Adelaide has celebrated Anne Hatchard’s 100th AFLW game with a tense 12-point win against Fremantle that locked up the last finals berth up for grabs and secured a priceless home final for the Crows.

Results in the lead up to the final game of the home-and-away season meant Sunday’s game at a wet Norwood Oval was a ‘win and you’re in’ scenario for both teams.
 
The Crows led by five points at three-quarter time in a match that was played with finals-like intensity throughout, and fittingly, it was Hatchard who sealed the victory with a strong mark and goal in the final term setting up the 4.5 (29) to 2.5 (17) win.

 
St Kilda’s shock loss to the Western Bulldogs on Sunday saw them relinquish sixth spot, with the Crows’ win seeing them leap from eighth to sixth to claim a precious home elimination final against the Saints.
 
Ebony Marinoff was outstanding on the ball with a game-high 26 possessions and Sarah Allan was brilliant in defence to help the Crows extend their all-time win-loss record against Fremantle to 8-1.
 
Adelaide drew first blood through Caitlin Gould, but its early lead was brief as Fremantle got right on top.
 
The visitors put enormous pressure on the Crows’ back six with repeated entries, but could only muster one goal to Hayley Miller to edge to a one-point lead at the first break despite leading a lopsided inside 50 count 17-3.

With leading possession winners Marinoff and Sarah Goodwin leading the way, the resurgent Crows flipped the script in the second.
 
The home side had 17 inside 50s for the term, while restricting Fremantle to just two entries, with Lisa Webb’s side failing to register a score.
 
Despite that dominance, Adelaide could only manage one goal, to the quick-thinking Grace Kelly.
 
Kelly became the game’s first multiple goalkicker in the third quarter to help her side to a five-point lead and set up an incredibly tense final term finish.
 
Gritty Grace Kelly goals
Grace Kelly showed impressive grit and determination to boot the only goal of the second quarter. With her side down on the scoreboard, Kelly willed herself to a contest deep inside attacking 50, gathered a hot ball, shook off a tackle and sent the ball goalward off her non-preferred left. The wobbler didn’t look pretty off the boot, but it was wildly applauded as a thing of beauty by the home fans as it took a late swing through for a goal.
 
Ebony’s hard-hitting 1,000
Ebony Marinoff led all players with 15 possessions in the first half, with her four tackles took her to 999 career tackles. She became the first AFLW player to pass the 1,000-tackle mark early in the third quarter and finished with a game-high 15 to take her career tally to 1,010.

ADELAIDE 1.1 2.2 3.4 4.5 (29)
FREMANTLE 1.2 1.2 2.5  2.5 (17)
 
GOALS
Adelaide: G Kelly 2, Gould, Hatchard
Fremantle: Miller, McCarthy
 
BEST
Adelaide: Marinoff, S Allan, Goodwin, Biddell, G Kelly, Hatchard
Fremantle: M Strom, McCarthy, Newton, O’Driscoll, Low, Miller
 
INJURIES
Adelaide: Nil
Fremantle: Nil
 
Reports: Nil
 
Crowd: TBC at Norwood Oval