A concerned Adelaide coach Neil Craig admits the Crows are off the pace after watching his side crash to an insipid 56-point AFL loss to Fremantle at Subiaco Oval on Sunday.

Craig's decision to play several underdone players backfired badly as the Dockers piled on seven goals to two in the second term and five unanswered in the last to cruise to the 17.16 (118) to 9.8. (62) win.

"We are a fair way off where we need to be and want to be," Craig said.

"Obviously there's a fair bit of improvement to look forward to hopefully.

"The guys that we brought back weren't on the speed of the game.

"I think a fair bit of it can't be excused from what I saw.

"The second quarter has nothing to do with personnel, nothing to do with structure, nothing to do with personnel who have come back.

"I didn't like it at all.

"So we need to tidy up on that.

"There are some other issues that we need to get on top of very quickly."

On the eve of the season Craig declared the group he had assembled this year was the most talented ever under his tutelage.

And despite the first-up loss to Fremantle, Craig said his expectations remained just as high.

"Our expectations stay really high because that's what we believe in," he said.

"Expectation stays high, standard needs to come up.

"Our standard was far too low.

"Now, if we weren't capable of it we wouldn't have those high expectations.

"But I know this group is much more capable of playing better football than that, so we continue on.

"I'm now more interested in what we are going to do in the future.

"If it's not up to standard it's my responsibly to address it, work with it and demand a higher standard until we get it.

"And we do that by training, by recognition and in the end by selection, so that's what we'll be doing."

Goalsneak Jason Porplyzia successfully negotiated his way through a SANFL match on Friday night and Craig said the 25-year-old would come under strong consideration for a recall, along with ruckman Ivan Maric.

Fremantle coach Mark Harvey believed the Crows would bounce back from the humiliating loss.

"Neil trains them right to the letter and no matter who they have in their side they are always a dangerous side and they will remain dangerous throughout the course of the year," Harvey said.

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