The Crows kicked three of the first four goals of the game to lead by 11 points at quarter time, but in similar fashion to their fourth-quarter capitulation against Collingwood last weekend, conceded eight of the next 10 goals to trail by 34 points at the final change.
Any hope of a late Adelaide comeback was snuffed out in the opening two minutes of the last quarter, with a goal to defender-turned-forward Ash McGrath.
His fourth goal for the afternoon helped the Lions to the 15.11 (101) to 8.13 (61) victory, the club's first win over the Crows at the venue since 2005.
McGrath, who led the Lions' second-half comeback against Gold Coast with six goals in round seven, provided a spark for the visitors in the second term.
The livewire kicked three goals for the quarter, capitalising on several uncharacteristic errors in the Adelaide defence and running hard to get in behind the Crows' zone.
Dominant big men Mitch Clark and Matthew Leuenberger and midfielders James Polkinghorne, Simon Black and Luke Power combined well to give the Lions the advantage around the stoppages.
The Crows won the inside 50m count for the quarter, but the Lions were more efficient going forward and would have been further ahead at half time if not for some errant goalkicking from skipper Jonathan Brown, who finished the afternoon with three behinds.
Adelaide's loss was compounded by a knee injury to forward Taylor Walker.
Walker was substituted from the game at half time after twisting his knee while being tackled late in the second quarter.
The injury rounded out a difficult week for the 21-year-old, who was criticised for having a beer at AAMI Stadium during the curtain-raiser to the game between Port Adelaide and Fremantle last Saturday.
The next four
Sydney Swans (Gabba), Carlton (Etihad Stadium), Richmond (Gabba), Fremantle (Patersons Stadium)
Toyota AFL Dream Team highlight
Mitch Clark posted his highest DT score for the season, with a 24-possession 2-goal performance earning the Lions' utility a mammoth 120 points. Dream Teamers should swoop quickly as his $270,700 price is sure to skyrocket if his form continues.
First quarter
Jonathan Brown made his presence felt early, bursting through a pack in typical fashion before handing off to Mitch Clark for the Lions' opening goal of the match. The 29-year-old took four marks and had six touches, but missed two gettable set-shot opportunities which cost the visitors dearly. Instead, it was Adelaide which took control late in the quarter with Scott Thompson (10 disposals) and Richard Douglas (11 disposals, four clearances) finding plenty of space through the corridor. Taylor Walker also put a horror fortnight behind him, slotting a confidence-boosting goal from 45m out as the Crows took an 11-point buffer into the first break.
Second quarter
The Lions have struggled in second quarters this season, losing six of them so far this year from their eight matches. However, small-forward Ash McGrath took it upon himself to provide the spark for his side, setting up an important goal to Luke Power and adding three of his own for the quarter to give the visitors the ascendancy. The Crows were rattled and could only muster two goals for the term, one from a fortunate free kick to ruckman Sam Jacobs. The Crows were content to continually bomb the ball inside 50 without purpose, leaving Daniel Merrett and Joel Patfull to defend with relative ease.
Third quarter
Adelaide continued to fiddle around with the ball across its defensive half and repeatedly turned the ball over through poor disposal. The Lions successfully forced Adelaide wide along the boundary throughout the quarter while owning the corridor. Todd Banfield and Bryce Retzlaff were the main beneficiaries up forward, booting two goals each for the term. The Crows had no answer to the Lions' onslaught, as the visitors surged away to take a commanding 34-point lead into three-quarter time.
Fourth quarter
Adelaide showed more intent at the start of the final term, but missed several opportunities in front of goal through Ricky Henderson and Richard Douglas. The Lions quickly reasserted their dominance, with goals to Ash McGrath, Banfield and Jesse O'Brien to put the result beyond doubt. The Brisbane Lions were able to manage the tempo of the game in the final stages to record a historic 40-point victory; their first over the Crows at AAMI since round eight of 2005 and just their second win for season 2011.
Adelaide 3.2 5.7 6.7 8.13 (61)
Brisbane Lions 1.3 6.7 11.11 15.11 (101)
GOALS
Adelaide: Dangerfield, Walker, Smith, Jacobs, Wright, van Berlo, Knights, Henderson
Brisbane Lions: McGrath 4, Banfield 3, Clark 2, Retzlaff 2, Power, Collier, O'Brien, Rich
BEST
Adelaide: S.Thompson, Sloane, Knights, Douglas, Jacobs
Brisbane Lions: Clark, Leuenberger, Hanley, McGrath, Merrett, Black, Banfield
INJURIES
Adelaide: Walker (knee), Jacobs (finger)
Brisbane Lions: Nil
SUBSTITUTES
Adelaide: Taylor Walker (knee) replaced by Jared Petrenko in the third quarter
Brisbane Lions: Rohan Bewick replaced by Jesse O'Brien in the fourth quarter
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Donlon, Pannell, McInerney
Official crowd: 34,583 at AAMI Stadium
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL
