Adelaide have moved up to third on the AFLW ladder after grinding out a four-point win over St Kilda in an arm-wrestle at Norwood Oval. Coming off their first loss of the season to reigning premiers Brisbane , Adelaide never led by more than seven points on Friday en route to a hard-earned 3.8 (26) to 3.
4 (22) victory. The win lifted the Crows, now 5-1 for the season, to within two points of ladder leaders North Melbourne. Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today St Kilda (3-3) suffered a third straight defeat, but cling on to eighth spot on percentage ahead of Essendon.
Adelaide maintained their perfect record against the Saints, notching a fifth straight win and ensured they didn’t suffer successive losses for the first time since 2020. The Crows tallied 14 more inside 50s and 21 extra contested possessions, but struggled to fashion scoring opportunities against a doughty Saints defence, which pulled off numerous smothers. The Saints trailed after each quarter but also had problems in the forward half, taking just two marks inside 50.
They got within one point with just under nine minutes to go when Hannah Stuart goaled. The Saints didn’t manage another score, while the Crows added three more behinds to clinch victory. “There was lots to like other than perhaps just our ball use and our ability, to make the most of our opportunities,” Crows coach Matthew Clarke said.
Adelaide dynamo Ebony Marinoff racked up 31 touches, 17 tackles, 16 contested possessions, n.
