ADELAIDE got the win it desperately needed to respond from last week's Showdown shocker, but it wasn't without a scare after West Coast made a late charge at Optus Stadium before falling 25 points short on Friday night. 

The Crows did their work early, racing to a 43-point lead in the second quarter and keeping their opponents at arm's length until a tight final term that saw the desperate Eagles cut the margin to 18 points. 

EAGLES v CROWS Full match coverage and stats

Crows captain Jordan Dawson stood up under pressure, however, and steered the visitors to a 15.9 (99) to 11.8 (74) win, with Ben Keays icing the game with a pair of late goals. 

The Eagles had their chances, dominating the first 10 minutes of the final term and locking the ball in their front half with the first 13 inside 50s, but the Crows were stable enough in defence to secure the much-needed win as they fight to stay in touch with the top four. 

Dawson was critical in the big moments and finished with an equal game-high 27 disposals, nine inside 50s and a goal, with his intercept marks in defence just as important as what he did in the front half. 

Midfield star Izak Rankine was electric with 27, seven clearances and a goal, while key forward Darcy Fogarty (four goals) and Keays (three) did the damage in attack after Riley Thilthorpe was withdrawn pre-game with illness. 

Breakout ruckman Lachie McAndrew had an entertaining battle with Bailey Williams as both teams fought for ascendency in the midfield, finishing with 38 hitouts and giving his team dominance at stoppages early before the clearance battle evened up. 

West Coast star Harley Reid (23 and six clearances) played his heart out and looked like sparking the Eagles through the fourth term, but he missed several chances and kicked 0.4. 

Key forwards Jake Waterman and Jobe Shanahan each kicked three goals, while mid-season recruit Oliver Francou made an eye-catching debut with 18 disposals and nine tackles. 

Both teams entered Friday night's clash under some pressure and needing to respond in the midfield after disappointing stoppage performances in their respective losses last week. 

Adelaide got to work at the coalface quicker and had its first goal in 16 seconds after a quick centre clearance win, kicking the first four of the game and racing to a 24-point lead as McAndrew and captain Dawson did maximum damage in the middle. 

The Eagles were forced to put young star Shanahan loose behind the ball to stop the onslaught, but it didn't help at centre ball-ups, with the Crows winning that indicator 7-1 for the quarter and kicking three of their six goals from the source. 

Fogarty had three and quickly added a fourth in the second quarter as the Crows built a 42-point lead before the Eagles rolled up their sleeves and responded, winning contested ball (36-30) and clearances (9-8) for the quarter. 

Waterman converted a tricky set shot, Shanahan rolled one home from long range cleverly, and Duursma was crafty under a high ball to draw a free kick and convert his set shot, cutting the margin to 30 points at the main break.  

As good as the Eagles were through the third quarter with their pressure and intent, they couldn't bridge the five-goal gap, with Adelaide punishing their skill errors to keep control of the scoreboard. 

Reid lifted and had eight disposals for the quarter, but the Crows' stars matched him, with Rankine booting a terrific goal when he danced from the inside to the outside and snapped a classy goal. 

The lead got back out to 42 points before Shanahan booted back-to-back goals on the eve of three-quarter time.  

Star tall a late withdrawal 
The Crows selected an unusually tall line-up this week when forward/ruck Toby Murray came into the team, but it was back to normal sizing when star big man Riley Thilthorpe was withdrawn an hour before the game because of illness and replaced by wingman Billy Dowling. The Crows were confident Thilthorpe would only miss the one match, with the setback coming at an unfortunate time as the All-Australian goalkicker spoke this week about finally feeling on top of his game after battling on-and-off back issues. Darcy Fogarty stepped up early to cover his absence in attack, while Dowling had 13 disposals in his first game of the season.  

Mid-season showcase 
West Coast recruit Oliver Francou became the latest mid-season pick-up to show his significant ability, making a terrific debut and taking on plenty of midfield responsibility to finish with 18 disposals and nine tackles. The son of former Port Adelaide midfielder Josh Francou, the strong-bodied 20-year-old looked like a safe pair of hands from the outset and applied great pressure throughout the game. The merits of the mid-season draft were on full display, with teammate Marcus Herbert solid again across half-back and Adelaide rebounder Hugo Hall-Kahan providing plenty of dash for the winners with 18 and six marks. 

WEST COAST   1.3   4.5   8.8   11.8 (74)
ADELAIDE       6.2   9.5   13.8   15.9 (99)

GOALS
West Coast: Shanahan 3, Waterman 3, Allan, Cole, Duursma, Starcevich, J.Williams
Adelaide: Fogarty 4, Keays 3, Soligo 2, Curtin, Dawson, T.Murray, Neal-Bullen, Rachele, Rankine

BEST
West Coast: Shanahan, Reid, Waterman, Herbert, Francou
Adelaide: Dawson, Rankine, Fogarty, McAndrew, Curtin, Hall-Kahan, Laird  

INJURIES
West Coast: Nil 
Adelaide: Nil 

LATE CHANGES
West Coast: Nil
Adelaide: Riley Thilthorpe (illness), replaced in the selected side by Billy Dowling

Crowd: 40,770 at Optus Stadium