ADELAIDE has firmed up a top-four spot with a comfortable 43-point win over Collingwood in a match that was in some danger of being halted before it even began.

A late Brit Bonnici goal saw the Pies dodge their lowest score of the season, the 8.8 (56) to 2.1 (13) result occurring after a leaking water pipe damaged the turf at Victoria Park and caused havoc pre-game.

MAGPIES v CROWS Full match coverage and stats

But the game began as scheduled and Collingwood defended grimly in the first half, with Adelaide only catching the Pies out the back on a handful of occasions.

Pressure was high from both teams, with the Pies struggling to work their way through the Crows' web - particularly through the midfield - and their entries inside 50 were often messy as a result.

Adelaide began to hit its stride in the third term as the game opened up, with the ball living inside its forward half (12-2 inside 50s for the term) as the Pies' defence started to crack.

Taylah Levy – who had only kicked one goal in her 10 games prior to Sunday – recorded two in the space of four minutes as the Crows began to flick the footy across lanes, opening up Collingwood's structure.

The former basketballer finished with three for the game, with the Crows piling on four goals in the final term to stretch the margin to beyond seven goals and give the Crows a 2.3 per cent advantage over second-placed Hawthorn, which could prove decisive in the run to the finals.

Collingwood's midfield was outclassed without Bri Davey (leg) as Adelaide's combination of Ebony Marinoff (36 disposals, eight clearances), Anne Hatchard and Maddy Newman proved far too strong despite rucks Jess Allan and Sabrina Frederick nullifying each other.

It took until the final term for Collingwood to score its first goal - they managed just a point in the first three quarters - with the Pies catching Adelaide's defence too far up the ground to allow Lauren Butler to put the foot down, coast into a vacant 50 and convert.

The Pies tried a few different things; with top-up player Jordi Ivey in defence due to a lack of player availability, first-year Irishwoman Muireann Atkinson was shifted forward, but didn't see much of the footy.

With a huge game against North Melbourne looming next week, inspirational Adelaide leader Chelsea Randall passed a concussion test after a heavy marking collision with Eliza James in the first quarter, but the Magpie was ruled out for the game.

The race for the top four
The win means Adelaide has jumped into third spot after Brisbane's surprise loss to Geelong, with the Crows ahead of the Lions on percentage. Richmond's defeat at the hands of Melbourne means there is now a four-point buffer between fourth and fifth with two rounds remaining.

Water damage
The start of the game was very nearly delayed by a leaking water pipe beneath the Victoria Park surface, which flooded an area of turf. The area was dug out, drained and filled in sand and sawdust in the half-hour leading into the start of the game – with players warming up around it – and the patch was ticked off by the AFL match manager. A groundskeeper checked the area at every break, topping up the sand mixture if needed.

Up next
It's a game many have had circled all season – Adelaide taking on fellow powerhouse North Melbourne at Norwood Oval on Friday night. Collingwood has a good chance to score a rare win, hosting Carlton at Victoria Park on Sunday afternoon.

COLLINGWOOD     0.0   0.1   0.1   2.1     (13)
ADELAIDE             2.1   2.4   4.7   8.8     (56)

GOALS
Collingwood: Butler, Bonnici
Adelaide: Levy 3, Gould 3, Hatchard, Randall

BEST
Collingwood: Schleicher, Rowe, Cronin, Frederick
Adelaide: Marinoff, Hatchard, Gould, J. Allan, Newman, Levy

INJURIES
Collingwood: James (concussion)
Adelaide: Nil

Crowd: 1,775 at Victoria Park