Adelaide AFL coach Brenton Sanderson has implored his players to not let a stirring victory against top-four prospect Collingwood to be a flash in the pan.

The Crows eclipsed the Magpies by 21 points on Thursday night to sit in 10th spot, with four wins and four losses, ahead of weekend fixtures.

Sanderson hailed defensive aspects of Adelaide’s 10.16 (76) to 7.13 (55) triumph, notable for Josh Jenkins’ four goals and the successful return of Taylor Walker from a knee reconstruction.

The Crows’ boss was rapt with his side’s response to their upset loss to lowly Melbourne in their previous match.

“We are very proud team, a very proud football club. We were very embarrassed with the effort that we put in (against Melbourne). That sat in our guts for 10 days,” Sanderson said after the Collingwood win.

“And it was really important that we came out and showed our fans that we weren’t content with what they saw last time.

“Hopefully we can back that up. What is important for our footy team now is that is not a one-off.

“It has to be driven by our playing group. We can set strategy and set systems as a coaching group but I’ll be asking the players to drive that continual improvement.”

Key forward Walker made several skill errors in his return to AFL ranks and kicked four points – three in the last quarter.

“It looked like he just needed the AFL touch, the AFL speed,” Sanderson said.

“He still looked great; he moved well; he got into some great positions.

“A couple of times, a few slipped through his hands and he missed a few kicks but four shots for goal, four points, he’ll be better for the run.

“I’m happy for him to get through the night unscathed.”

Adelaide’s next fixture is against Carlton at the MCG on Sunday week.