Carlton finished ahead in clearances (42-37) and inside-50s (53-51), but were never as damaging or clean as Adelaide in either of those areas.

“Going inside 50 we were completely inefficient and every time they [the Crows] went in, it felt they were going to score,” Voss said.

“We just couldn’t turn the tap off when it came to them scoring inside 50.

“We tip our hat to our opposition, they were too good. We needed to turn up better than that.”

Loading

The Blues were dealt a body blow 10 minutes before the bounce when key defender Mitch McGovern withdrew with calf tightness.

They then lost ruckman Marc Pittonet to a gashed eye before quarter-time before rebounding defender Adam Saad, who endured a rare downer, sat out the closing stages with hamstring tightness.

The only positives for Carlton were superstar Sam Walsh’s return from back surgery (team-high 25 disposals) and human glove Nic Newman adding Izak Rankine to his swelling list of victims, which already includes Toby Greene.

“He [Walsh] has been a complete professional over a period of time and can go do that when he hasn’t played a game of footy at all,” Voss said.

Loading

“I thought Newy’s role on Rankine was exceptional. We just didn’t win enough of those battles.”

Adelaide skipper Jordan Dawson and engine room heartbeat Rory Laird combined for 69 disposals, 16 clearances and 15 tackles, while taking turns in torching Carlton skipper Patrick Cripps, who admitted “they [the Crows] punched us in the nose and got the head start”.

Adelaide handled the occasion and their opposition with eye-catching aplomb. The only member of the home team to become remotely rattled was coach Matthew Nicks, who became starstruck with inaugural Australian Idol winner and Crows ambassador Guy Sebastian in the rooms pre-game.

“We had Guy Sebastian in the rooms - even I lost my composure for five or 10 minutes,” Nicks laughed. “There were photos and autographs ... I do love him.

“You just don’t know what sort of energy you can burn in a lead into a game like this. But our players remained focused. They balanced their intensity with their composure.

“Thursday night footy, with every single football person in the state, there was a fair bit going on and our group handled it so maturely.”

‘Feels the right spot’: Gather Round success has AFL rethinking move

Damien Ractliffe

The AFL will reconsider plans to move Gather Round around the country, given the early success of the inaugural edition in Adelaide.

Outgoing chief executive Gillon McLachlan said the AFL initially thought Gather Round would change states annually, but following Thursday night’s opening match between the Crows and the Blues, McLachlan said South Australia was making a strong case to retain the carnival.

Asked whether Gather Round deserved to stay in South Australia, McLachlan told 3AW on Friday: “That’s the discussion. It’s the right question.

“I think we anticipated moving it next year if it worked, but Adelaide just feels the right spot.

“We knew about the city and Adelaide Oval and the accessibility, but the fact it’s in the middle of Australia - people can drive from Melbourne, you can get here from Perth, that’s an asset as well. There’s a pretty strong case to support it’s got its roots down here and needs to be here for a while.”

Loading

More than 60,000 interstate travellers have descended on Adelaide for the carnival, which features five matches at Adelaide Oval, two at Norwood Oval and two in the Adelaide Hills, across four days.

McLachlan said there was a terrific vibe around Adelaide Oval last night for the Crows’ match.

“There’s a real charm and intimacy [around Adelaide Oval],” he said.

“There’s just a lot of football people in this town, all 18 teams, and Adelaide has that scale where people can get around, you can wander around. That’s why I think it’s a great location for this concept. There are tens of thousands of people here wandering around, having a great time, enjoying their connection with the footy and the holidays and with their family and their mates. It’s got a great feel.”

Loading

Asked whether Gather Round has exceeded expectations already, McLachlan said: “I’m not sure we anticipated this.

“Every game is sold out. Over 60,000 people have come over from outside South Australia, and people are just happy and having a nice time and enjoying the concept.”

Meanwhile, McLachlan couldn’t say when he would finish up as chief executive, only to describe the end of his AFL tenure as close.

“I can see the finishing line, we’re in the last furlong,” he said. “The Tassie team is the last thing on the agenda. Footy’s pumping and going well, and I think that process is playing out in parallel pretty well.”

McLachlan said he wouldn’t comment on potential candidates for his replacement, following news Western Bulldogs president Kylie Watson-Wheeler had emerged as a surprise late contender.

Smith out for the Bulldogs’ extended road trip

AAP

The Western Bulldogs will travel directly from facing Port Adelaide in Adelaide to Perth for their following clash against Fremantle, but injured midfielder Bailey Smith will be left at home and miss both games.

Coach Luke Beveridge revealed the Bulldogs’ plans to hit the road for more than a week on Friday.

A squad of 25, including returning forward Cody Weightman, will travel to Adelaide on Friday, play on Saturday before taking part in community activities on Sunday as part of Gather Round.

The Bulldogs then fly to Perth on Monday and remain in Western Australia until after next Friday’s clash with the Dockers - in a potential blueprint for other teams if Gather Round is repeated in future seasons as expected.

“[Smith’s] got a calf injury and he’ll be out for a couple of weeks. Beyond that, I’m not sure,” Beveridge said. “Bit ginger after training so he had a scan. Little bit up. So no risk.

“We’ve got a squad of 25 on the road, Fremantle in Perth the following Friday, we’re going to stay away. So it’s a quirk of the schedule.

Loading

“We’ve asked everyone to come away for a week and it’s too much risk with Bailey. So he’ll stay back, miss a couple and we’ll work it out from there.”

Beveridge said between the six-day turnaround, time differences and the Sunday community requirements, returning to Melbourne wasn’t worth it.

“We’d really only have a chance to breathe for about a day and a bit before we flew back out to Perth,” he said. “So we just figured we might as well stay away. So we’ve got a great challenge on our hands next couple of weeks.“

The Bulldogs’ road trip has shades of their charge to the 2021 grand final, when they beat Port Adelaide in a preliminary final at Adelaide Oval before losing to Melbourne in Perth.

“Without going over the top in a theming or a quirky sense, we’ll all be there together supporting each other,” Beveridge said.

“We recognise probably our frailty over the first couple of rounds and make sure that we’re siliconing up the gaps a little bit.

“We leaked a bit too much in the second quarter last week and that’s on field - but you only get it right on-field if the cohesion and the connection and spirituality off-field is in the right place.”

Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter.