No-one can replace Brisbane goal machine Daniel Bradshaw - but Mitch Clark is sure looking like a decent fill-in.

As a recovering Bradshaw spent another week on the sideline, Clark gave a tantalising glimpse of just what he can do with three influential goals that helped seal an upset 11.17 (83) to 10.10 (70) AFL win over Adelaide.

The Lions' forward line has been one dimensional since Bradshaw succumbed to a tight hamstring, with all the pressure on co-captain Jonathan Brown continuing his 2007 Coleman Medal-winning form.

Finally, Brown received some relief with Clark, 20, stepping up in only his 17th game since his 2006 debut.

Clark - the No.9 pick in the 2005 Draft - showed experience beyond his years to bang in goals either side of the final break to ensure a 15-point third-quarter deficit turned into a four-point lead early in the fourth term.

The Lions didn't look back, breaking their Crows hoodoo in front of more than 29,000 Gabba fans.

Adelaide have had the wood on the Lions in recent years, winning their last three clashes including two at the Brisbane venue.

The early signs were good for the hosts as they banged in the first three goals to jump to a 17-point lead - but that only seemed to spark the Crows.

After Adelaide finally registered their first major in the 24th minute, Jason Porplyzia rode his luck to reel in the deficit even further.

He was paid a diving mark on the boundary but replays showed he spilled the ball.

Still Porplyzia played on and snapped from an acute angle to ensure Adelaide trailed just 3.3 (21) to 2.5 (17) at the opening break.

Brisbane had little answer to the Crows in the second term as Andrew McLeod started to flex his muscles.

Superstar forward Brett Burton - in his first game back from suspension - began the rout with his first goal as the Crows banged in four majors to one in the second quarter, including three straight.

By the main break, Adelaide had cruised to a 6.7 (43) to 4.7 (31) lead.

The alarm bells were ringing for the hosts when back to back goals helped the Crows swoop on a 15-point lead in the third - their biggest of the match.

But the Lions hit back with majors to Robert Copeland and Clark to reduce the damage to just two points - 8.10 (58) to 7.14 (56) - at the last break and it was game on.

The seventh-placed Lions were desperate to bounce back from their last round 63-point mauling at the hands of the Western Bulldogs who snapped a four-game winning run.

Lions co-captain Luke Power finished with an incredible 40 possessions ahead of Jared Brennan's 31.

Lions coach Leigh Matthews dipped his hat to Power but credited Brennan with turning the game around.

"In the second half particularly, Jared Brennan's contribution around the middle of the ground to start getting some impetus with the stoppages was critical," he said.

"Luke Power was very good all night then all of a sudden Jared joined in and we had two guys able to extricate the ball from congested areas.

"And we had Mitch Clark kicking three goals. In all, we got five goals out of our marking forwards and that is very hard to do against them."

Meanwhile, Adelaide coach Neil Craig admitted he would be going back to the drawing board at training this week.

"We are a slow footy club in moving the ball and Brisbane got their numbers back well and we didn't look balanced up forward," he said.

"We need to look at the training we do (on) our quick movement of the ball getting off the mark and playing on - that's my responsibility to address that.

"I thought in the first half we were in control in general play but our forward movement we struggled at all night.

"The second half they (Lions) lifted their grunt. They were stronger at the ball than us - we got pushed around."

Much pre-match talk had centred on the Gabba's hard centre surface and the topic looked set to loom its ugly head again when Adelaide's Ivan Maric hyperextended his knee in the third term.

But Craig said the surface was "not an issue".

Brought to you by AAP © 2024 AAP