Adelaide Crows midfielders Erin Phillips and Ebony Marinoff have put in star displays to help lift their team to a 38-point AFLW win over West Coast at Mineral Resources Park.
The Crows led by just five points at half-time of Saturday’s match, but consecutive goals from Phillips in the third quarter broke the game apart.
Adelaide booted four unanswered goals for the term to open up a match-winning 32-point lead, allowing them to cruise to the 8.8 (56) to 2.6 (18) win in front of a crowd of 1929.
Phillips, who stepped down as captain earlier this month, finished with 23 disposals, five clearances, and two goals in a best afield display.
Marinoff, who had her three-match suspension overturned on appeal earlier in the week, finished with 21 disposals, five clearances and a goal.
West Coast captain Emma Swanson put her body on the line time and again to win 17 disposals, 11 tackles, and five clearances, while former Docker Dana Hooker (19 disposals) battled hard.
The temperature was hovering at 34 degrees at bouncedown, and it was Adelaide who applied the early heat with a series of strong tackles.
Adelaide won the tackle count 25-12 for the quarter and restricted West Coast to a single point to take a 12-point lead.
West Coast suffered a huge scare late in the quarter when Brianna Green clutched at her left ankle after being pummelled in a marking contest.
Green, who underwent a knee reconstruction while at Fremantle, was helped off the field but made it back midway through the second quarter.
The Eagles booted two goals for the quarter, but forward Kellie Gibson missed the chance to close the gap even further when she missed from 15m out while running into an open goal.
West Coast were made to pay dearly in the third quarter as Adelaide tore the game apart.
Phillips kicked her first goal courtesy of a 50m penalty, but her second goal was all class, with the star onballer dummying on her right before snapping truly on her left.
Marinoff’s major shortly after set alarm bells ringing, and when Eloise Jones kicked truly after the three-quarter siren, it was as good as game over.
West Coast were restricted to just three points for the entire second half, and appear headed for another tough season.