After making headlines for the wrong reasons earlier in the week, midfielder Bernie Vince said he owed it to his teammates to put in a good performance against West Coast in Saturday night’s NAB Cup Grand Final. Vince responded in the best possible way, amassing seven possessions and a goal in the opening seven minutes of the match on his way to 29 disposals for the night. Vince was recognised with the Michael Tuck Medal for best on ground and his efforts didn’t go unnoticed by the adoring home crowd. The 27,000-strong fans broke into a rousing and lasting applause when Vince was presented with the award, forcing him to wait until the noise had subsided to deliver his acceptance speech. The vocal AAMI Stadium crowd also deserves recognition for their efforts - a big thank you to everyone who came along.

Unusual scenes followed Adelaide’s 34-point victory over the Eagles. Mindful of not going over the top in their celebrations, the players appeared unsure of the protocol of the pre-season premiership win. The team didn’t sing the Club song after any of its previous four NAB Cup wins and it looked as though the players might rest their vocal chords against after Saturday night’s win until skipper Nathan van Berlo rallied his charges in the rooms, encouraging them to take a moment to enjoy the Crows’ second-ever pre-season flag.

It will be raining footballs in Hahndorf in the coming weeks after defender Matt Jaensch secured another $500 worth of Sherrins for his junior club with his second super-goal of the NAB Cup against the Eagles. A substitute for the first half, Jaensch made an immediate impact in the third quarter, accepting a handpass from Kurt Tippett and slotting a goal from outside 50m with apparent ease. The long-kicking defender almost made it three nine-pointers for the pre-season moments later, but his shot at goal missed to the right. Jaensch registered another nine-pointer in Adelaide’s win over Collingwood the week prior. Forward Taylor Walker also bagged $500 worth of footballs for North Broken Hill in the NAB Cup Grand Final, forcing a West Coast turnover in defence and slotting a goal from 55 metres out.

Walker’s memorable piece of play was just one example of Adelaide’s relentless defensive pressure on Saturday night. Tough onballer Scott Thompson led the way, laying a game-high 11 tackles to go with his 26 touches. Jared Petrenko applied seven tackles and also effected two desperate smothers, while David Mackay and Jason Porplyzia also put their bodies on the line to stop the Eagles surging forward.

Untried duo Sam Shaw and Sam Kerridge and trade week recruit Tom Lynch have impressed throughout Adelaide’s successful pre-season and kept their names in front of the selectors with strong showings again on Saturday night. Shaw showed composure in his first full game of the NAB Cup to remain in contention for a round one berth, while Kerridge and Lynch made an impact in the second half after starting the game as substitutes. Lynch hauled in an equal team-high nine marks against the Eagles, sending the Crows inside attacking 50m on five occasions. Tough clearance player Kerridge had six possessions and two tackles.