MATTHEW Nicks isn't ready to concede his side may have lost one of its most important players for the rest of the season and beyond, holding out hope that Josh Rachele's knee injury is not a significant one.
Rachele landed awkwardly in a marking contest just before half-time of Sunday's win over Melbourne and was subbed out of the match at the long break.
CROWS v DEMONS Full match coverage and stats
He managed to walk from the ground with assistance, avoiding a stretcher, but looked extremely dejected.
"It's one that we’re really mindful of not making any big statements around because we don’t know," Nicks said post-match when asked about the severity of his injury.
"He'll definitely go in for a scan, so it was enough of a concern we had to sub him out.
"Our fingers are crossed."
Asked how Rachele had reacted after the incident, Nicks said he hadn't yet had a chance to speak to his player.
"He'd be pretty disappointed as you can imagine, but we'll hope for the best," he said.
"We'll think positive thoughts."
Despite the loss of one of his most influential players, Nicks found plenty of other positives to take from the win.
Adelaide has shown plenty of exciting potential through recent seasons, but has failed to return to September since losing the 2017 Grand Final. However, the coach was rapt at the way his side fought back into the game after Melbourne's strong start.
Trailing by 28 points midway through the second quarter, the Crows first stopped the Demons' scoring before wresting momentum back their way.
"You've got to win different ways, so from our point of view it’s a really positive win for the footy club," he said.
"In the context of the season, it's a huge win for us. Just with where this season sits, the amount of teams that are fighting for the top eight, you just have to win these games, especially at home. So (a) really pleasing result."
He also acknowledged the importance of Izak Rankine, who finished with five goals, three of them in the early stages when Melbourne was in control of the contest.
"Thank God he was out there in the first half. We needed something just to keep us in it," he said.
"Without going to an individual, I think we were lucky that Izak was out there in the first half just to finish off the opportunities he got. It kept us in touch, gave us a chance to turn it around."
Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin said he was disappointed with the loss, the Demons' fifth in a row, but that the club was working towards the bigger picture.
"I thought the start of our second quarter was as good as footy as we've played for a while," he said of his side's early dominance that could have seen them lead by more if not for poor finishing.
"We know where we’re at as a footy club, in terms of what we’re trying to create.
"I've said this a little bit, but we’re in a bit of a hurry to try and transition to our next premiership team, and with that comes that you need to start winning, but you also need to build the right way.
"We’re really excited about our youth and some of the players coming through. We’re trying to mould the old with the new and create a new team, a new frontier for the Melbourne Football Club.
"The frustrating part of that is you’ve got to stick to the process at times, irrespective of result."
Goodwin sympathised with supporters who want to see wins.
"Obviously winning builds belief and confidence in what you're doing and where you're going, so we want to start getting some results," he said.
The Demons' next month may well see some of those results come as they face North Melbourne, Carlton, St Kilda and West Coast, four clubs that, like Melbourne, are already looking past this season towards hopefully more fruitful futures.
