Adelaide have clinched the AFLW minor premiership after overcoming West Coast by 26 points in oppressive heat before watching Melbourne fall at the last hurdle.
With the mercury hovering above 35 degrees in Perth at bounce down on Saturday, Adelaide unleashed a five-goal blitz late in the second quarter to set up the 11.5 (71) to 6.9 (45) win.
That catapulted Adelaide to the top of the ladder with a 9-1 record, but they would have dropped to second if defending premiers Melbourne had beaten Brisbane on Saturday night.
But the Lions' 25-point win gifted Adelaide the minor premiership, with Melbourne (8-2) forced to settle for second.
The Crows will now host the fourth-placed Lions in a qualifying final next week.
"We're really rapt with the season as a whole," Adelaide coach Matthew Clarke said.
"To go 9-1 is as much as we could have hoped for.
"We're now set up to have the double chance to play in front of our home fans next week."
Clarke said playing in the intense Perth heat would boost his side's chances of premiership success..
"The hot conditions are a bonus," Clarke said.
"It's probably going to be hot during the finals series. So to play in those conditions was a positive for us."
Adelaide midfielder Ebony Marinoff was superb with 23 disposals, seven clearances, eight tackles and a goal, while Madison Newman finished with two goals from her 19 possessions.
Crows big Montana McKinnon was a force in the ruck with 35 hitouts to go with her 15 disposals.
West Coast captain Emma Swanson battled hard all day on the way to 28 disposals, while rising star Ella Roberts (27 disposals, seven tackles) continued her outstanding season.
Eagles forward Kellie Gibson kicked 2.3 to mark her 50-game milestone.
Adelaide entered their final match of the home-and-away season knowing even with a loss they would finish no worse than second.
Anne Hatchard, Chelsea Randall, Kiera Mueller, Stevie-Lee Thompson and Jessica Waterhouse were all rested, while Zoe Prowse missed with illness.
The Eagles edged out to a one-point lead with eight minutes remaining in the second quarter when Gibson snapped a goal.
But Adelaide flicked the switch with five goals in the space of six minutes of actual game time to open up a match-winning 29-point lead.
Danielle Ponter provided the best highlight of that flurry of goals when she burst out of the middle with two bounces, combined with a teammate for a one-two and then kicked truly on the run.
Newman also had something to crow about when her snap on goal bounced at right angles to evade an Eagles defender and go through for a remarkable goal.
How did that go in 🤯
— AFL Women's (@aflwomens) November 4, 2023
Newman's shot is a genuine leg-spinner.#AFLWPride | #AFLWEaglesCrows pic.twitter.com/kR7flU9o8g
West Coast controlled the game for long periods in the second half, but the closest they got was 13 points before the Crows kicked two late goals to seal the win.
The Eagles finished their season with a 2-8 record and are on the lookout for a new coach after Michael Prior stepped down two weeks ago.
