In a trying game that tested poise, skill and also courage, young Crow Rory Laird passed with flying colours.

Playing only his sixth AFL game, Laird was a standout in Adelaide’s seven-point loss to Fremantle at a rain-soaked AAMI Stadium on Saturday. The nuggety 19-year-old set the standards for effort and intensity in the first quarter.

With Freo ahead by six points and the ball positioned perilously in the Dockers’ goal square, Laird came up with what was effectively a ‘12-point’ play. The promoted rookie sprinted towards the goal line to help Daniel Talia dispossess Chris Mayne, and followed up with a desperate lunge in a bid to smother Tendai Mzungu’s shot at goal from only a few metres out.

The well-struck ball hit Laird flush in the cheek, leaving him “stunned” for a few seconds. As Laird recovered from the nasty ‘falcon’, the Crows took the ball to the other end of the ground and levelled the scores with a goal to Patrick Dangerfield.

It was just one example of Laird’s fearless performance against Fremantle, which saw him collect a career-best 24 possessions (16 contested), seven tackles and three inside 50ms.

“I’m getting more confident and comfortable with every game,” Laird said after the match.

“It’s getting a bit easier, it’s not easy though. I still struggle to keep up with the pace of the game at times and every time I come to the bench I’m blowing, but I’ll get there.”

Laird had some tough opposition on Saturday afternoon, matched up against Fremantle’s dangerous rotating half-forwards; Hayden Ballantyne, Danyle Pearce and Nick Suban.

“I struggled a bit with Ballantyne. He kicked a goal on me. He’s really quick and explodes over 100 metres,” Laird said.

“Suban is a really good runner too. He worked me up and down the ground, so I’m pretty tired now.”

Laird also recorded his first-ever AFL goal against the Dockers, albeit unintentionally, when he set sail with a long bomb from outside 50m in the third quarter.

“I didn’t think it was going to be a goal,” he said.

“I just kicked the ball long and the wind carried it over the top. With the conditions, the ball just skidded through.

“It was good to get one on the board, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough to give us the result.”

Trailing by eight points at three-quarter time, the Crows threated to snatch another come-from-behind win halfway through the final term. Richard Douglas goaled on the run to cut the margin to four points and a miracle left-foot snap from Patrick Dangerfield put the home team three points ahead at the 14-minute mark.

Moments later, Laird was involved in another big play. The small defender took a courageous mark running back with the flight of the ball, but the umpire paid a free-kick for holding against Daniel Talia and the ball was handed to Freo. The Dockers took the ball inside 50m and regained the lead with a goal to Michael Barlow. Another goal to substitute Cam Sutcliffe less than a minute later secured the win for the visitors.

“We really believed we could come back and win today,” Laird said.

“We were a bit inconsistent; our second quarter was down but we thought we were all over them in the first and the third and we were only a goal or two down in the last quarter.

“We were looking pretty dangerous with Patty (Dangerfield) up there. We kept having shots at goal, but we couldn’t convert. Unfortunately, Freo went down the other end and kicked a couple.

“We came up a bit short this week.”