I'm staying put says Tippett

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Rising Adelaide star Kurt Tippett says while he might have enjoyed his return home to his native Gold Coast on Saturday night, Crows fans should not hold any fears about losing him to the AFL's 17th team in 2011.

Tippett, who was recruited to the Crows from Gold Coast-based QAFL club Southport at pick 32 in the 2006 national draft, booted five goals in the 17-point win over Richmond as he relished his return to Carrara.

The 22-year-old, 201cm full-forward - who can also play in the ruck - is out of contract at the end of 2010, just before Gold Coast enters the competition in 2011, and will be one of the prime recruiting targets for the new club which is permitted to take one uncontracted player from each AFL club at the end of 2010.

However Tippett - who has booted 27 goals in 14 games in just his second AFL season this year - said he was not contemplating a return to the Gold Coast in 2011.

"I am committed to the Crows," he told Foxsports after Saturday night's win - the Crows' sixth in a row, which lifted Neil Craig's side up to fifth place on the ladder.

But Tippett did admit that not only himself but the rest of the Adelaide players relished the trip to the Gold Coast as the Crows won at Carrara for the third time from three attempts in the past four seasons - after having previously beaten Melbourne there in 2006 and North Melbourne in 2007 in what were all transferred home games from Victorian clubs.

"The weather has been great and the boys woke up this morning and couldn't believe how bright and sunny it was," Tippett said.

"We left cold Adelaide on Friday and it was good to come up here for the weather."

Craig said after the game it would be a real luxury for the Crows if they could leave Tippett up forward and would do much to help the team's strikepower after the team was criticised for its lack of potency earlier in the season.

"He is comfortable in the ruck but we like him up forward," Craig said of Tippett.

"It was a good thing that (young ruckmen) James Sellar and Ivan Maric were able to hold up in the ruck (against Richmond) but it will be a big test for them next week against (Fremantle's giant ruckman Aaron) Sandilands."

The Crows have now scored more than 100 points in four of their past six matches during their current winning streak, after doing so just once in the first eight rounds when the team only managed to win three games.

Craig said quicker ball movement has been behind the Crows' scoring turnaround.

"Since we have done that we have become a bit more offensive in the way we have played and we have improved as a side and we expect to continue to improve for the rest of the year with the training we do and as our younger guys get more maturity," Craig said.