Adelaide has broken a nine-year curse to fight off a valiant Western Bulldogs by 22 points and earn a spot in the semifinals against Brisbane.

The Crows came into the elimination final on their home deck under intense pressure, having not won a single quarter of footy in their two finals at Adelaide Oval last season, having entered September as minor premiers.

And the demons of the straight-sets exit reared their ugly heads in the final term, many of the Crows fans stunned into silence as the Bulldogs clawed their way in front thanks to Marcus Bontempelli and Ed Richards.

However, the Crows had been the best pressure side for much of the year, and they leaned on it as they snuffed out the wildcard-winning Dogs’ hopes of a deep finals run 14.6 (90) to 9.14 (68), recording their first finals victory since losing the 2017 decider.

Izak Rankine, who had a stunning 34 disposals, two goals and seven clearances in his first final, even capped off the win with a stunner from the pocket, ensuring his side would head to the Gabba next Saturday night with confidence they can match anyone.

Coach Matthew Nicks, who was potentially coaching for his future, was given a standing ovation by the 50,000-strong crowd as his side piled on the entertainment in the final moments.

The final term had flipped on its head in a matter of minutes as the Dogs kicked three unanswered majors to level scores.

Aaron Naughton’s third poster of the evening even handed the visitors the unlikeliest of leads.

But the Crows seized upon the missed chance, flying to the other end of the ground for a clutch Riley Thilthorpe goal before retiring superstar Taylor Walker kicked the next in a gut punch to the Dogs’ momentum.

Adelaide’s pressure saw off the Dogs’ next few forward thrusts before Darcy Fogarty put the final nail in the coffin with a 40-metre set shot.

Walker was given a rousing reception in the final 30 seconds as he ran back onto the ground for the final time in Adelaide, while his family joined him on the ground after the siren.