Adelaide Assistant Coach Nathan van Berlo says the Crows' second-half response is one of the most pleasing aspects of the win against North Melbourne on Saturday.

The Crows found themselves in a tight tussle midway through the second quarter against the Kangaroos, before breaking away in the second half to win by 66 points at Adelaide Oval.

Speaking to the media on Monday, van Berlo said the Crows’ ability to flick the switch and respond to words from the coaches after half-time was impressive.

“It was a really pleasing performance in the end, we were a little frustrated at half-time, with the way that the game was playing out, albeit we were playing some really strong footy,” van Berlo said.

“We just encouraged the boys to relax and enjoy their footy.

“We tinkered with a few structural elements which allowed us to get the game on our terms.

“The second half we defended really well, our contest work lifted and we got the reward off the back of it, particularly the second half was a really pleasing time for us.”

Although pleased to notch a win, van Berlo said the focus was now quickly turning to the upcoming match against Essendon at Marvel Stadium on Sunday.

“The way that the Bombers play their game, they have quick ball movement and like to attack the corridor so that's going to be a great challenge for us but I think it's a step that we need to take and we are ready to take,” van Berlo said.

“We showed a couple of weeks ago… that we are up for the challenge and hopefully we can take that next step this weekend.”

Defender Jordon Butts will, however, miss the match against the Bombers, after entering the AFL’s concussion protocols.

Van Berlo had confidence in the Crows’ depth, and said there were many players in the SANFL side pushing for selection.

“I went to the SANFL yesterday and saw a number of our guys at that level playing some really strong footy, our talls and our smalls,” Van Berlo said.

“It's not always going to be a case of like-for-like from week-to-week so we will assess that later with the match committee to see if we need a tall, go small or whether we should play a hybrid.

“It gives us confidence at the match committee that we can sit there and say that they are ready to come in and play a role for us.”