Adelaide's influential defender Brodie Smith suffered a season-ending knee injury in a 36-point belting of Greater Western Sydney in the first AFL qualifying final.
Smith was hurt as the Crows booked a home preliminary final with an emphatic 12.12 (84) to 6.12 (48) win at Adelaide Oval on Thursday night.
Adelaide's folk hero Eddie Betts kicked three goals and had a hand in three others as the Crows overcame the loss of Smith to a suspected anterior cruciate ligament tear in his right knee.
"He is clearly pretty shattered and we're shattered for him," Crows coach Don Pyke said.
"He has put a lot of energy and heart and soul into the season and it looks like it's going to over."
The Giants' grim night was compounded by another hamstring strain to key forward Jeremy Cameron - just weeks after he returned from the same injury in his other hamstring.
GWS are now pitched into sudden death and will host a semi-final next weekend against the winner of Saturday night's elimination final between Port Adelaide and West Coast.
Betts had three goals and had crafted another two in a stunning opening half from the Crows which underlined their premiership favouritism.
After leading by 12 points at quarter-time, the Crows clicked into top gear in the second stanza, booting 5.3 to a lonely point from the Giants to hold a commanding 44-point halftime lead.
"It was a real positive first step," Pyke said.
"Our guys were up for the contest. Our pressure around the ball was high class."
Adelaide's Crouch brothers led a ferocious assault around the packs - Matt finished with 31 disposals and older sibling Brad collected 27 including 11 inside 50s.
Tireless Tom Lynch (25, disposals, 10 marks) was influential, Richard Douglas kicked two goals and Adelaide's defence, featuring Jake Lever, and Kyle Hartigan, smothered the Giants' tall forwards.
GWS midfielders Stephen Coniglio (27 touches, two goals), Josh Kelly (33 possessions), Callan Ward (32 disposals) and backman Heath Shaw (23 disposals) battled gamely against the tide.
But the only time the Giants gained any serious traction was a three-goal burst in the opening seven minutes of the third quarter to creep within 26 points.
"I challenged our guys at halftime ... I said that you can't serve up that kind of footy in finals," GWS coach Leon Cameron said.
But the Crows, before 52,805 spectators, rapidly steadied with a trio of majors to kill off the challenge, leading by 43 points at the last change before closing out victory in a tame last term.
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