The Sydney Swans showed they want this year's premiership just as much as last year's, maybe even more. The Swans smashed Adelaide in an all-round display that sent a message to the rest of the competition that they're again the benchmark of the competition. Their relentless pressure and teamwork has seen them not only defeat top-eight contenders but kill them off easily. They have a brand of football that is built for finals and on Saturday also showed impressive attacking prowess, winning the inside 50's 65 to 43. John Longmire also hasn't had the services of star recruit Kurt Tippett, who's now completed his 11-game suspension.

Adelaide needed a big scalp, having not beaten a team inside the top eight all season, but the Crows received a 13-goal hiding instead. It was Brenton Sanderson's worst lost since he took over as coach last season and the second-worst home loss in the Crows' 23-year AFL history. A result as devastating as this has shocked everyone and shows that Adelaide is a long way off where it was last season. Making the finals heading into this game was already a difficult task but now the Crows face an even tougher journey. They've won just one game in their season-shaping month, a last-gasp win against North Melbourne. Next week's match against Richmond looms as a virtual elimination final, and if they lose that one they'll go into the bye at 5-7 with their finals hopes all but over.

Daniel Hannebery, the 2010 NAB AFL Rising Star, produced an outstanding performance against the Crows. He had 28 possessions in the first half, 18 in the second quarter alone. He was absolutely everywhere and one of the main reasons why the Swans had the game all but won by half-time. He finished the game with 42 possessions, an amazing 25 handball receives, one goal and seven inside-50s. Not only has he gone from young gun to elite player, he's now a genuine superstar of the AFL. The scary thing for the other clubs? He's only 22.

Adelaide was blitzed by Fremantle in the second quarter last week and on Saturday it was an avalanche. The Crows won most of the key stats in the first quarter but the visitors had more than reversed the ledger by half-time. The Swans won the inside 50's 24 to five and had 11 scoring shots to two to win the quarter by 29 points. The Swans dominated possession too and the Crows were overwhelmed by their pressure, making basic skill errors which proved costly. Sanderson needs to work out how to stem an onslaught otherwise it'll continue to cost them for the rest of the season.

Jesse White and a first-round draft pick (No.23) was the deal Adelaide refused to take for Kurt Tippett. The saga that ensued is well-documented and saw Tippett banned for 11 rounds for draft tampering. White, playing just his second game of the year, kicked three goals including a stunning effort on the run where he first outran Brodie Smith and then gathered to dob a brilliant goal from 30m on the angle. He was a great hit-up target, finishing with seven marks. He wasn't the best player on the field nor was he the difference, but it would've stung Crows fans seeing White perform the way he did, knowing how much Adelaide's efforts to keep Tippett hurt the club.