If the gut-wrenching preliminary final loss to Hawthorn turns out to be Kurt Tippett’s last AFL match for Adelaide, he made sure it was an extremely good one.

The ruck-forward, who is out of contract at the end of the season and in great demand from both clubs in his home state of Queensland, had been a virtual non-contributor in the Crows’ first two playoff matches this year.

Tippett’s combined tallies in the qualifying final loss to Sydney and semi-final win over Fremantle were a miserly five marks and one goal.

Quite simply, the biggest and best-paid man on the Crows’ list simply had to stand up if Adelaide were to have any chance of upsetting red-hot favourites Hawthorn.

That they eventually came up just five points short was in no way due to a lack of effort from Tippett.

By the quarter-time break on Saturday, he had already taken five marks and kicked two goals – a better return than from his previous eight quarters in the finals series.

He finished the match with four goals – including clutch set shots in each of the last two terms when Hawthorn were threatening to run away with the match.

Fellow key forward Taylor Walker also booted four goals for the Crows after slotting five last weekend against the Dockers.

But it was Tippett who looked the man most likely – both up forward and when giving Sam Jacobs some welcome relief in the ruck.

His endeavour had been questioned by many in the City of Churches during the second half of the year – although three concussions were obviously a mitigating factor for why his form had tailed off so dramatically.

But he could hardly have given more for the Crows’ cause on Saturday night.

What happens next will be one of the biggest questions of the trade period.