Fast-starting Fremantle handed Adelaide its fourth loss of the season on Sunday, with Kiara Bowers starring in a commanding 25-point win at Unley Oval.
Both sides went into the match with three wins and three losses, but the Dockers were a class above in the first half.
The home side lifted in the second half but was unable to get within striking distance as Fremantle went on to snap a six-game losing streak against Adelaide with an impressive 9.6 (60) to 5.5 (35) victory.
Bowers was at her powerful best, with her game-high 30 possessions and two goals the centrepiece of a dominant midfield display by Lisa Webb’s side.
The Dockers set up the win with a blistering four-goals-to-nil opening term, with their stingy team defence keeping the Crows to just seven inside 50s in the first half.
"I think from the get-go we were playing the footy that we knew we were capable of," Webb said.
"I think it's been building, we were disappointed with the loss last week, but I thought we did a lot of really great things today.
"The way we moved the ball, I thought we really assisted with the way that our forward patterns were, and just our grit and determination, which this group never shies away from.
"I'm just pleased for them that they got to see a reward of that."
Hayley Miller kickstarted Fremantle’s first-quarter blitz with a superb goal from the boundary a minute into the contest and the shellshocked Crows barely got a look in for the rest of the first half.
Bowers led the charge with 10 possessions and a goal as the visitors won the inside 50 count 13-4 for the term while keeping the Crows scoreless.
Eight Adelaide players had one disposal or less in the first quarter and the situation didn’t improve into the second with the Dockers claiming the first six inside 50 entries of the term.
But the visitors couldn’t generate a score from that territory dominance as the besieged Adelaide defence held firm.
The home side finally registered a score seven minutes into the second quarter when Maddie Newman sprayed her set shot and Sarah Goodwin broke the goal drought with just under five minutes left in the first half.
But Bowers bobbed up late to slot her second major to stretch the Dockers’ lead to 33 points at the main break.
Fremantle led by as much as 45 points in the third quarter, but Goodwin and Eloise Jones were instrumental as the home side at last found some rhythm.
Jones was swung forward and booted a goal either side of three-quarter time as the Crows rattled off three majors in a row to give their fans hope, but a goal to Angelique Stannett made the gap too wide for Adelaide to reel in.
"I think their tenacity on the inside of the contest then being able to spread outside as well got us on the hop and they were able to punish us really well early," Crows coach Ryan Davis said.
"They were fantastic all day, so that ended up being the margin in the end.
"It's disappointing to let that one go that early, and then have to do so much work to try and get it back."
ADELAIDE 0.0 1.3 3.4 5.5 (35)
FREMANTLE 4.4 6.6 8.6 9.6 (60)
GOALS
ADELAIDE: Jones 2, Goodwin, Rasheed, Munyard
FREMANTLE: Zanker 3, Miller 2, Bowers 2, O’Sullivan, Stannett
BEST
ADELAIDE: Goodwin, Marinoff, Biddell, Newman, Egan, Jones
FREMANTLE: Bowers, Miller, Newton, McCarthy, Zanker, Strom
INJURIES
ADELAIDE: Nil
FREMANTLE: Nil
LATE CHANGES
ADELAIDE: Nil
FREMANTLE: Madeleine Scanlon (tbc) replaced by Orlagh Lally
Reports: Nil
Crowd: TBC at Unley Oval
