Adelaide had an immense final quarter fightback halted by the Western Bulldogs in a thrilling game at Adelaide Oval. 

After trailing by 24 points early in the final term, the Crows booted five goals in a row to hit the front in the final five minutes. 

But a piece of Oskar Baker magic in the final two minutes gave the Bulldogs back the lead, and they ended up holding on to run out six point victors. 

In a game that was billed as the battle of the power forwards, it was instead the attacking midfielders and an unlikely key defender who got the job done in front of goal early in the piece.

Baker's buzzing pressure created the opening goal, Joel Freijah caught fire in the first quarter, Jordon Butts kicked the first major of his career, and on limited minutes Jake Soligo did maximum damage.

Butts (11 intercepts, 12 marks, one goal) not only hit the scoreboard for the first time in his 87 games, but he also wore star Dog Sam Darcy (12 disposals, one goal) like a glove, partnering well with Nick Murray (16 disposals,10 marks) behind the play for the Crows.

Meanwhile Rory Lobb (five intercepts) and Buku Khamis (10) continued their budding partnership at the other end of the ground.

But after the main break, the big men played inspired football, keen to reassert their control on the game, adding a new look to the matchup.

For the Crows, Taylor Walker (three goals) and Riley Thilthorpe (two) got busy in front of goal, as did Darcy Fogarty (two), albeit the latter was most dangerous on the deck.

Adelaide was reluctant to take risks with ball in hand, rather it patiently worked around the back half by foot and racked up the uncontested marks. Jordan Dawson (25 disposals, eight clearances, one goal) was one of the few who could reliably turn that slow, patient play into genuine attack, but otherwise there was a stagnancy around the home side, requiring errors from the Dogs to progress up the field.

Meanwhile the Western Bulldogs attacked the game with a sense of desperation, ready to roll with the chaos and flick the ball around by hand. Their layers around the contest were as reliable as ever, always able to create an option in space from which they could propel forward.

Aaron Naughton quietly continued to tick away at his goal tally for the year, adding another three majors, aided by his defensive efforts.

There was a clear attempt from the Crows to get things moving with more speed in the second half, still trying to chip the ball around by foot and identify players in space, but it was with more urgency. They looked at their most dangerous when switching the ball with determination, to create some run on the open side.

It asked questions of the Bulldogs' defence, as it was increasingly isolated in one-on-ones against the Crows' big guns inside 50.

James O'Donnell, although forced from the field in the third quarter to undergo a head injury assessment following a clash with Walker - which he ultimately passed - further solidified his role in the Bulldogs' strengthening backline.

SCOREBOARD

ADELAIDE                               3.0    5.2    8.7   13.10 (88)
WESTERN BULLDOGS             3.4    7.5    11.7   14.11 (94)

GOALS
Adelaide: Walker 3, Thilthorpe 2, Fogarty 2, Rachele 2, Butts, Soligo, Dawson, Rankine
Western Bulldogs: Freijah 3, Naughton 3, Baker 3, Williams 2, Croft, Bontempelli, Darcy

BEST
Adelaide: Butts, Worrell, Dawson, Thilthorpe, Walker
Western Bulldogs: Freijah, Richards, Khamis, Liberatore, English, Naughton

INJURIES
Adelaide: Ah Chee (right hamstring)
Western Bulldogs: Nil

LATE CHANGES
Adelaide: Hugh Bond (illness), replaced in selected side by Chayce Jones 
Western Bulldogs: Nil

Crowd: 49,185 at Adelaide Oval