It’s a rare occurrence that a player can influence a game in the devastating manner that Jack Darling did against Adelaide yesterday.

About 10 minutes into the second term the Crows led by seven points and were looking ominous. But Darling then imposed his will on the contest and kicked five goals. Most of them were from contested marks as the Adelaide defence was under siege.

While that purple patch was exceptional, he continued to wield some influence on the rest of the game despite failing to add to his goal-kicking tally.

He ended the game with 15 possessions, eight marks (five of them inside forward 50) and five goals.

That was not the biggest haul in a quarter by an Eagle. That mantle still belongs to Peter Sumich, who kicked seven of 13 goals against Footscray in 1991, in a single term.