A fourth-quarter masterclass from Izak Rankine propelled Adelaide to a thrilling 14-point win over Hawthorn on Friday night.

Rankine was electric in the final term, kicking two clutch goals and setting up another as the Crows stormed home to claim a 15.11 (101) to 13.9 (87) victory in front of a vocal home crowd at Adelaide Oval.

Adelaide were sluggish early and trailed by as much as 32 points late in the first quarter as the Hawks piled on the first five goals of the match.

The home team wrestled back the momentum to dominate the second quarter, booting six unanswered goals to take a 16-point advantage into the main break.

Hawthorn sensationally kicked the next five goals of the match and held a narrow lead at three quarter time, setting up a highly-anticipated final term.

Enter Izak Rankine.

The livewire forward had seven disposals, four contested possessions, five score involvements and two clearances in the final term alone, underlining his reputation as one of the AFL's best fourth-quarter performers.

Rankine converted from point blank range after receiving a contentious 50-metre penalty early in the term, then followed it up with a brilliant left-foot snap from deep in the pocket after outmuscling his opponent at a stoppage.

"We obviously were challenged a bit there throughout the game, but we had some belief in that last quarter that we would come back and get the win," Rankine said post-game.

"That last quarter the atmosphere was crazy, it was fun and everyone stood up when they needed to, so it was nice.

"I was fortunate to get on the end of a couple but it was a nice team effort in the end."

The Crows' composure in big moments was key, with Rankine crediting their growth over the past few seasons.

"We stuck to our process in that last quarter and really knuckled down and made sure we did the small things right," he said.

"We didn't really panic, we've built something over a few years and we've been challenged over the last three or four years and been in some close games.

"We've played enough footy together that we don't really panic in those situations – we're starting to become more mature.

"Our process – that's what it comes back down to, killing the ball, making your tackles, breaking the tackles and obviously finishing in front of goal."

Rankine said the energy from the 50,000-strong crowd gave the Crows the spark they needed late in the game.

"To get 50,000 again this week is unbelievable, we ride that wave of energy, it's great when we get big crowds here," he said.

"Like in that last quarter – I was lucky that we were kicking down to the hill – because everyone's down there and they're just going off, going crazy when we kicked a couple of goals.

"It gives us energy and we were lucky to get over the line in the end."

The win lifts Adelaide to the top of the AFL ladder and sets Rankine up for what will be his first taste of finals footy later this year.