AFLW juggernaut Adelaide have extended their unbeaten start to the season, crushing Essendon by 33 points at Unley Oval.

After being tested by the Bombers early, the Crows blew the game open with a four-goal second term to set up the 9.8 (62) to 4.5 (29) win on Sunday.

Danielle Ponter, Niamh Kelly and Caitlin Gould booted two goals each for Adelaide, while Madison Newman, Ebony Marinoff and Anne Hatchard all collected 23 disposals to be the leading possession winners on the ground.

“I think we’ve just got so much more to come as well, which is exciting,” Gould the Seven Network after the game.

Adelaide remains the only team with a perfect record after St Kilda’s undefeated start to the season ended on Saturday with a 57-point belting by Hawthorn.

AFLW legend Erin Phillips, who starred in three premierships for Adelaide before finishing her decorated career at Port Adelaide, declared the Crows clear premiership favourites while in commentary.

The Crows will next renew their fierce rivalry with reigning premiers Brisbane when they travel to play the Lions at Springfield next Sunday.

Meanwhile, the Bombers’ season is quickly turning into a nightmare after they secured a maiden finals berth last year.

Essendon slumped to 1-3 by losing to the Crows, and could finish the round only in front of Collingwood, Gold Coast and the Western Bulldogs.

Nothing has gone right for the Bombers since captain Bonnie Toogood suffered a serious knee injury in their opening-round defeat against Fremantle.

Maddison Gray (23 touches) and Madison Prespakis (22) fought hard for the Bombers against Adelaide, while Paige Scott popped up with two goals.

The Bombers are next in action on Friday when they host Melbourne at Windy Hill.

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Brisbane ruckman Oscar McInerney will be the heartbreak story of the Lions’ second grand final appearance in as many years after dislocating his shoulder.

McInerney was helped from the field late in the first quarter of the Lions’ preliminary final win against Geelong on Saturday cradling his left shoulder after it popped out.

The 30-year-old attempted to tackle Cats midfielder Tom Atkins but hurt his shoulder in the process.

McInerney strapped up his shoulder and bravely played on until early in the third quarter.

But he was forced off the field again when his shoulder gave way for a second time.

During the last quarter, McInerney was taken to hospital in an ambulance for further assessment.

The Lions hung on to win an epic preliminary final by 10 points and progress to the decider again, 12 months after they fell four points short against Collingwood.

Brisbane will be aiming for their first premiership since 2003.

“I probably reckon when you’ve double dislocated your shoulder in a preliminary final, you’re not going to be playing in the grand final,” Lions coach Chris Fagan said of McInerney.

“Knowing Oscar, he would have hoped that if he could get through this game, that he’d be right to get through the game again next week

“He’s just been so enormous for us.

“His growth as a leader, from where he was five or six years ago, to where he is now and what he means to the team … it’s just such a real pity.”

Fagan praised McInerney’s commitment to returning to the ground after he was injured initially.

“He’s full of heart, and he’s a bloke that just gives himself to the team,” he said.

“That’s why he’s admired so much.

“So it’ll be a downer for us that he can’t play in the grand final, but I know the boys will probably find a way to use that as a dedication for the game as well.”

Star forward Joe Daniher, the hero in the Lions’ stunning come-from-behind win against GWS last week, was forced to take on the No.1 ruck duties when McInerney went down.

Rather than use Daniher as the main ruck again in the grand final, Brisbane would likely recall Darcy Fort, who has played just two games this year, or four-gamer Henry Smith.

Fort or Smith, with back-up from Daniher, will face a huge task coming up against Sydney big man Brodie Grundy.

Conor McKenna was subbed into the match for McInerney during the third quarter on Saturday night.

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While his Melbourne team heaped more finals misery on Cronulla, coach Craig Bellamy quickly declared Penrith are still the team to beat for the NRL premiership.

On the back of a Harry Grant hat-trick, minor premiers Melbourne consigned the Sharks to their seventh-straight finals loss with a 37-10 victory on Saturday.

The margin was greater than Penrith’s 30-10 win over the Sydney Roosters on Friday but Bellamy happily handed title favouritism to the three-peat champions.

“With Nathan Cleary coming back, that’s obviously a huge plus for [Penrith],” Bellamy said.

“Everyone knows they’re the team to beat, winning three premierships in a row, that’s not easy to do.”

The qualifying final win earned Melbourne a preliminary final berth and a week off, while Cronulla next weekend will face the victor from the North Queensland versus Newcastle elimination final.

Melbourne’s 27-point win looked shaky at half-time when the Sharks scored with seconds remaining until the break to reduce their deficit to four points.

Bellamy said he felt “deflated” walking into the change-room at half-time but realised his team still felt in control.

“The players didn’t seem too concerned about it and in the second half, they done one hell of a job,” he said.

“We dominated possession, and obviously with that field position, and then the points came.

“We can be really happy with what we did.”

Cronulla seemed to have no answers for the Storm onslaught with coach Craig Fitzgibbon saying the home side was on a different level.

“We were just starved of field position and they had an energy about them where they looked like they were running downhill … they played really well,” Fitzgibbon said.

Sharks skipper Cameron McInnes said they would be ready to go again next weekend.

“There’s a massive opportunity ahead of us and everything’s there,” the lock said.

“You obviously want to win and go the shorter route [to a preliminary final], but teams would kill to be here, so no complacency or no doubt and negative energy.”

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