Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks feared it was coming: an error-prone display, well shy of his club's best.
Midway through the second term against Melbourne, the Crows were 28 points down.
"Anyone who is watching the game is saying: 'Well, this is over'," Nicks said.
"It looked like the ball was broken for us at a point in that first half. We just weren't executing by foot.
"For whatever reason, we weren't at our best.
"And I think most coaches know that's coming at times - 23 rounds is a long time to stay up."
Which made Nicks doubly pleased after his Crows recovered from their second-term deficit to then kick 11 goals to Melbourne's five for a 13-point triumph.
"It's a great experience for our group to be in a position where we're vulnerable and ... able to show some mental strength," he said after Adelaide's 13.12 (90) to 11.11 (77) win.
"It's a great position to be in and be able to work through it, we're going to be better for that.
"That's going to be the remainder of the season; that's every week from this point on - the competition is so tight."
Nicks rated the win as "huge", given the logjam on the ladder in the stretch to the finals.
The Crows, seeking a return to the playoffs for the first time since 2017, kept a grip on third spot - but they're only one win, plus percentage, ahead of ninth place.
"In the context of the season, that's a huge win for us," Nicks said.
"Just with where this season sits, the amount of teams that are fighting for the top eight - you just have to win these games, especially at home.
"And for us to do it another way, we learned a lot.
"And it was a win, it's not us sitting here saying: 'We have lost but we learned'.
"We're actually coming off with a win and with a great learning."
