Again the Crows can't get the ball out of defence. They tried to take the kick quickly that time but couldn't get past Kennedy at half-back.

Freijah pumped it back in deep to Bontempelli who was out the back and in the box seat for the easiest goal of the night.

Straight from the centre bounce this time for Adelaide. Berry broke free and hit Walker on the chest, and Tex quickly realised that Lobb had run past the contest and the coast was now clear.

Walker played on, ran to 50 and smacked it home. For the first time tonight, there is real energy and momentum in this crowd and with the Crows.

Now a stoppage goal at the other end, with the ball scrambled forward from the throw in and then fed to Fogarty running into space.

Fogarty almost lost a handle on the ball but was poised enough to gather, straighten and goal. Crows respond.

Dream start to the second half for the Bulldogs! Aaron Naughton sold the dummy, bought himself a little bit of space and slotted a cool drop punt.

That's a stoppage goal for the Bulldogs, who had number flooding through half-forward there. Problems for the Crows.

Let's see if Matthew Nicks has been able to come up with a plan to counter the Bulldogs here, as more of the same will lead to defeat for the Crows.

Ball is in the air and we're underway again.

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The Crows were about half a second away from another shot on goal there, but the siren just as the ball was entering Josh Rachele's hands.

The way the Bulldogs are defending is really causing the Crows some headaches. They are so quick to retreat back and to clog dangerous spaces when Adelaide has the ball in its back half, and the Crows haven't figured out a way through the mire just yet. The Dogs stifled the Giants in the same way last week so this is clearly Bevo's new formula, and so far it is working.

When the Crows do go forward they look dangerous, and they'll be encouraged by the fact that all of Dawson, Rachele, Rankine, Fogarty and Ah Chee have plenty more to offer in the second half. Those are the guys, along with Thilthorpe and Tex, who have the class to pick through a very well organised Bulldogs outfit.

A really important Adelaide goal just before half-time. The Crows have really struggled to get the ball forward from the backline in this quarter, but on one of the rare occasions they did managed to give Thilthorpe a run and jump at the footy.

Great set shot from 45 out on the angle too. They needed that one.

I'm not sure if they did that the easy way or the hard way.

The Bulldogs forced the turnover in the middle of the ground and had three blokes free inside 50 as a result. Freijah handballed to Baker, who could have shot immediately but instead chose to run. He ran about 25 metres without a bounce, sidestepping blokes for fun, before finally snapping a goal from the square. Dogs have four in a row and a gap in the game.

The crowd is going nuts because nobody quite knows what the umps are up to. There was a certain holding the ball against Murray that wasn't paid, then Soligo thought he'd taken a chestmark only for Baker to burst it out of his hands.

Williams eventually marked and goaled as the boos ring out. Dogs have made a move.

Great hands from Croft, who looked like he was lipping off at the Crows' defence when he was still halfway down from the mark. Got a bit about him, this young fella.

Hasn't been a night for Darcy or Naughton just yet, but Croft has made an impact.

Somehow the Bulldogs keep it alive in the forward pocket, with English and then Bontempelli bringing the ball back in by hand and finding Freijah in position to snap.

Dogs needed that. Back in front.

The Crows were patient once they won the ball back on the edge of their 50, but eventually Walker just had to blaze away to the top of the goalsquare.

And why not, when you've got big Riley down there? That was a powerful pack mark and a simple set shot. The Crows have four in a row and the lead.

He's been strapped up pretty extensively, but he's back out there patrolling the half-back line for the Crows. Good news for Adelaide.

It is striking how different this game is looking to so much of the footy so far in 2026. Lots of long kicking to contests, a lot of play tight to the wings. I don't hate it! It's a relief to think that there will be light and shade and variety in the game still even as rule changes pull it in one direction over the others.

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Three straight to the Bulldogs and then straight to the Crows. Everything in between was pretty tight and tough.

It took a bit for the Crows to hit back as they did though because they looked overwhelmed by the Bulldogs in the opening stages. It has certainly been a tighter and more contested game so far than some others we have seen this season, not unlike Adelaide's game against Collingwood last week.

Intriguing opening.

The Crows veteran has come to the bench and is pointing to the back his right calf when speaking to the doctors. He pulled up lame after taking a diving mark a few minutes ago.

Doesn't look great, but we'll keep an eye on it.

Having shipped the first three, this is a great response from Adelaide. Nothing has been pretty, but they are now matching the Dogs in the contest and it's showing on the scoreboard.

That was great from Soligo. He won the crumb in the pocket, shrugged a tackle while bursting through and snapped a ripper across his body.

That is vintage Tex! From outside 50, tight to the boundary and on the wrong side for a right-footer, Walker has launched that and worked it back perfectly.

Great goal from Walker, but it hasn't been all good from the veteran so far. Which leads me to...

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It's his first ever goal in the AFL, and boy did the Crows need it!

Again, the umps are having a crack though. A crazy 50m penalty against Davidson, who just barely held onto Butts, kind of, almost, as he stood up after taking a mark. He didn't move off the mark, he didn't step over the mark, but he rested a hand on Butts's arm and the umpire whistled him.

Joel Freijah has had four shots on goal already for 2.2 and the Bulldogs are destroying them at the moment.

Really poor free kick there though. Peatling went to ground to win the ball on the deck and Freijah saw him coming, effectively kicking Peatling in the head while diving to win a free for contact below the knees. Bad call, big goal.