Midfielder Anne Hatchard says Crows composure was the difference between a win and a loss for the side

Composed Crows kick exactly the same amount of scoring shots as last week, but instead of a one-point loss, they notch up their first win of AFLW03

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IT was the tale of two weekends: two games, same number of scoring shots, vastly different outcomes.

On Sunday the Adelaide Crows put behind them their opening round, one-point loss to the Western Bulldogs in which they kicked 1.11, to sink Carlton 9.3 57 to 7.2 44 at Ikon Park.

Crows midfielder Anne Hatchard says it was the side’s on-field composure that made all the difference.

“With our forward entries, we definitely got it into better spots for them, and they finished off well for us,” she said.

“(At training we talked about having) to back ourselves and get it into the right spots in the forward 50s and compose ourselves.”

After being 17 points down midway through the third term, Hatchard again said it was composure that proved vital as Adelaide then went on to kick six goals and steal the game from Carlton who had looked a sure thing to upset the 2017 premiers.

Carlton’s Rhiannon Watt marks in front of Adelaide’s Anne Hatchard during the Round 2 AFLW match at Ikon Park. Picture: Hamish Blair/AAP

“We stayed composed, got the ball forward, kicked the goals and it just went from there,” she said.

Hatchard was one of the standouts for the side, with her 22 disposals and seven tackles, giving the 20-year-old her career-best ranking points and she put her form down to the work she’s put into her fitness in the pre-season, which had given her a new-found sense of confidence.

But it was defender-cum-forward Stevie-Lee Thompson who led the Crows to victory with her four goals and 17 disposals.

Erin Phillips also starred in the game with 21 disposals, and Hatchard — new to Adelaide’s midfield this season — said the Crows co-captain was a wealth of experience for the younger players.

“Being able to play with her in the mids, I get a lot of guidance from her and the other girls, which is awesome, I’m learning a lot from her,” she said.

“I wasn’t really minding where I was going to play, but being thrown in the midfield has been really exciting for me.”

The Crows players celebrate their first win of the new AFLW season in the changerooms after beating Carlton by 13 points at Ikon Park on February 10, 2019. Picture: Adam Trafford/Getty

Hatchard also said forward Sarah Perkins was a welcome return to the side after missing Round One with a back injury.

“In our first game, I thought we played really well, but we just didn’t get it over the line, just couldn’t kick those goals and it was just really good this week to finally get the win,” she said.

The win puts the Crows in fourth place in the stacked Conference A as they prepare to take on Geelong at Norwood Oval on Sunday.

Hatchard said the Crows were hopeful that co-captain Chelsea Randall would be back if she could get through training this week after being a late withdrawal after she twinged a hamstring at training.