Saturday's 10.3 (63) to 7.11 (53) win at Unley Oval in Adelaide, highlighted by brilliant games from Irish sisters Niamh and Grace Kelly, ended the Suns' six-game winning streak and made for a turbulent live ladder in the aftermath.
The home side snuck into the top eight from 10th position, while Gold Coast dropped out of the top four to give Sydney, Carlton and the Bulldogs a crack at the all-important ladder position on the cusp of finals.
It was a high-stakes game when the Blues hosted the "Daughters of the West" on Saturday afternoon at Ikon Park.
The Bulldogs were off the leash from the first term, leading the whole game in a comfortable 8.8 (56) to 3.8 (26) win.
Despite the Blues having a similar number of inside-50 entries, Bulldogs defender Mua Laloifi found eight intercept disposals, which proved a telling difference.
"Our young forwards up there, they're the ones that kind of start our defensive pressure, so it allows our defenders and our interceptors to get to work and read the ball early," Laloifi said.
"There's a huge belief in our group now as we make our way to finals."
The Bulldogs' surge in belief came after the Suns couldn't contain the Crows' Irish sisters Grace and Niamh Kelly.
The Pride Round face-off saw Gold Coast start strongly, doubling the Crows in uncontested possessions and finding 16 inside-50s to Adelaide's five in the first term.
But the Kelly sisters kept the Suns from running away early, when Niamh intercepted the ball from half-back.
She found her sister and the duo passed the ball back and forth through the midfield in a run-on play to find the Crows' only goal in the first quarter.
The high-pressure game had six lead changes, but the Suns' inaccuracy in front of goals proved costly, and the Kelly sisters made them pay whenever they got the ball.
Grace had three goals and one assist, while Niamh converted two of her own and set up another three.
"They're so infectious with the way they play," Crows coach Ryan Davis said.
"I think the way they bounce off each other, the run, the carry, the flair, it's just awesome to watch."
Despite sitting in eighth spot, the Crows can't look to finals footy just yet, with Hawthorn just below them on percentage but with a game in hand.
Adelaide also have a difficult run home in the last two games of the regular season, facing the two-time defending champions North Melbourne and the third-placed Demons.
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