MELBOURNE has stamped its premiership credentials with a confident 21-point victory over reigning premier Adelaide in a high-quality affair at Ikon Park.
Just as they did in last season's Grand Final, the Crows got the jump, however the Demons slowly but surely worked their way back into the match in the 7.6 (48) to 4.3 (27) result.
Melbourne hadn't conceded a score in the first quarter for its past four matches, but that was quickly forgotten when Danielle Ponter booted a goal in the first 19 seconds (the fastest start in AFLW history), followed by Caitlin Gould three minutes later.
The Demons almost looked to be a player short in their handball chains, the Crows – smartly playing a one-on-one defence – always managing to get a hand in there at the vital moment.
Sarah Allan had barely put a foot wrong in the first quarter and a half, but Liv Purcell's snap bounced just centimetres above her hand for Melbourne's first goal, before a rare Sarah Lampard major just minutes later got the Dees within touching distance.
Despite their fiery start, it was a scoreless second term for the Crows as the Dees righted the ship, getting better bang for its buck in its run out of defence as the match wore on.
Lampard was the surprise hit up forward, kicking two goals from the wing/half-back, while Alyssa Bannan kicked a creative goal to give the Dees a comfy 16-point buffer in the last term, starting her set-shot approach before accelerating around the mark and saluting in style.
Tayla Harris was the standout ruck on the night, with Adelaide edging its Melbourne counterpart for clearances, but the Crows struggled to capitalise on its control as the game wore on, its forward line subsequently struggling to fire a shot after quarter-time.
Liv Purcell (26 disposals, eight tackles) provided plenty of dash for Melbourne, while Ebony Marinoff (18 and 12) and Anne Hatchard (16 and eight) fought hard but were a little down on their usual output.
Second-quarter stunner
Bannan kicked off Melbourne's second term with a scintillating six-bounce run from arc to arc, and while her kick was intercepted by Allan, it was a sign of things to come. Melbourne had been 5-10 adrift in the inside 50s, but turned that around to read 16-15, kicking three goals and taking the lead. They did so without making a significant dent in the clearance differential.
Randall watch
Adelaide skipper Chelsea Randall had returned at least one (possibly three) weeks early from an ankle injury that had been given a timeframe of 3-5 weeks. She played primarily forward for the first three quarters but got limited supply. With the game on the line, Randall was moved into the middle for the start of the last quarter. She suffered a head knock late in the game, and was taken from the field following a stumble when attempting to take her free kick.
Up next
Melbourne has a week off and will host a preliminary final against one of Brisbane, Richmond, North Melbourne or Geelong. It's a sudden-death semi-final for Adelaide, playing the winner of Collingwood-Western Bulldogs.
MELBOURNE 0.2 3.4 4.6 7.6 (48)
ADELAIDE 3.2 3.2 4.2 4.3 (27)
GOALS
Melbourne: Lampard 2, Bannan 2, Purcell, L. Pearce, Zanker
Adelaide: Gould 2, Ponter, Woodland
BEST
Melbourne: Purcell, Lampard, Bannan, Mithen, Hanks, Harris
Adelaide: Marinoff, Allan, Gould, Ponter, Hatchard
INJURIES
Melbourne: Nil
Adelaide: Randall (head knock)
Reports: Nil
Crowd: 2555 at Ikon Park
