Patrick Dangerfield was in awe of Taylor Walker’s dominant performance against North Melbourne.

Walker, 24, was unstoppable in Adelaide’s 77-point win at Adelaide Oval on Easter Sunday.

In his first game as Crows captain, the influential forward kicked six goals from 11 scoring shots. He also presented strongly further up the field, taking a game-high 15 marks and seven inside 50ms, while also assisting in another two goals for his team.

“Tex could’ve kicked 10. He was unbelievable today,” Dangerfield said after the game.

“When you’ve got a key forward like that who just takes the game by the scruff off the neck … it didn’t matter how many opponents he had – I think he had two at some stages.

“The way we moved the ball as a team certainly helps the forwards as well.”

Dangerfield also celebrated his 25^th Birthday with a brilliant display against the Kangaroos.

The damaging onballer amassed 25 possessions, including 18 in the first half, six clearances, five inside 50ms, four tackles, two goals and two goal assists. Eddie Betts (four), Josh Jenkins (three) and Rory Sloane (two) also kicked multiple goals as the Crows forwards looked to share the ball around.

Dangerfield’s second goal early in the final quarter was a remarkable left-shoot shot on the run after he followed up his own centre square clearance.

“I was happy with that one because I’d missed a few! No, it was nice to finish it,” he said.

Adelaide’s big win was set-up in a devastating first half.

The Crows kicked 12 goals to North Melbourne’s three, including 10 in a row, in the opening half to lead by 63 points at the main change.

Last year’s Preliminary Finalists responded with five unanswered goals to cut the margin to 30 points in the third quarter, but the home team steadied and secured its first win under new coach Phil Walsh.

Despite the performance, Dangerfield said his team couldn’t be content.

“We played some really good footy today but there were also some patches, particularly in the third quarter, that were unacceptable from what we’ve trained over the pre-season,” he said.

“There were certain aspects we were really happy with, but there’s always room for improvement and that’s what ‘Walshy’ has preached all pre-season. Even when we had a good training session, there was room to improve.”

One of the noticeable improvements in Adelaide’s game is the consistency and intensity of defensive effort. The Crows held the Kangaroos to a mere 18 inside 50ms in the first half on Sunday, often trapping the Roos in their defensive 50m.

Dangerfield said Adelaide’s team defence remained a work in progress.

“We haven’t turned it (our defensive pressure) around yet. We’ve only played one game and we brought some good pressure, albeit, in patches,” he said.

“It’s a clear focus for us each and every week. There will be some games when we don’t do it as well as we should, but if we keep practising it and addressing it then, hopefully, we’ll see gradual improvement throughout the season.”

The Crows celebrated their first win of the season in front of 46,491 fans at Adelaide Oval.

The players sang the Club song on the ground with fans at the Southern end after the game. Dangerfield said it was a reward for the loyal Crows members and supporters.

“It was great to be back at Adelaide Oval today. It’s an incredible achievement by our members to get to 60,000 for the first time in our 25^th season. It just makes the games so much more enjoyable when we basically pack the place out every week,” Dangerfield said.

“Today, was a real reward for them because we’ve played some pretty poor footy in the past and they’ve still supported us every week. It was great to embrace the crowd and make them apart of it rather than just locking ourselves away in the rooms to sing the song.

“It was a bit of a change up and I think they really enjoyed it.”