Adelaide suffered its first loss of the season against North Melbourne in Hobart on Saturday.

On the weekend, all eight games were won by the team ranked lower on the ladder heading into the round. It’s the first time this has happened in the 18-team competition.

Despite the 59-point defeat, the Crows remain a game clear in top spot on the AFL ladder.

Adelaide failed to score in the first quarter at Blundstone Arena. It was only the Club’s third scoreless first quarter, and the sixth time the Crows have gone scoreless in any quarter.

Adelaide outscored North Melbourne after quarter-time (13.8 to 12.9) but the damage was already done.

Matt Crouch was the leading possession-getter on the ground with 38 and seven clearances. Only Fremantle ball magnet Lachie Neale (40) had more disposals for the round.

Crouch is second in the League for total disposals (231) this season behind Hawthorn recruit Tom Mitchell (237).

The Crows managed to reverse a contested possession differential of - 14 in the first quarter to finish the game + 7.

However, Adelaide never regained the ascendancy at the clearances. The Crows trailed 7 - 12 at quarter time and finished 13 in arrears. The damage was done in the centre square where the Kangaroos won the clearances 23 - 11. 

Adelaide defender Daniel Talia took a team-high nine marks.

The Crows were out-tackled by the rampaging Kangaroos 90 – 50. It was Adelaide’s worst tackling differential by far this season. No Crow applied more than five tackles on Saturday.

According to Champion Data, North Melbourne was the best pressure team of the round while Adelaide was the fifth-worst.  

Under North’s pressure, the Crows recorded a disposal efficiency of 66.6 per cent – the Club’s lowest in a game this year.

On Saturday, Eddie Betts kicked his 500th AFL goal, becoming only the 57th player in VFL/AFL history to do so.

Betts (23) is second in the Coleman Medal behind reigning AFL leading goalkicker Josh Kennedy of West Coast (24).

The Crows conceded 79 inside 50ms on the weekend – the most of any team this season – including 28 in the first term.

Match statistics
Disposals
Adelaide – 389
North Melbourne – 388

Disposal efficiency
Adelaide – 67%
North Melbourne – 72%

Kicks
Adelaide – 195
North Melbourne – 218

Handballs
Adelaide – 194
North Melbourne – 170

Clearances
Adelaide – 34
North Melbourne – 47

Inside 50ms
Adelaide – 56
North Melbourne – 79

Contested possessions
Adelaide – 168
North Melbourne – 161

Uncontested possessions
Adelaide – 228
North Melbourne – 226

Tackles
Adelaide – 50
North Melbourne – 90

Hit-outs
Adelaide – 45
North Melbourne – 38