The Crows registered 92 tackles in the 21-point win, just four off their record of 96 set against the Western Bulldogs in round four last year.

 

Sanderson rated it the club's best game defensively since he was appointed coach ahead of the 2012 season.

 

"That's the best I've seen us defend and tackle," Sanderson said.

 

"I think we had 55 (tackles) at half-time, I wrote that number up on the whiteboard in the change rooms.

 

"Sometimes we have 55 in a game, so 55 in a half that was a new level of intensity.

 

"Hopefully we can back that up; what's important for our footy team now is that that's not a one off."

 

The Crows' defensive effort was spectacularly led by first gamer Charlie Cameron.

 

The 19-year-old was only upgraded to the senior list this week, but looked at home in the high-intensity environment of elite football.

 

Cameron laid five tackles, kicked a goal and set up another with a brilliant piece of evasive footwork late in the third term that had the crowd 50,000-strong crowd mesmerised.

 

Sanderson said little was expected of the teenager in the lead up to the game, but that he would now need to continue that standard against Carlton next weekend.

 

"I think the Collingwood defenders felt nervous when Charlie was in the area, we weren't expecting a huge game from him but he just played his role," he said.

 

"He's living with Eddie Betts, Eddie took him in to his place and [he] was even happier after the game than Charlie I think with how Charlie played.

 

"I'll speak to him this week, what we expect now is that he backs it up next week – that's the reality of this industry and it can be ruthless.

 

"He had a fantastic debut, Collingwood on a Thursday night in a sold out stadium and a national TV audience, you've got a few days to recover and then it's back into it getting ready for Carlton."

 

Superstar forward Taylor Walker wasn't able to achieve a fairytale return to the AFL, booting 0.4, but he performed well enough for Sanderson to declare his first game back a success.

 

Walker had kicked seven goals in two SANFL games after undergoing a knee reconstruction last year, but Sanderson said he was just pleased the 24-year-old finished the game injury free.

 

"It looked like he just needed the AFL touch, the AFL speed, he still looked great," he said.

 

"He moved well, he got into some great positions, a couple of times a few slipped through his hands and he missed a few kicks but four shots for goal, four points, he'll be better for the run.

 

"Happy for him to get through the night unscathed."

 

Twitter: @AFL_Harry