Adelaide has suffered a 37-point loss to Sturt at Unley Oval on Saturday afternoon.

The Crows only trailed by three points at the first change, but led by Kory Beard, Tom Bartlett and former Crow Richard Tambling, the Double Blues kicked away in the second quarter and maintained their hold on the game.

Tom Lynch's impressive return from injury was a highlight for Adelaide. Playing his first game of the year, Lynch amassed a match-high 31 possessions and nine marks in a dominant display. Rookie Jake Kelly stood tall in defence, collecting 22 disposals and seven marks, as did Luke Thompson (23 possessions and seven marks). Midfielders Jarryd Lyons (28 disposals and 11 clearances) and Cam Ellis-Yolmen (28 disposals and nine marks) also found plenty of the ball.

Shaun McKernan, who missed last week with concussion, booted three goals and hauled in eight marks. Sturt skipper Michael Coad booted four goals and Ben Hansen chimed in with three major for the victors.

Crows forward Jason Porplyzia was a late withdrawal before the game, failing to overcome a badly corked buttock.

Adelaide looked dangerous early in the first term. McKernan clutched onto two strong marks inside 50m within the first five minutes of the match, converting both opportunities to give the Crows the early advantage.

Sturt forward Matthew Duldig burnt several early chances for the Double Blues, but the home side soon settled into the contest. Late first-quarter goals to Krause and Hansen saw Sturt snatch the lead at the first break, and the home side never looked back.

Recruits Zane Kirkwood and Kory Beard came to the fore in the second term as the Double Blues peppered the scoreboard. Coad booted three goals in the second quarter to lead Sturt to a 30-point lead at the half, despite a string of misses from Kirkwood, Hansen, Duldig and Kurtze midway through the term.

The Crows were also wasteful in front of goal and could not respond to the Double Blue blitzkrieg. Opportunities to rookie Charlie Cameron and development player Tyson Davis-Neale went begging as the game gradually slipped away from the visitors.

Sturt continued its momentum in the second half as Coad added his fourth goal to stretch the margin to 38 points in the opening minutes. The Double Blues ran in waves with Tambling, Hansen and Duldig all adding to the Crows’ headaches as the game wore on.

Lynch, Lyons and Ellis-Yolmen battled tirelessly in close for the Crows, but Sturt had too many winners across the ground as Greenslade, Gore and Calabrese all benefitted from the work of Sturt ruckman Angus Kurtze.

Adelaide managed to reel the margin back slightly after it blew out to 53 points early in the final quarter. However the spark was extinguished from the contest.

Crows State League coach Heath Younie said there were still positives to take from the match despite the disappointing result.

“It was great to see Tom Lynch get through the match unscathed, and he performed really well considering the amount of footy he has missed,” Younie said.

“Jarryd Lyons was another who fought hard for us, and Jake Kelly again was terrific. Luke Thompson’s experience down back was also invaluable for us amongst those dangerous forwards.

“Full credit to Sturt, they were too good for us today.”

The SANFL Crows now slip to 0-2 after two rounds and will line up against Central District next Saturday afternoon at Elizabeth.

“We’ve got to regroup pretty quick because it doesn’t get any easier next week against Central,” Younie said.

“We all know they are a quality side and we need to be at our best to be in the mix.”

ADELAIDE 2.1 3.4 6.5 9.6 (60)

STURT 2.4 7.10 12.14 13.19 (97)

GOALS

Adelaide: McKernan 3, Cameron 2, Johnston, Lynch, Atkins, Lyons

Sturt: Coad 4, Hansen 3, Duldig 2, Krause 2, Kurtze, Tambling

BEST

Adelaide: Kelly, Lynch, Ellis-Yolmen, Lyons, L Thompson

Sturt: Beard, Bartlett, Tambling, Kurtze, Kirkwood, Coad, Hansen

INJURIES

Adelaide: Osborn (back)

Sturt: Nil