SYDNEY players can expect some hard training sessions in the wake of the club's 90-point capitulation to Adelaide on Saturday night.

Coach Dean Cox accepted there is a lot of work ahead to get last year's runner-up into shape if it hopes to contend for a premiership again.

SWANS v CROWS Full match coverage and stats

He also drew an unfavourable comparison between the Swans side that lost to the Crows and the 2005 premiership side whose players did a lap of honour at the SCG during half-time to recognise the 20 years since the club's drought-breaking win.

"It was unacceptable and embarrassing," Cox said of the result post-game.

"Massive night for the footy club when you have a 20-year reunion.

"For a team that played desperate, uncompromising, ruthless football, and that (Saturday's performance) was far from it, so we need to strip it back and get to work real quick.

"We are going to fight our way through this, everyone that's involved at the footy club, and there's going to be no easy way through it.

"I said to them 'expect some tough sessions'. That’ll happen."

Despite the size of the loss, Sydney led Adelaide in some key statistical measures with +13 in clearances and +11 in contested possessions, but panicked and failed to execute cleanly when put under pressure themselves.

They also displayed ill-discipline, giving away multiple 50-metre penalties that cost composure as much as score.

"That's just another metric of where we're at, and we need to address that," Cox said of the lack of discipline.

"This has been a bit of a pattern that we need to sort out."

Despite losing the past two rounds by a combined total of 143 points, Cox has faith his side can turn its season around. 

"If they're willing to do the work they’ll be fine, but it'll just take time," he said.

"I've got huge confidence in this playing group, but we need to make sure we spend time where we need to and to turn it around as quickly as possible."

Saturday's result was obviously a happier one for the visitors, with the win Matthew Nicks' first against Sydney as Adelaide coach.

"In my short time as a coach, we haven't had a lot of fun up here - we've often gone away disappointed," Nicks said.

"We knew Sydney would come out hard, and we had to match that."

The Crows took the match up to their opponents from the outset and all around the ground.

Their much-vaunted attack was again at its effective best, while the unheralded defence kept the Swans to just five goals for the match and just one through the entire first half.

"I'm trying to think through who our standouts were and, from a coaching point of view, that's the most pleasing part of the performance - everyone contributed," Nicks said.

"The first key (takeaway) is we don't start talking about the second half of the season because we've still got a couple of games before the bye, so we just lock in now."

Nicks and his side will face a much sterner challenge next week as they host Brisbane at Adelaide Oval on Friday night in a clash that could possibly put them within a win of top spot.