It wasn't pretty but Adelaide found a way to win against a dogged Carlton outfit at the MCG.
Crows coach Don Pyke was thrilled with the willpower his players showed in Saturday's 13.11 (89) to 12.5 (77) win.
Adelaide have suffered shock losses to unfancied North Melbourne and Hawthorn this season and another boilover was on the cards when the 15th-placed Blues hit the front in the last quarter, but a three-goal burst sealed the Crows' win.
"I'm just proud of our guys to hang in there ... Carlton got in front and (we) were able to find a way to win, which is sometimes what you do in this game," Pyke said.
"It's not always about high-scoring, free-flowing footy. It's a good test case for what we think we're going to experience in the coming weeks.
"It was a finals-style game where it is contest to contest and scoring is hard. We'll certainly learn from it."
The encounter pitted the highest scoring side in the league in Adelaide against the lowest, but the Crows struggled to break clear of the Blues' stifling pressure.
Pyke's men led by 18 points at quarter-time in a game high on stoppages and low on entertainment but Carlton were more direct in the second term.
Matthew Kreuzer (42 hitouts) was instrumental in the ruck and around the ground, while Bryce Gibbs (30 possessions) had 10 of his 15 tackles for the match by half-time.
Patrick Cripps (29 disposals and nine clearances) was also prominent as Brendon Bolton's team cut the margin to six points at the main break.
Rejuvenated Blues defender Liam Jones claimed another scalp, keeping Taylor Walker to one goal, but his only major came at an important time in the match.
The Crows skipper baulked the man on the mark to kick truly from 50 to help his side to an 11-point break at three-quarter time.
With Rory Sloane having another quiet day, Matt and Brad Crouch did a lot of the heavy lifting in close for the Crows, with Richard Douglas and Brodie Smith also important.
"In spite of the loss we feel like we're hard to play against as a footy club," Bolton said.
"We didn't give up the fight today - we played right to the line
"We didn't execute in some key moments in the last quarter, but I think there is an element of pride against a quality opposition that we were right in the game."
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