Adelaide's four-point upset win over Collingwood is a massive boost at the start of an AFL season in which they are expected to struggle.

The 13.12 (90) to 13.8 (86) win was the first time in 11 seasons they had beaten the Magpies at the MCG.

They were on the verge of losing touch midway through the third term, after a six-goal surge put Collingwood 18 points ahead.

This was after the Crows had blown a 28-point lead in the opening term.

But they rallied with the last three goals of the third quarter to tie the scores and then survived a last quarter that coach Neil Craig called "a slugfest".

As players repeatedly cramped in the mid-20s weather, the Crows kicked two goals to one during the final term to seal the win.

"The reality is it's an ounce of luck involved in that, we need to make sure we understand that," Craig said.

"More importantly, our capacity to hang in there in that third quarter, when we could have been blown away, that's probably the thing that stood out for me in the game.

"You can't buy that experience - win, lose or draw - because it's the place to play footy, it's one of the most famous clubs in the AFL, our record against them hasn't been great.

"All those things put together, it will be a day they'll remember."

The Crows fielded five players with only four games between them - three of them for their senior debuts.

Debutant Jared Petrenko was particularly impressive with his hardness at the ball.

Their veterans - Andrew McLeod in particular - were also outstanding and midfielder Bernie Vince had 33 touches.

Craig says he understands why people outside the club might not rate his team, but he strongly disagrees with the pessimism.

"Those comments would only be made based on information that you have and what you've seen," he said.

"We have different information and we obviously have different expectations.

"The key thing is the playing group has a completely different expectation to the outsiders."

Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse was ruing too many missed opportunities, particularly in the third quarter and in the frenetic final few minutes of the game.

The Magpies had several scoring opportunities late in the game, but either missed shots on goal or made decisive errors.

"We created the opportunity, but we weren't able to execute," Malthouse said.

Brought to you by AAP © 2024 AAP