BOOM recruit Izak Rankine kicked five goals as Adelaide's high-octane attack hit top gear in a 66-point hammering of North Melbourne.

The Crows, with seven players scoring multiple goals in their 21.12 (138) to 11.6 (72) victory on Saturday at Adelaide Oval, reclaim a spot in the top eight.

Rankine also directly created two other goals while Darcy Fogarty slotted four majors and Coleman Medal leader Taylor Walker kicked three.

Adelaide's Ben Keays (28 disposals, two goals) was outstanding while Luke Pedlar, ruckman Reilly O'Brien and Riley Thilthorpe kicked two goals apiece.

Captain Jordan Dawson (28 touches) continued his fine season, combining with Rory Sloane (30) and Rory Laird (24) to form a dominant midfield while halfbacks Mitch Hinge (26) and Brodie Smith (24) were prominent.

Adelaide will end the round in the top eight and possibly as high as sixth after passing the 100-point mark for the sixth time this season.

The 17th-placed Roos were just seven points down 23 minutes into the second quarter but conceded nine of the next 10 goals.

North's Nick Larkey slotted three goals in a 10-minute purple patch in the second term, Taryn Thomas (two goals, 23 disposals) had patches of influence and Harry Sheezel was the Roos' chief ball-winner with 31 disposals.

CROWS v KANGAROOS Full match coverage and stats

The Crows, with Rankine booting two goals and setting up another, scored 7.2 to 4.1 in an opening quarter punctuated by an injury to key defender Jordon Butts and a flashpoint for the Roos' Callum Coleman-Jones.

Butts left the field, concussed and clutching his left cheekbone, after an accidental clash of heads while Coleman-Jones' late air-borne crash into Nick Murray after the Crow took a mark will attract match review scrutiny.

North, powered by Larkey's burst, scored four goals in 14 minutes to sneak within seven points midway through the second term.

But Adelaide kicked the last three majors to edge 26 points clear at halftime, 12.5 to 8.3.

The Crows accelerated with four goals in less than 12 minutes to open the third stanza to kill off the Kangaroos - they were 53 points up at the last change and added four goals to two in the final quarter.

Crows kids are more than alright
Much has been made of the Crows’ young guns in Rankine, Rachele, Thilthorpe and Fogarty but Luke Pedlar is stringing together a pretty tidy season in his own right. The 21-year-old kicked two goals against the Roos, with his physicality and tenacity making him look like a threat at all times. Pedlar has been putting in similar performances so far this season, missing just one game in 2023 through suspension, and looks to be a key part of a a very good, very young core of Crows players.

Walker rockets to the top of Coleman race
Adelaide veteran Taylor Walker kicked three against the Roos to rise to the top of the Coleman Medal race. Whether he remains there at the end of the round, and indeed the season, is yet to be seen, but it’s undeniable the 33-year-old is putting together an excellent season.

Coleman-Jones late contact sparks remonstration
An entertaining first quarter ended with a fiery incident when Callum Coleman-Jones collected Nick Murray late in a marking contest. Murray, going back with the flight, took the mark but the airborne Coleman-Jones' knee and forearm crashed into his head and neck a half-second later. Crows players, Murray included, were quick to remonstrate, with the fracas picking up again 30 seconds later after the quarter-time siren sounded. 

ADELAIDE                           7.2     12.5    17.8    21.12  (138)
NORTH MELBOURNE           4.1     8.3      9.3     11.6   (72)

GOALS
Adelaide: Rankine 5, Fogarty 4, Walker 3, Keays 2, O’Brien 2, Pedlar 2, Thilthorpe 2, Murphy
North Melbourne: Larkey 3, Stephenson 2, Thomas 2, Simpkin, Davies-Uniacke, Scott, Zurhaar

BEST 
Adelaide: O'Brien, Keays, Dawson, Rankine, Hinge, Sloane
North Melbourne: Sheezel, Larkey, Thomas, Scott, Ziebell

INJURIES 
Adelaide: Butts (concussion)
North Melbourne:  

SUBSTITUTES 
Adelaide: Lachlan Sholl (replaced Jordon Butts in the second quarter)
North Melbourne: Hugh Greenwood (replaced Todd Goldstein in the third quarter)

Crowd: TBC at Adelaide Oval