Beltings have become the norm for West Coast this year, but this was a new low.
Eclipsing their defeat at the hands of Hawthorn in Launceston 20 days ago, the enormous 122-point belting at the hands of the Crows is now the worst in the reign of coach Adam Simpson.
Making matters worse, the 27.12 (174) to 8.4 (52) defeat is the fourth worst in their illustrious history, their third loss by 100 points or more in seven weeks and the biggest in 15 years.
Calls for change were there, but now the fans will be screaming for something to be done.
The statistics were damning.
West Coast were smashing in terms of disposals (424 – 323), inside 50 (65-34), marks inside 50 (18-3), contested possessions (164-124) and clearances (45-36).
It was even worse on the eye, with Eagles losing their feet too easy, trailing behind harder working Crows and missing easy targets without pressure in a performance they’ve got to live with for a fortnight before their next game.
Already undersized, the Eagles lost Jake Waterman before the first bounce to illness, leaving Elliot Yeo to play as a key defender and 195cm midfielder Greg Clark was called upon to back up Bailey Williams in the ruck.
The party began early when Taylor Walker kicked the first of a career-high 10 less than a minute into his 250th game as he monstered an undersized Rhett Bazzo.
Moments later the Eagles responded when mid-season draftee Ryan Maric joined the first kick, first goal club in what would be their only real moment of joy for the evening.
West Coast’s midfield was their most experienced line as Tim Kelly , Dom Sheed and Luke Shuey, but they were smashed in the clearances, leaving their undersized backline exposed.
Rory Laird was massive with 31 touches, 19 contested and 12 clearances, while captain Jordan Dawson (30 disposals) and Ben Keays (27 disposals and seven inside 50s) played with all out attack.
Walker had three goals by quarter time, prompting Yeo to be sent to him with little impact, doubling his tally in the first eight minutes of the second term and equalling his career-best seven by half-time.
This prompted a massive shuffle, with Oscar Allen being sent into defence robbing the Eagles of their only in-form target.
Remarkably, he still kicked their first goal for the term courtesy of a 50m penalty as the Crows continued to wreak havoc all over the ground.
West Coast’s defence was further depleted when Luke Foley was subbed out of the game with a hamstring injury in the third term, but it mattered little.
Despite being so far in front, the Crows never dropped their intensity, forcing the Eagles into mistakes and pushing hard forward from defence.
Maric would kick a second goal in the second term, while Yeo (30 disposals and five clearances) and Kelly (27 and three) would fight hard in the midfield at the feet of ruckman Bailey Williams (20, six and 35 hit-outs), but they had little help across the ground.
Come the final term the strong, parochial crowd just wanted to see Walker get to double digits which he did midway through the quarter send the fans into a frenzy.
SCOREBOARD
ADELAIDE 7.5, 14.8, 21.10, 27.12 (174)
WEST COAST 2.1, 4.2, 6.3, 8.4 (52)
Goals – ADELAIDE: T Walker 10 I Rankine 3 D Fogarty 2 L Murphy 2 R Thilthorpe 2 L Sholl 2 R Sloane 2 B Keays J Rachele L Pedlar J Soligo. WEST COAST: R Maric 2 O Allen J Darling A Gaff T Kelly J Petruccelle B Williams.
Best – ADELAIDE: T Walker R Laird B Keays J Dawson I Rankine W Milera R Sloane C Jones. WEST COAST: B Williams T Kelly E Yeo R Maric.
Injuries – WEST COAST: L Foley (hamstring) J Waterman (illness) replaced in the selected side by C Chesser.
Umpires: L Fisher L Haussen J Howorth E Tee. Crowd: 39,450 at Adelaide Oval.