IT ALL comes down to this.

Adelaide will run out onto Adelaide Oval on Saturday for its fourth Grand Final, the most of any team in competition history.

Melbourne is on quite the opposite end of the spectrum, securing its first ever Grand Final berth after coming so close year after year.   

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Last time they met 

In round four this season Melbourne travelled to Norwood Oval for a battle between two undefeated teams. On the narrow wings of Norwood the Demons succumbed to Adelaide's wall-to-wall pressure for the first three quarters and were held goalless until three-quarter-time. The final quarter did end up breaking open and both Daisy Pearce and Tayla Harris were able to hit the scoreboard, eventually only losing by 14 points. 

Anne Hatchard and Ebony Marinoff combined for 55 disposals and 803 metres gained, wreaking havoc on Melbourne's midfield group, while Karen Paxman had just 13 touches, the second-lowest count in her 50-game career. 

Game plans 

Interestingly, while this season Adelaide has been willing to concede centre clearances, in its preliminary final against Fremantle the side got on top at centre stoppages, winning the count 6-5. What wasn't new, however, was how expertly the Crows' defenders set up behind the ball, intercepting at will. 

In Melbourne's preliminary final against Brisbane, the side looked most dangerous when emptying out its forward line and backing in the speed of players like Alyssa Bannan and Eliza McNamara running toward goal after getting the ball over the back. 

Head to head 

As two inaugural sides, Adelaide and Melbourne have played off six times in competition history with both coming away with the points three times. Adelaide has the edge in terms of score, averaging 34.5 points against the Demons, while the latter averages 29.5 points against the Crows. 

The two have played off in just one final, last year's preliminary final which ultimately Adelaide won despite having fewer scoring shots than the Demons. 

Players to watch 

Eloise Jones 

Returning from suspension Jones will be looking to have a big impact in the Grand Final. Her work out on the wing this season has seen her included in the All Australian squad while averaging 14.8 disposals at 76.7 per cent efficiency and 3.1 score involvements. Jones gives the Crows plenty of strength at the contest, and outside run to boot. 

Alyssa Bannan 

All season discussions around Melbourne's forward line have largely focused on the valuable Daisy Pearce/Tayla Harris combination, but in the past few games it has in fact been second-year player Alyssa Bannan who has been the most dangerous forward in the red and blue. Her footy smarts, composure and pure speed in attack has allowed Melbourne reprieve when trapped in defence, which will be vital when up against the Crows' territory-controlled game style. 

Dream matchups 

Ebony Marinoff v Tyla Hanks 

Let's face it, the best midfielder for each side going up against one another is a dream scenario. Marinoff has somehow managed to go to yet another level this season, averaging 24.6 disposals, 7.3 tackles and 4.6 inside 50s, and her ability to turn her ball winning into attack has been a real feather in Adelaide's cap. Meanwhile Hanks has been a little quieter in her impact but has been an important contributor around the contest each week for the Demons. If Hanks can help to quell Marinoff's impact like she has done against strong midfielders throughout the season, that will help her Demons immensely. 

Rachelle Martin v Shelley Heath 

Both are small, unassuming but absolutely relentless players and if they go head-to-head, would produce some hard nosed footy. Martin brings the pressure, averaging 5.4 tackles per game this season, 1.2 of which are inside 50 for the Crows, while also averaging 2.2 score involvements and kicking three of her own goals. Martin's efforts are very important to Adelaide's scoring efforts. For Melbourne, Heath's competitive nature and unwillingness to be beaten has seen her generate quite the highlight reel this season, full of run down tackles and ground level intercepts. Heath averages 4.5 tackles, 4.7 intercepts and 1.8 one percenters this season. 

Finals record 

Adelaide 

The most prolific finals team the AFLW has seen, Adelaide has reached five finals series in six seasons, bagging two premierships from three Grand Finals in the process. On its active list eight players were involved in both flags, while another five earned a medallion in 2019. The Crows have lost just one final in their history - last year's Grand Final - and average 44 points in finals. 

Melbourne 

In comparison to Adelaide, Melbourne has been the almost team when it comes to finals. Reaching its first Grand Final after coming agonisingly close in almost every season of AFLW - missing on percentage, on the unfortunate end of the short lived conference structure, bailing out in a prelim last season - the side has in fact won the second-most games in competition history, just one behind the Crows. The Demons average 29.3 points in finals and have lost just one - last year's prelim against Adelaide. 

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JUST in case there was any lingering doubt, Adelaide has firmly cemented its claim as the first dynasty of the NAB AFLW competition, defeating Melbourne by 13 points to win its third premiership.

As they say in the classics, the 4.5 (29) to 2.4 (16) result at Adelaide Oval was a game of high intensity halves.

Adelaide reigned supreme in the first, but didn't fully capitalise on the scoreboard, while Melbourne's pressure and hard work got them back into the contest in the second.

The Dees had closed the gap to seven points in the final term, but Adelaide found a rare bit of space on the open side of the ground, coolly and calmly finding targets before Danielle Ponter's second – accelerating away from her defender – sealed the deal.

CROWS v DEMONS Full match coverage and stats

The inclusion of Jasmyn Hewett as ruck cover for the suspended Montana McKinnon paid immediate dividends, taking a mark on the goal-line and converting a set shot for the opening goal, 10 minutes into the game.

Adelaide was playing with the maturity and discipline that comes with being in your fourth Grand Final. That's not to say Melbourne was panicking – not by any stretch – but the Crows were well structured both in defence and around the stoppages.

On many occasions, the Dees looked in-board for their well-used 45-degree kick, but the Crows were wise to the maneuverer, pushing a midfielder into the hole.

THE MOMENT Under pressure, Ponter seals the game for the Crows

Erin Phillips brought up her 50th career goal in style, snapping truly after two behinds from teammates at the start of the second quarter.

Melbourne broke through in a meaningful way in the dying minutes of the second quarter, when last week's hero Alyssa Bannan intercepted a kick across goal, hitting the contest with speed and kicking truly, and taking the margin to just 10 at the main break.

In fact, it looked like Melbourne's best way to score was with speed – pushing Tayla Harris high up the ground and letting the smalls feast out the back, as Kate Hore did.

Melbourne owned the remainder of the quarter, but as hard as they pushed, Adelaide's formidable backline clung on for dear life, and it was nine points the difference at three-quarter time.

WASH UP GF done and dusted, but what's next for Daisy and Erin?

Anne Hatchard's work-rate and clearance dominance was key to the win, while Sinead Goldrick and Gabby Colvin were highly impressive in defence for Melbourne.

Important Demons playmaker Maddi Gay sat out most of the second quarter with a right knee injury but returned, while both Teah Charlton and Najwa Allen's days ended after a head collision in the third. Casey Sherriff suffered a suspected broken left arm in the final term.

Heartbreak for Daisy's Dees
If indeed Daisy Pearce hangs up the boots at the end of this season, she can do so in style. The skipper was swung to defence in the second half and was a key conduit in turning up the pressure gauge, and even finished the match on the wing. Harris' record of three Grand Finals for three different sides (coincidentally all against Adelaide) has resulted in three losses.

Undermanned Crows hold up
On a very hot day in Adelaide, the Crows' tenacity in holding up under Melbourne's incredible pressure was the key to the win. What was even more impressive was the fact the Crows held on with just three on the bench from halfway in the third quarter onwards.

Three-time champions
Seven Crows have reached rarefied air after Saturday's result, having played in each of the 2017, 2019 and 2022 premierships. Anne Hatchard, Ebony Marinoff, Justine Mules, Erin Phillips, Chelsea Randall, Sarah Allan and Stevie-Lee Thompson have set a record that will be very difficult to beat.

ADELAIDE        1.1     2.5     3.5     4.5     (29)
MELBOURNE    0.0     1.1     2.2     2.4     (16)

GOALS
Adelaide: Ponter 2, Hewett, Phillips
Melbourne: Bannan, Hore 

BEST
Adelaide: Hatchard, Marinoff, Ponter, Martin, Allan
Melbourne: Paxman, Goldrick, Colvin, Hanks, Mithen

INJURIES
Adelaide: Charlton (head knock), N. Allen (head knock)
Melbourne: Gay (right knee), Sherriff (fractured left wrist)

Reports: Nil

Crowd: 16,712 at Adelaide Oval

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