Crows run rampant to condemn Roos to 0-7

Adelaide has condemned North Melbourne to its seventh loss in a row with a 57-point pasting at Blundstone Oval

LIVEWIRE Izak Rankine and some classy touches from veteran Taylor Walker have helped propel Adelaide to a 57-point victory over winless North Melbourne.

The Crows rebounded from a heartbreaking loss to Essendon last round to notch their second win of the season at Hobart's Blundstone Arena on Saturday afternoon.

The 20.18 (138) to 12.9 (81) result came at a cost for Adelaide, with young midfielder Luke Pedlar suffering a shoulder injury in the first quarter.

Rankine added to his highlight reel with four goals for the match, including two back-to-back in the third quarter from tight set-shot angles.

He also picked up 17 possessions and one goal assist in an eye-catching showing.

The Kangaroos remain anchored to the foot of the ladder after seven games, while the Crows are 2-5 ahead of Thursday's Showdown at Adelaide Oval.

Walker picked up two goals and was unselfish throughout, offering shots to team mates in better positions and ending up with three assists.

Adelaide captain Jordan Dawson led from the front in the first half and finished with 27 touches, while Rory Laird had a game-high 34 touches and 13 clearances.

KANGAROOS v CROWS Full match coverage and stats

North Melbourne's Colby McKercher was busy in a losing side with 32 possessions, while Cameron Zurhaar booted three goals.

Adelaide smothered the Kangaroos with defensive pressure early and had a 20-point lead at quarter time with Rankine picking up a brace of goals.

North Melbourne fought hard to keep the damage at a minimum in the second quarter before an easy turnover inside its defensive 50 gifted rookie Brayden Cook a goal.

Adelaide then put on three goals in a row, with the margin 75-40 at the main break.

The Kangaroos managed just one goal to five in the third term but won the final quarter 32-30 on the back of four goals in a row.

The kids are alright
In a game with little upside for North Melbourne, Colby McKercher and Zane Duursma gave Roos fans something to smile about. Tasmanian native and no.2 draft pick McKercher quietly went about his business and finished with 32 disposals in front of a home crowd, while no.4 pick Duursma showed just how dangerous he can be in front of goal.

Four more for the Rankine file
After a quiet game last week, the mercurial Izak Rankine was back to his best against the Kangaroos. His first two goals set the tone for the Crows' day, and he was also handy around the ball with six clearances. He finished with four goals and eleven score involvements.

NORTH MELBOURNE           2.3        6.4        7.7          12.9  (81)
ADELAIDE                           5.5        11.9       16.12      20.18  (138)

GOALS
North Melbourne: Zurhaar 3, Larkey 2, Duursma 2, Powell, Tucker, Wardlaw, Davies-Uniacke, Lazzaro
Adelaide: Rankine 4, Cook 3, Walker 2, Himmelberg 2, Keays 2, Pedlar, Jones, Dawson, Laird, Sholl, McHenry, Fogarty

BEST
North Melbourne: McKercher, Zurhaar, Sheezel, Davies-Uniacke, Wardlaw
Adelaide: Laird, Rankine, Crouch, Walker, Dawson

INJURIES
North Melbourne: None
Adelaide: Pedlar (shoulder)

SUBSTITUTES
North Melbourne: Zac Fisher (replaced Will Phillips during the third quarter)
Adelaide: Ned McHenry (replaced Luke Pedlar at quarter-time)