Adelaide has opened the AFL’s gather round with a booming first term on the way to upsetting Carlton by 56 points.

The Crows’ first quarter at Adelaide Oval on Thursday night was their best football since they blitzed Geelong at the same ground in the 2017 preliminary final – their most recent finals series.

The Blues steadied, but they had too much ground to recover and suffered their first loss of the season, 18.10 (116) to 9.8 (62).

It is the Crows’ third straight win and they had the look of a team that can snap their five-year finals drought.

With all nine round-five games in and around Adelaide over these four days, the Crows kicked off gather round with a host’s sense of occasion.

Adelaide started on fire, kicking eight of the first nine goals for a 42-point lead at 26 minutes into the opening quarter.

The term went to 37 minutes as Adelaide bolted to a 32-point lead at the first change.

Carlton’s pressure was non-existent, highlighted by Taylor Walker pushing off Lewis Young at 50 metres after he marked and then turning to kick a booming goal.

Rory Laird then marked on the 50-metre and clearly was going to hand off to Brodie Smith as he ran past, but again no Carlton players paid heed and Smith goalled on the run with ease.

Star Blues defender Jacob Weitering could have taken an uncontested mark, but such was their lack of communication that he spoiled instead.

Laird racked up 16 possessions in the first term – nine Carlton players only managed 15 between them.

Laird then received the “Curnow Clamp” from Blues tagger Ed, but the Crows star had a game-high 37 possessions.

Darcy Fogarty kicked five goals, Crows captain Jordan Dawson impressed with 32 possessions and Ben Keays shut out Adam Saad, as well as kicking three goals.

Whatever Blues coach Michael Voss said at quarter-time – and it would have been worth eavesdropping on their huddle – the turnaround was emphatic.

After kicking the last goal of the first quarter, Carlton ramped up its pressure and worked back into the game.

The Blues kicked three goals to only trail by 18 points at 22 minutes.

But two quick answers from Fogarty and Chayce Jones steadied the Crows, who took a 31-point lead into the main break.

A great snap from Keays late in the third term meant the Crows were 36 points up at the last change, but Carlton had kept the game alive.

Two goals at the start of the final term meant the Blues only trailed by 24 points, but a superb set shot from an acute angle gave Fogarty his third goal.

When sub Ned McHenry marked and goaled at 17 minutes, the Crows had sealed a big win.

Star Blues onballer Sam Walsh returned from a back injury for his first game of the season and impressed with a team-high 25 disposals.

Carlton suffered a blow in the warmup when Mitch McGovern suffered calf tightness and had to pull out of the game, with Lachie Plowman taking his place.