Graham Johncock at quarter time; subbed out because of a knee injury with the extent of the damage to be revealed by scans over the next few days.

Eddie Betts was kept quiet in the first term by young defender Luke Brown, but he made something out of nothing to set Kane Lucas up for his third major. And when Brock McLean hammered home a supergoal from the following centre bounce, Adelaide's lead was just two points.

 It started to rain nine-pointers as the main change approached; Walker, Sam Jacobs and Carlton star Marc Murphy all nailing long bombs.

 Scott Thompson was in the thick of things with 17 first-half possessions and Brent Reilly was superb across half-back with 12 touches at 100 per cent efficiency.

 When Crows skipper Nathan van Berlo and the highly touted Brad Crouch goaled in the third term Adelaide threatened to take the match away from Carlton. Bernie Vince and Walker also added supergoals and the lead increased to 23 points.

 The Blues looked gone for all money when Adelaide's lead reached five goals but with a Grand Final berth on the line the Blues hit back in the last quarter, dominating possession and managing to pull the lead back to 10 points when skipper Andrew Carrazzo goaled.

 Chris Yarran brought his side to within three points and the Blues looked like pinching a thriller, until Matthew Jaench ran down Jeff Garlett, giving the Crows vital possession and sealing the win.

Sanderson admitted his side ran out of legs late in the final term, throwing  a thinly-veiled jab at the AFL's rotation cap.

"It was another hot day here in Adelaide and the interchange cap, the players were spent," he said.

"Hopefully the AFL have got their data now about three on the bench and the interchange cap, that'll be good for them tonight to have a look at that last quarter.

"Carlton were running really well, we weren't running well, so it'd be nice to get back to 160 rotations again in two week's time instead of 80."

Adelaide could only manage 41 inside 50s for the game – a stat Malthouse said gave him great optimism.

"If you said to me for the next 22 weeks home and away we'll allow a 41-entrance average, I reckon I'd be almost, almost tempted to take it," he said.

"Forty-one's not going to win a lot of games of football, but it did tonight because they utilised the ball a lot better than us."