ADELAIDE will continue to back in its four-tall forward line, despite coach Matthew Nicks suggesting the additional height in the club's attack could be contributing to the heavy scores being coughed up by his Crows side.

Geelong overran Adelaide on Thursday night to kickstart Gather Round, with the Cats kicking 18.11 (119) to overturn a 30-point deficit in the first half and secure a memorable win on the road.

It was the third time in their last four games the Crows have conceded a score in excess of 90 points, with Nicks suggesting that fixing the side's ongoing defensive frailties remains a priority.

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"We actually just had that conversation as a group," Nicks said afterwards.

"It's a combination of things, unfortunately. Otherwise, we'd just nail it. At the moment, it's not really keeping the ball in our front half so we're spending a bit of time under pressure. Then there's an execution piece to that as well.

"When the game's not necessarily going our way, or not on our terms, we seem to make more poor decisions. We turned the ball over tonight in some spots where it's just undefendable. But 100-plus points, that's a real work-on for us."

Quizzed on whether the four-tall forward line – which features Riley Thilthorpe, Taylor Walker, Darcy Fogarty and Dan Curtin – is contributing to the side's inability to "keep the ball in our front half", Nicks conceded it was having an impact but reiterated it would remain in place.

"It can (contribute) at times. But, other times, it stays in there and we score," Nicks said.

"There is a balance with that and we're aware of that. We know that some of the things that we really love about our forward line … if we don't deliver the ball the way we need to and we're a little bit off, it can cost us.

"We'll keep backing that in. We believe that there's too many other areas at the moment … if you look at tonight, it was mistakes in places where it's 'good luck'. A turnover 50m from your own goal, you're not stopping that very often."

Adelaide gave in-form midfielder Izak Rankine until the last second to recover from a knock to his calf, with the star Crow undergoing a fitness test on the Adelaide Oval turf just minutes before the start of the game.

Rankine was eventually given the all-clear by Adelaide's medical staff, ultimately proving to be one of the side's most influential performers to finish with 25 disposals, 10 score involvements and two goals.

"He improved day by day," Nicks said.

"If you spoke to us on Monday, I would've said he was no chance. But 24 hours later, we catch up and he feels so much better. Another 24 hours, he feels incredible. He improved really quickly.

"To his credit, he was a professional. I know you saw him on TV singing, but other than that he was in cryochambers, he was doing all of his rehab, getting everything he possibly could to get himself up to play this game. He loves where we're at and he loves our team, but he wanted to play. He loves the big stage.

"For us, it was more about the risk of having some bleeding around the calf. That can be a risky one. But, in the end, he improved so well over the days that we played him and he got through. Hopefully, he pulls up well."

Geelong coach Chris Scott singled out Tom Atkins for praise after the match, describing the tough midfielder as the best player on the ground and showering him in plaudits following the gritty come-from-behind win.

Scott was quizzed on the performances of star duo Bailey Smith (35 disposals, one goal) and Max Holmes (32 disposals, one goal), but said their influence wasn't as significant as Atkins' during the 19-point victory.

"I don't normally do this," Scott told reporters afterwards. "We really liked Bailey and Max was really good as well, but they weren't as good as Tom Atkins. That was a really special game.

"He was special when the heat was on and we were being outplayed. We thought he was the one that stood up. I only say it because the high-profile guys always get the plaudits. I'm not sure that's appropriate in this situation."

Atkins finished with 23 disposals, nine clearances and eight score involvements in Geelong's victory, proving particularly influential when Geelong found itself 30 points behind midway through the first half.

"He's been a really important player for us for a long time," Scott said.

"He'll be embarrassed that I said this, because he doesn't want the external credit. He's that sort of guy. Sometimes, you have a player that breaks through. He broke through a long time ago, in terms of what we do. He's just not as flamboyant as some of the others."

Geelong secured the tough road victory despite Oisin Mullin being forced from the field with a knee injury, and with small forward Tyson Stengle struggling with cramp in his hamstring in the dying stages of the match.

Tom Stewart was also ruled out with illness before the game, adding to the side's defensive injury issues with Jack Henry (hamstring) and Jake Kolodjashnij (groin) also sidelined.

The Cats still made the decision to withdraw Stewart on the eve of the contest – leaving Sam De Koning, Mark Blicavs and Connor O'Sullivan to fill the defensive void – with Scott saying the five-time All-Australian simply wasn't fit to play.

"The more we think about these things, I reckon it was one of those days where he probably would've played in the bad old days 20 years ago where you just never miss when you're crook," Scott said.

"He would've been horrible and it would have compromised him as well. That was the same with Mark Blicavs (last week) as well. If you pressed him, he would say he didn't think he could play. But we were proactive with that call, it's fair to say."