Rachelle Martin celebrates a goal with Eloise Jones during the match between Adelaide and the Western Bulldogs at Norwood Oval in round seven, 2023. Picture: AFL Photos

ADELAIDE has continued its rampage to the finals with a 42-point demolition of the winless Western Bulldogs at Norwood Oval on Friday night.

But the Crows' 9.5 (59) to 2.5 (17) victory has come at a cost, losing young gun Abbie Ballard to a suspected anterior cruciate ligament injury.

CROWS v BULLDOGS Full match coverage and stats

This is the first time the Bulldogs have started a season 0-7 since the scrapping of the conference system in 2020, while the Crows remain undefeated with just three rounds left.

Ball magnets Anne Hatchard (25 disposals) and Ebony Marinoff (32 disposals) were typically influential, while Caitlin Gould led the way up forward with three majors.

05:53

AFLW Highlights: Adelaide v Western Bulldogs

The Crows and Bulldogs clash in round seven of the 2023 NAB AFLW Season

Alice Edmonds (25 hitouts) starred in the ruck for the forlorn Bulldogs alongside Naomi Ferres (six intercept possessions), while the usually prolific Ellie Blackburn overcame a rare slow start to collect a game-high 13 contested possessions.

With the Bulldogs losing gun forwards Deanna Berry (leg) and Celine Moody (shoulder) to season-ending injuries earlier in the week, the visitors were further hit when young midfielder Keeley Coyne went down with a knee injury five minutes into the opening quarter.

01:08

Dogs scare as young gun hurts knee

The Bulldogs suffer an early concern with youngster Keely Coyne clutching at her knee after this innocuous incident

Less than two minutes later, fellow teammate Kirsten McLeod was taken out of the game with a concussion.

Sarah Hartwig kicked a major to keep the visitors alive but Adelaide picked apart the rattled Bulldogs to gain a four-point lead before quarter-time.

And just when life couldn't get worse, the Bulldogs lost Dominique Carruthers in a courageous marking contest against Eloise Jones in the second term before Niamh Kelly flaunted her speed to produce a goal-of-the-year contender.

01:04

Flying Crow collects Dog in bone-crunching collision

Eloise Jones reels in a massive mark and crashes into a brave Dominque Carruthers in the process

Crows captain Chelsea Randall kicked her second goal of the season to increase the margin to 17 points late in the second term.

The celebrations were cut short when Ballard hit the ground in agony, with the 21-year-old Adelaide forward clutching her knee in tears before leaving the ground after an innocuous accident with Hartwig.

Ballard had been impressive up to that point, keeping Bulldogs skipper Blackburn to just five touches before the incident.

01:14

Crows heartbreak as Ballard breaks down after knee injury

An emotional Abbie Ballard is helped off the ground after clutching at her knee in this horror incident

The game continued to play on the Crows' terms in the second half.

Adelaide has won every third quarter this season by at least 10 points, and they continued that streak by winning the term by 18 points and extended its lead to 34 points by the final change.

Brianna McFarlane cut the Crows' string of six goals in the fourth term but with only 12 minutes left, her effort proved too late.

00:51

Kelly never stops running in mesmerising GOTY contender

Niamh Kelly leaves her opponents for dust as she bursts towards goal with frightening speed to land this Goal of the Year contender

Adelaide (7-0) takes on fourth-placed Brisbane next Saturday, while the Western Bulldogs (0-7) host 12th-placed Sydney on the same day.

ALL THE HIGHLIGHTS

  • 01:08

    Dogs scare as young gun hurts knee

    The Bulldogs suffer an early concern with youngster Keely Coyne clutching at her knee after this innocuous incident

    AFLW
  • 00:42

    Speedy Kelly feeds Gould for gold-class start

    Niamh Kelly shows off her brilliant pace before setting up an in-form Caitlin Gould for a flashy opening major

    AFLW
  • 01:04

    Flying Crow collects Dog in bone-crunching collision

    Eloise Jones reels in a massive mark and crashes into a brave Dominque Carruthers in the process

    AFLW
  • 00:51

    Kelly never stops running in mesmerising GOTY contender

    Niamh Kelly leaves her opponents for dust as she bursts towards goal with frightening speed to land this Goal of the Year contender

    AFLW
  • 01:14

    Crows heartbreak as Ballard breaks down after knee injury

    An emotional Abbie Ballard is helped off the ground after clutching at her knee in this horror incident

    AFLW
  • 00:38

    Martin turns on motor after Jones sets tone with tricks

    Eloise Jones and Rachelle Martin never give up on the play and conjure a dazzling team major

    AFLW
  • 05:53

    AFLW Highlights: Adelaide v Western Bulldogs

    The Crows and Bulldogs clash in round seven of the 2023 NAB AFLW Season

    AFLW
  • 04:59

    AFLW full post-match, R7: Bulldogs

    Watch Western Bulldogs' press conference after round seven's match against Adelaide

    AFLW
  • 10:21

    AFLW Mini-Match: Adelaide v Western Bulldogs

    Extended highlights of the Crows and Bulldogs clash in round seven of the 2023 NAB AFLW Season

    AFLW
  • 04:15

    AFLW full post-match, R7: Crows

    Watch Adelaide's press conference after round seven's match against Western Bulldogs

    AFLW

ADELAIDE                         2.0   4.2   7.2   9.5 (59)
WESTERN BULLDOGS       1.2   1.4   1.4   2.5 (17)

GOALS
Adelaide: Gould 3, Jones, Kelly, Martin, Newman, Ponter, Randall
Western Bulldogs: Hartwig, McFarlane  

BEST
Adelaide: Marinoff, Hatchard, Gould, Jones, Kelly, Randall
Western Bulldogs: Lamb, Blackburn, Ferres, Fitzgerald, Wilcox  

INJURIES
Adelaide: Ballard (knee)
Western Bulldogs: Coyne (knee), McLeod (concussion), Carruthers (concussion)

Crowd: 2,745 at Norwood Oval