ADELAIDE defender Daniel Talia says he is adding 'tricks' to his game, and is no longer just a lock-down backman.
Talia continued his All Australian form on Sunday night and knows he has to bring it again against Greater Western Sydney and then Hawthorn in the next two rounds.
Talia was brilliant in restricting Port Adelaide spearhead Jay Schulz to just two goals as the Crows upset the Power by 23 points.
The full-back told AFL.com.au he had been in the best form of his short career in 2014.
But with Giants gun Jeremy Cameron and then star Hawk Jarryd Roughead likely next opponents, the 22-year-old said he couldn't rest on his laurels.
"I think I'm starting to develop a few more tricks - obviously I'm getting a bit more of the ball this year and maybe taking a few more marks," Talia said.
"I've always been able to lock down an opponent, but I feel I'm adding an offensive side to my game.
"It's been a good year so far but I've got so many good forwards coming up that I can't look too far ahead – Jeremy Cameron next week and the week after probably Roughead.
"As soon as you get ahead of yourself you get goals kicked on you."
If results go their way, a win to the Crows against the Giants could see them in the top eight.
Round 15 losses by Essendon, North Melbourne and Gold Coast allowed Adelaide to gain valuable ground with its shock win over the Power.
If Collingwood beats the Suns and the Hawks beat the Kangaroos, a win for the Crows would be enough to sneak into eighth spot.
However long gone are the days of a fixture against the Giants meaning certain victory.
Talia said the club was quickly developing into a powerful unit and anything other than Adelaide's best would likely see it fall short.
"They're stacked with so much talent and their younger guys have now got 50, 60, 70 games under their belt," he said.
"They're really developing into a formidable opponent and their form the last three weeks has been great.
"While the win [against Port] was really special, we're still not in the eight so we've got to win next week and try and get into that eight.
"Once we're in there, hopefully our season can get rolling."
Talia said Sunday night's win offered the playing group further confidence, having now knocked off top-eight teams the Power, Magpies, Suns and Kangaroos this year.
The only thing standing in the way of the Crows from mounting a genuine finals charge is consistency.
They haven't managed to win consecutively since round six, but Talia said if they could play to their ability for the rest of the year they could prove a dark horse.
"We've actually beaten four sides in the eight now; we've beaten some really good sides so we feel like we're not too far away," he said.
"We've just got to string a couple together.
"We've got to look to go after GWS next week, play the same game style and really play to our potential again because when we do we're a really good side."
Talia gets offensive and adds some new tricks
Adelaide defender Daniel Talia says he's adding 'tricks' to his game