The Brisbane Lions have ended Adelaide's undefeated start to the AFLW season with a thrilling three-point victory at home in Springfield.

In scorching conditions, the Lions turned up the heat with a commanding second quarter while absorbing bouts of inaccuracy to prevail 5.12 (42) to 6.3 (39) and entrench themselves in the top four.

Ally Anderson and Sophie Conway paced Brisbane's charge and Taylor Smith's two second-quarter goals set the Lions alight.

Ebony Marinoff (34 disposals, 10 tackles) and Danielle Ponter (three goals) were outstanding for the Crows, who endured a scare when star midfielder Anne Hatchard spent virtually a quarter off the field following a collision with Brisbane defender Natalie Grider, before returning when she received the all-clear from her concussion assessment.

Brisbane's Indigenous centre half-forward Dakota Davidson got the Lions on the board early in the Indigenous Round blockbuster, but the rest of the first quarter was played on the Crows' terms.

Ponter, Adelaide's Indigenous livewire, booted two for the term to put the visitors in front by four points at quarter-time.

Brisbane had the stiff north-easterly behind their back in the second stanza and turned the tables emphatically.

Anderson, who started slowly, exerted a major influence, as did Conway and Smith, the Lions swamping Adelaide 11-0 in clearances, 14-5 in inside-50s and 18-8 in tackles for the term.

But for a wayward 3.6 return, Brisbane's buffer would have been greater than 14 at half-time.

It was the Crows' turn to kick to the southern end after the break and, while their plans were thwarted by Hatchard's injury, they made a decent fist of it.

Captain Chelsea Randall — who flew into Queensland at 6am with her partner, ex-Crow Marijana Rajcic, due to give birth any moment — was swung into attack.

Ponter's third major had Adelaide back on track and the Crows recaptured the lead when Eloise Jones goaled on the back of a collision between Lions defenders Grider and Dee Heslop.

Brisbane were back in front when Bella Dawes converted early in the fourth, following an uncharacteristically undisciplined 50m penalty against Randall, and they had enough in the tank to keep Adelaide at arm's length.

Swans soar with big win over Bulldogs

A Chloe Molloy masterclass has propelled Sydney to a record-breaking 57-point AFLW thumping of the winless Western Bulldogs.

The Swans, who went winless in their debut AFLW season last year, brought up their biggest score and greatest winning margin in their short history with an exciting display at Whitten Oval on Saturday.

After a five-goal second term, which included a four-minute burst of three majors, Sydney had already brought up their largest score in an AFLW game by half-time.

The Bulldogs held their own in the last quarter but the damage had already been done as the Swans ran out 14.12 (96) to 6.3 (39) winners.

The total was also the biggest the Dogs have conceded in their history, topping the 83 Melbourne kicked against them in round three.

The Swans stormed out of the blocks with the opening two goals just five minutes into the contest.

They went to another level in the second quarter, putting the result beyond doubt by the main break to lead by a whopping 42 points to shock the Bulldogs and their strong home crowd.

Molloy, the Swans' star off-season recruit, turned on one of the best performances of her career to demolish their injury-hit hosts.

The former Collingwood ace was a class above as she kicked 3.4 from her 28 possessions and played a crucial role in setting up numerous other Sydney goals.

Ruby Sargent-Wilson, Sofia Hurley and Cynthia Hamilton all kicked two goals each in the Swans' rout.