ADELAIDE sits inside the top eight for the first time this season but the pressure on the players hasn't eased, says forward Tom Lynch.
The Crows managed to withstand a spirited challenge from Collingwood late on Sunday at the MCG to score a crucial 16-point win.
The victory saw the club leapfrog the Magpies into eighth spot.
But Lynch said the players didn't feel that the pressure on them had eased now they were in the position to play finals.
The Crows remain level on points with the Magpies and Gold Coast, but lie in the top eight by virtue of their superior percentage.
"Why can we think [the pressure] is going to ease? There's five games to go and they're all very important," he said.
"Due to our inconsistency this year we can't settle on that.
"Destiny's in our own hands and we can do what we want from here ... the next worry is this week and we've got to put in a good performance against West Coast."
Lynch said Sunday's narrow win strengthened the playing group's confidence in its ability to stand up when the going got tough.
The club has lost four games by fewer than three goals this year and when Travis Cloke gave the Magpies the lead midway through the final quarter, it appeared another heartbreaking defeat was on the cards.
But milestone men James Podsiadly and Richard Douglas responded quickly and Lynch said the Crows' trust in each other got them over the line.
"Belief's grown from those sorts of situations ... you saw it yesterday, but it's been a byproduct of a lot of close games that we've been involved in," he said.
"It's something that we've been developing over the last few years, since 'Sando' (Brenton Sanderson) walked in and it's been growing.
"We're playing a lot better than we were at the start of the year ... but we've certainly a long way to go."
