In 2015, Eddie Betts stamped himself as the premier small forward in the AFL competition.

After 51 goals in 2014, Betts booted 63 last season to finish third in the Coleman Medal race and earn his first All Australian jacket.

More impressive was the fact there wasn’t a solitary game across the home and away season where the Adelaide star didn’t register a goal to his name. Add eight hauls of four goals or more and a second Goal of the Year crown and you get the picture on how imposing Betts’ 2015 season was.

In his first NAB Challenge game of 2016, Betts kicked six goals (including a supergoal) to go with four goal assists in what Bruce McAvaney would describe as a ‘special’ performance.

So when the 29-year-old Crows star ventured to Metricon Stadium on Friday for the final game of the pre-season competition, SUNS coach Rodney Eade knew he needed one of his soldiers to perform a shutdown job on the goal specialist.

Enter Adam Saad.

The second-year player isn’t renowned for being able to lock down the best opposition small forwards, but Eade was comfortable handing full responsibility to the 21-year old after a pre-season of intensive tutelage from defensive coach Andy Lovell and development coach Max Rooke.

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The former Coburg Lion didn’t let his coaches down.

“He (Betts) came off a really good game in the first NAB, kicked six goals,” Saad told SUNS TV after the 25-point loss to Adelaide.

“So the coaches wanted me to shut him down and just take him out of the game so that’s what I tried doing.

“Just implement what I’ve learnt over the pre-season and I just went into this game didn’t want him to get a kick I guess so I thought I did okay.”

Betts registered just eight disposals, in the bottom five across the 48 players who took the field and well below his 2015 average of 13.6 per game.

Three clangers and just one behind to his name made it a night to forget for the Crow, but one where Saad proved he has the talent and discipline to lock down the best in the business.

Saad was visibly exhausted late in the game but was able to preserve his focus to ensure his more fancied opponent remained goalless when the final siren sounded.

“Players like Betts, great players, small forwards of the game. They can be having a bad day but they can just switch it on with one goal or one piece of play so I’ve got to be on my game 100 per cent of the time,” Saad said.

“I can’t really lapse in concentration, which has been a bit of a deficiency of mine, but I’m working on that and improving that.”

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One of the highlights of the game was a moment in the second quarter where Betts read the play perfectly on an Adelaide forward 50 entry.

The Sherrin cleared a pack and Betts ran onto the football at full speed, a couple of steps clear of Saad. It appeared a certain goal, but Saad desperately chased down the Crows star and a last-ditch lunge in the goalsquare saved the six points and earned the exciting defender a free kick for holding the ball.

“He got me out the front and centre. He just got into a really good spot, as I said he always gets into good spots but I just dug in,” Saad explained.

“I didn’t want him to score a goal so I sprinted as fast as I can and luckily I got him on the line and the turnover, which was good.”