Adelaide Crows captain Chelsea Randall says Adelaide is again an uncomfortable side to play against

ADELAIDE has found form again, but is treading a fine line with its style of play.

Crows co-captain Chelsea Randall tackles the Western Bulldogs' Emma Kearney. Picture: Bianca De Marchi

THE Crows have finally found the level of aggression that helped them win the inaugural AFLW premiership — but the players have been told they are right on the edge and need to stay inside the legal boundaries.

Three incidents were assessed by the match review panellist Michael Christian after the physical win against the Western Bulldogs on the weekend, leading to a reprimand as well as a one-week suspension to Dayna Cox for two incidents of striking Ellie Blackburn and a reprimand to Jenna McCormick for making forceful contact from front-on against Hannah Scott.

Co-captain Chelsea Randall was chuffed the players had again found the ability to be uncomfortable to play against but said they wanted to stay within the laws and the spirit of the game.

“I think people have been pleasantly surprised about how physical the competition is,” Randall said. “And we certainly aim to be uncomfortable to play against.

“But always legally, Bec (coach Bec Goddard) is always strong on that.

“We were really pleased with our pressure acts on the weekend.

“We felt that we probably didn’t apply enough pressure in the first couple of rounds.

“It’s a balance. You’ve just got to be careful about that (getting suspended) as well.”

Chelsea lauded her co-captain, Erin Phillips, who kicked four out of the Crows’ first six goals in the her first match for the season after missing the first two with a quad strain.

Not only was she the best player on the ground, Phillips also has the ability to make her teammates walk a few inches taller because of her presence.

“Erin is just super human, isn’t she?” Randall said with a smile. “An absolute thrill to watch and to have in the side.

“We’re very fortunate to have her.

“Everybody has to play their role and she gives everyone a bit of a confidence boost coming into the game.”

The win was one of the competition changers over the weekend and fanned hopes of another premiership tilt for Adelaide.

Before Round 3, there were three undefeated sides and the Crows were yet to win. Now there are no undefeated sides and the Crows’ win put them just one win behind the top of the ladder.

“Isn’t it funny how it changes so quickly?” Randall said. “It makes for a really interesting competition over the next couple of weeks.”

The Crows play GWS at 4.05pm on Sunday at Blacktown International Sportspark in Sydney.

Originally published as Adelaide Crows captain Chelsea Randall says Adelaide is again an uncomfortable side to play against