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Sport
Justin Chadwick

Laird stars, Crows thrash Eagles in AFL practice match

Adelaide have cruised to a 59-point AFL pre-season win over West Coast in Perth. (Richard Wainwright/AAP PHOTOS) (AAP)

West Coast look to have unearthed a future star in Reuben Ginbey, but their frailties were fully exposed in a 59-point pre-season loss to Adelaide at Mineral Resources Park.

The Crows booted the first four goals of Friday's match and led by 54 points in the third quarter before cruising to the 17.9 (111) to 7.10 (52) win.

Rory Laird starred with 32 disposals and two goals, while Darcy Fogarty (four goals), Ben Keays (four goals) and Taylor Walker (three goals) were also key contributors.

Fogarty was dropped early last season before winning back his spot in round nine and ending the year with 33 goals to his name.

The 23-year-old starred against West Coast on Friday, and appears primed for a huge 2023 campaign.

"If you go back six or nine months ago, people were wondering what was going on," Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks said.

"But he's done an incredible job off his own bat. He put his head down and went to work, and now he believes in himself. It's a credit to him for where he's at."

One of the few positives to come out of the match for West Coast was the form of first-round draft pick Ginbey, who was in the thick of the action with 17 disposals and seven clearances.

The 18-year-old missed last week's pre-season win over Port Adelaide with a toe injury, but he appears a lock for round one following his star display against the Crows.

"It was really pleasing tonight, and we need to go away and assess tonight's game and see how he fits into our round one team," Eagles assistant coach Luke Webster said of Ginbey's round-one chances.

"But he certainly put his best foot forward tonight."

Former Demon Jayden Hunt gave the Eagles some important dash off half back in the first half, while Jeremy McGovern (25 disposals, 12 marks) was a rock in defence.

But the defensive frailties of West Coast's horror 2022 campaign reared their ugly head again, with the Crows often slicing straight through West Coast's struggling midfield to set up easy scoring opportunities.

West Coast's premier ruckman Nic Naitanui didn't play due to achilles tendon soreness, and his back-up Bailey Williams was a late scratching with hamstring soreness.

It meant young Eagle Callum Jamieson was handed the daunting task of quelling Reilly O'Brien, and the Crows big man dominated on the way to 35 hitouts and 17 possessions.

Andrew Gaff (13 disposals) and Tim Kelly (16) were among the star Eagles players to struggle, while highly rated youngster Campbell Chesser tallied just nine possessions in a quiet display.

"It was a little bit on ball movement probably," Webster said of Gaff's tough night.

"I thought he ran pretty hard most of the night, and unfortunately our ball movement just didn't complement his game."

Adelaide won the inside 50m count 20-5 in the opening quarter, and Fogarty cashed in with three goals.

West Coast ended up losing the inside 50m count 65-37 in a bad sign heading into round one.

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