WEST Coast will head home to Perth on the back of consecutive wins after defeating Adelaide by 33 points at the Gabba on Saturday afternoon.
After a cagey first half, the Eagles blew the game open with a devastating five-minute burst in the third term that yielded three goals.
The Crows looked better than in previous weeks, but were ultimately outclassed in the 10.7 (67) to 5.4 (34) result.
Tim Kelly was the star of the day with 25 disposals, while Elliot Yeo, Jack Redden and Dom Sheed were also prominent as the Eagles dominated the midfield battle.
Nic Naitanui just shaded Reilly O'Brien in their much-anticipated ruck battle, while Jack Darling (two majors) was the only multiple goalkicker.
West Coast is now up to 10th spot on the ladder at 3-3 and with an extended run of matches to come at Optus Stadium, beginning with the RAC Derby against Fremantle, the Eagles will like their chances of extending their winning streak.
The winless Crows remain rooted to the bottom of the ladder, but will be back at Adelaide Oval next week to face St Kilda.
Brodie Smith (32 disposals) and Matt Crouch (28) racked up plenty of touches, while Ben Keays did a superb job on Andrew Gaff, holding the usually prolific Eagle to just 12 possessions.
Nic Nat has the last laugh
After Reilly O'Brien accidentally tweeted his games notes on Nic Naitanui during the week, the ruck battle was always going to be intriguing. Naitanui, who was labelled 'lazy and unfit' in the deleted tweet, drew first blood with a brilliant goal in the first quarter. He had three clearances in the first quarter alone and dominated the hitouts. But O'Brien fought back gallantly with a series of impressive marks and finished with 19 touches, but still lost the hitout count (24-12). To show there was no bad blood after the match, Naitanui handed O'Brien a new phone.
Can the Crows kick a winning score?
Since the competition restart in June, Adelaide is averaging just five goals a game. The Crows were without Taylor Walker, the focal point for much of the past decade, and Darcy Fogarty, but still managed just five goals. Billy Frampton showed some signs up forward and kicked a goal from a strong mark, but they need to find more avenues to goal if they are going to get on the winner's list. Tyson Stengle, Shane McAdam and Fischer McAsey (playing up forward) were largely anonymous against the Eagles.
Keays locks up another star
Andrew Gaff came into this game averaging over 26 touches a game, but found the going very tough with close marking from Ben Keays. Gaff picked up some touches late, but had just four kicks through three quarters as Keays comfortably took the points in their duel. But should he have tagged Tim Kelly instead? The former Cat produced his best performance at his new club, racking up 25 disposals and eight clearances in a dominant performance.
WEST COAST 2.3 4.4 8.7 10.7 (67)
ADELAIDE 1.1 2.1 3.3 5.4 (34)
GOALS
West Coast: Darling 2, Naitanui, Ah Chee, Kennedy, Allen, Redden, Ainsworth, Cripps, Ryan
Adelaide: Lynch, Jones, Frampton, Smith, Sloane
BEST
West Coast: Kelly, Sheed, Redden, Yeo, Allen, McGovern
Adelaide: Smith, Keays, M.Crouch, Doedee, O'Brien
INJURIES
West Coast: Nil
Adelaide: Nil
