Adelaide has claimed their fifth win of the season in spectacular fashion, taking down St Kilda by 52 points to leap into the top eight.
The margin marked St Kilda's biggest loss for the season, with their only other two stumbles coming by single digits.
The Crows looked electric from the opening bounce, showing absolutely no respect to the reputation the Saints have garnered for their defensive prowess, piling on six goals to St Kilda’s one in the opening term.
Adelaide put together plenty of highlight-reel plays in this quarter as they looked completely unstoppable, however there were none better than Patrick Parnell’s gravity-defying grab.
PATRICK PARNELL 🤯
— AFL (@AFL) May 14, 2023
Serious hangtime!#AFLCrowsSaints pic.twitter.com/JsUcee9OZ2
St Kilda made an effort to fire back in the second term with four majors, yet their lauded defence simply could not contain the Crows now that they were rolling, conceding another four goals and ultimately not making up any ground.
Things got even worse for the Saints in the third term, with the Crows kicking another five goals as they simply refused to take their foot off the accelerator.
Izak at the drop 👏#AFLCrowsSaints pic.twitter.com/DdiYfVFcDR
— AFL (@AFL) May 14, 2023
Also concerning for St Kilda is the status of Tim Membrey, who exited the game under concussion protocols after a bad fall in a marking contest.
While the result was essentially sealed by the time the final term rolled around, Adelaide was not content to rest on their laurels.
St Kilda hardly had opportunities to make the margin look more respectable, with the Crows instead continuing to hit the scoreboard to cap off a statement victory.
Taylor Walker led the way for Adelaide’s attack as he has done so many times before, kicking five goals, yet he was just one of 12 Crows to boot a major in this complete team performance.
Walker snaps goal 4️⃣#AFLCrowsSaints pic.twitter.com/kA4kmQglpS
— AFL (@AFL) May 14, 2023
Wayne Milera stood out with 26 touches in what was a season-best performance coming off half-back, while Jordan Dawson put together a stellar showing through the midfield with 33 disposals.
For the Saints, Rowan Marshall impressed in the ruck matchup with 49 hitouts, while Jack Higgins and Anthony Caminiti carried the bulk of St Kilda’s attack with five goals between them.
Brad Crouch, Hunter Clark, Jack Sinclair and Jack Steele all reached the 20-disposal mark, however it wasn’t enough on a day where the Saints were completely overwhelmed.
Adelaide will now look to claim another big scalp when they match up against the Bulldogs in Round 10.
Meanwhile, St Kilda’s road trip is set to continue, heading over to New South Wales to take on GWS next week.
FULL SCORE
Adelaide: 6.2, 10.2, 15.6, 19.7 (121)
St Kilda: 1.1, 5.5, 7.7, 10.9 (69)
GOALS
Adelaide: Walker 5, Fogarty 2, Pedlar 2, Rankine 2, Rachele, Keays, Murphy, Jones, McHenry, Smith, Soligo, Thilthorpe
St Kilda: Higgins 3, Caminiti 2, Wood 2, Butler, Membrey, Byrnes
BEST
Adelaide: Walker, Dawson, Milera, Laird, Rankine
St Kilda: Marshall, Wood, Steele, Crouch, Higgins
INJURIES
Adelaide: Rory Laird was taken off as the tactical sub for Ned McHenry
St Kilda: Tim Membrey entered concussion protocols and was subbed off, Jack Steele sat out the fourth quarter with a knee concern