Adelaide's 2025 AFLW season came to an end with an 11-point defeat in a semi-final clash against Melbourne at Ikon Park on Saturday afternoon.
The Crows went down 9.6 (60) to 7.7 (49) following a gutsy fourth-quarter showing by the Demons.
Scores were level at three-quarter time, but Melbourne skipper Kate Hore struck first, ducking through a tackle to snap truly for her third, capping an extraordinary captain's match from the game-breaker.
But it was lesser lights who helped the Dees break clear of the high-quality, see-sawing affair.
The speed of Shelley Heath, the smarts of Maggie Mahony (showing composure throughout the game far beyond her 19 years) and the set shots of Ryleigh Wotherspoon and Georgia Campbell, and all of a sudden Melbourne locked away the victory.
Crows Co-Captain Ebony Marinoff secured a late consolation goal to trim the margin, before a final-second run-down tackle of champion Chelsea Randall by 190cm Tahlia Gillard was icing on the cake for the Dees.
The match also signalled the end of premiership coach Matthew Clarke's career at Adelaide, having announced pre-season that 2025 would be his last in charge.
The Crows coach made a beeline for counterpart Mick Stinear (coaching his 100th match) on the siren, shaking hands while the first rendition of Melbourne's song rang out.
Melbourne has been a traditionally strong first-quarter side this year, and Saturday's semi-final was no exception, with both Megan Fitzsimon and Hore finding the middle of the sticks with snaps in the opening five minutes.
Adelaide left the Demons' forward line far too open, allowing for leading lanes and room at ground level when the ball hit the deck
Anne Hatchard blew a perfect opportunity to kick Adelaide's opening goal after taking a powerful overhead mark in the square. She took her snap set-shot far too casually, hammering the ball into the goal-post, but Caitlin Gould spared her blushes a minute later, converting her own set shot for a seven-point play.
The normally mild-mannered Clarke gave Adelaide a proper rocket before the players broke into their line groups at quarter-time after the Crows had blown several chances with bombs into attack, before conceding a buzzer-beater to Mahony on the siren.
It had a definite short-term effect, with ruck Jess Allan juggling a mark, before Teah Charlton snatched the lead with a goal-line crumb on a sharp angle.
Trailing by 13 at half-time, Melbourne put Tayla Harris into the ruck to get her around the ball, and it helped stabilise the Dees and provide some extra bounce through the middle of the ground, pulling four ahead in the clearance count, which had been level to that point.
Adelaide defender Chelsea Biddell was exceptional on the last line of defence, as was Gillard down the other end of the field, the two showing tremendous composure under the hottest of finals pressure.
Crows forward Danielle Ponter was the victim of a clash of knees late in the third term and started the fourth on the bench, but returned to play out the game.
SCOREBOARD
MELBOURNE 3.2 4.3 6.5 9.6 (60)
ADELAIDE 1.2 6.4 6.5 7.7 (49)
GOALS
Melbourne: Hore 3, Mahony 2, Fitzsimon, Mackin, Wotherspoon, Campbell
Adelaide: Gould, J.Allan, Charlton, Prowse, N.Kelly, Ponter, Marinoff
BEST
Melbourne: Hore, Hanks, Mahony, Gillard, Heath, Harris
Adelaide: Marinoff, Biddell, N Kelly, Newman, Hatchard
