ATTEMPTING to break a 13-year hoodoo at Simonds Stadium, Adelaide will ''attack smarter rather than playing bull-at-a-gate footy'' to combat the tight surrounds of Geelong's formidable home ground.
The Cats' defenders have suffocated opposition forward lines on their own turf en route to winning 59 of their past 65 games since 2008 on the narrowest ground in the competition.
Simonds Stadium is 170m long and 115m from wing to wing – some eight metres tighter than the Crows' home ground at the Adelaide Oval (167m x 123m).
Crows midfielder Jarryd Lyons told AFL.com.au the unique dimensions of Simonds Stadium would require a change in how his second-placed side approached Saturday night's blockbuster.
"I know the pockets are really tight. That makes it easy for Geelong's defence to set up and squeeze the ground and make it hard for opposition teams to score,'' Lyons said.
''We've spoken about that this week and we'll have to attack smarter rather than just playing bull-at-a-gate footy.
''We'll work on a strategy on how to get through them.
''That's the key difference, how skinny those forward flanks are.
''(Forwards coach David Teague) will definitely be speaking to the forwards about engaging the Geelong defence, they're very experienced back there and play the ground very well.''
The Crows could do worse than call the Sydney Swans this week and ask for tips on how to break down the Cats on their home deck.
The Swans were able to find enough holes in Geelong's normally water-tight defence and come out on top in the most recent game at Simonds Stadium.
The Crows have shown this season they can adapt to any ground having won eight in a row, with two of those victories against Melbourne and Carlton on the wide expanses of the MCG, which measures 173.6m x 148.4m.
''We touch off on terms of the shape of the ground,'' Lyons said.
''The MCG is one of the widest grounds.
''Getting stuck in the corridor, using the wings, we do speak about that.
''You take it week by week on the different grounds we play at, but once you're out there in the heat of the moment, the size of the ground doesn't exactly matter when you've got the footy.''
Lyons, who turned 24 on Friday, was left out of the Crows side that lost to Geelong in round eight at the Adelaide Oval – their most recent defeat.
"We sat down after that Geelong game and we were pretty disappointed in how we played that week,'' Lyons said.
''It certainly wasn't our best footy.
''We had a really good chat as a group and as a midfield and realised the standard we needed to set.
''Ever since then, we've strung it together and we're playing really solid team footy.
''Not everyone's standing out each week, everyone's just playing their role and it's just an easy side to be a part of.''
The Crows have won 11 of the 12 games Lyons has played this season, the only loss coming to Hawthorn by three points in round five.
Lyons has been the major beneficiary of getting rid of the subs rule this year.
He's gone from averaging 11.5 disposals and 1.9 tackles per game in 2015 to 20.6 possessions and 4.4 tackles this year.
"It's been a massive change in my career; it's just helped with continuity with the footy,'' Lyons said.
"Playing four quarters each week and not having top-up running at training, that's definitely helped.
"Getting the experience of the AFL level has made me feel more comfortable.''
