Adelaide has showed just why they are rated as having one of the best defences in the league with a scrappy 17-point victory over Melbourne at the MCG on Sunday evening.

The Crows held Melbourne goalless in the opening half – the first time the Demons failed to score a goal in a first half since Round 9 1997 – before going on to record a relatively comfortable 7.9 (51) to 4.10 (34) victory.

Adelaide’s back six controlled proceedings for the entire contest and it wasn’t until Lynden Dunn snapped truly from an acute angle some 16 minutes into the third term that Melbourne registered its first goal.

By that time Adelaide already had five goals on the board and the match was all but over.

Melbourne fought away valiantly after it had broken its scoring drought, but Adelaide did enough to hold on and win its third game of the season.

The Demons persisted with playing plenty of numbers behind the ball for the entire game and the likes of Nathan Bock, Simon Goodwin, Ben Rutten, Andrew McLeod and Graham Johncock were given plenty of latitude in their defensive 50.

When you give players of that ilk time and space to use the ball well you will invariably lose as the Crows were more polished going forward and made far less turnovers than their opposition.

It may not have been the Crows best performance of the season, but just like a champion racehorse struggling for form that was sent back to the country for a confidence boosting win, they did what they needed to do.

For Melbourne there could be no excuses.

Brock McLean, Brent Moloney, Cameron Bruce and Aaron Davey all won plenty of the ball and their team-mates tried hard, but their youthful exuberance failed to pay dividends against the experience and guile of Adelaide’s veterans.

The only time they attacked and looked the better side was midway through the final quarter when the result was beyond doubt.

The margin was only 25 points at the final break, but Kurt Tippett took two strong marks and converted both opportunities in front of goal five minutes into the last term to push that advantage to more than six goals.

With most interest at the ground surrounding the fact whether or not Melbourne could better Carlton’s score of 1.10 (16) against Footscray at Western Oval back in 1992, the Dees booted three consecutive goals to easily dispose of that mark and draw within 16 points.

That 15 minute spell from Melbourne in the final term showed its supporters that there is hope for the future, but that effort won’t turn into four points unless you can do it for an entire match.

MELBOURNE: 0.1, 0.3, 1.6, 4.10 (34)
ADELAIDE: 2.4, 4.6, 5.7, 7.9 (51)

GOALS: Melbourne: Dunn 2, McLean, McDonald
Adelaide: Tippett 2, Walker, Johncock, Porplyzia, Stevens, McLeod
BEST: Melbourne: McLean, Moloney, Davey, Bruce, Jones, Dunn
Adelaide: Goodwin, Bock, Johncock, Thompson, Vince, Tippett
INJURIES: Melbourne: Nil
Adelaide: Nil
REPORTS: Nil
CHANGES: Nil
UMPIRES: Hendrie, Armstrong, Schmitt
CROWD: 14,129 at the MCG