After heading into the year as premiership favourites things started falling apart even before AFLX kicked off.
A disastrous camp was followed by soft-tissue injury after soft-tissue injury. The losses stacked up, relationships became strained and eventually they limped over the line in 12th position.
MORE: Adelaide Crows' 2018 season review
The club seemed to close ranks after round 23 and has quietly made its way through the trade and draft periods, taking care of business in a very Adelaide-like fashion.
So what shape are the Crows in, who do they face through the season and what is expected of Adelaide in 2019?
List changes
In:
Shane McAdam (mature-age access), Tyson Stengle (Richmond), Chayce Jones (Launceston, pictured), Edward ‘Ned’ McHenry (Geelong Falcons), Will Hamill (Dandenong Stingrays), Lachlan Scholl (Calder Cannons)
Rookies:
Kieran Strachan (Port Melbourne/South Bendigo), Paul Hunter (Adelaide), Jordon Butts (Murray Bushrangers)
Out:
Mitch McGovern, Kyle Cheney, Harry Dear, Jackson Edwards, Paul Hunter, Ben Jarman, Matthew Signorello, Sam Gibson, Curtly Hampton
Best Brownlow Medal chance:
Matt Crouch $34, Rory Laird $34, Bryce Gibbs $151
After finishing equal sixth in 2018 despite missing a couple of games with a broken hand, Laird is reasonably attractive at $34. Crouch is a little less likely - he gets lots of the ball but not much attention from the umpires. Gibbs seems good value at $151, but the former Blue doesn't poll as well as you might think, with his best effort of 15 votes in 2009 now a distant memory.
Players to watch:
Hugh Greenwood, Wayne Milera, Darcy Fogarty, Shane McAdam
The clock is ticking in the Crows’ forward line so they’ll be keen for some young talent to start pushing its way through. It’s hard to fill Eddie Betts’ shoes but McAdam can do some pretty exciting stuff around the goals, while Fogarty showed he could prove a long-term key forward or even a Tom Lynch-type of link man.
Greenwood occasionally threatens to burst games open but hasn’t yet been able to put his best together for a full four quarters, and Milera is looking like a leader in Adelaide’s midfield for the next decade.
A last chance to watch:
Eddie Betts, Andy Otten
Many considered Betts’ 2018 mediocre, but while his numbers were down they weren't far below his usual returns, it's just that the highlight reel wasn’t as flashy. However, he’s 32 now and the magic can’t go on for ever. Eddie’s contracted till the end of 2020, but if he starts struggling he may well pull the plug early.
Elite from Eddie Betts.#AFLBluesCrows pic.twitter.com/5s3rHYTjdA
— AFL (@AFL) August 25, 2018
Otten is an interesting one, a player whose earliest football was his best football, but he still shows glimpses. Otten was runner-up in the 2009 Rising Star award, ahead of Dayne Beams, Stephen Hill, Callan Ward and Patrick Dangerfield, so we know the base is there, but at 29 and out of contract at the end of next season, so if he wants to keep playing he’ll have to refind a bit of his youth.
Adelaide Crows’ 2019 list
| No. | Name | Games | Date of birth | Height, Weight | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | Atkins, Rory | 77 | 12 Jul 1994 | 186cm 85kg | Midfield |
| 18 | Eddie Betts | 295 | 26 Nov 1986 | 174cm 74kg | Forward |
| 16 | Brown, Luke | 135 | 22 Sep 1992 | 181cm 81kg | Defender |
| Butts, Jordon (R) | 0 | 194cm | Utility | ||
| 2 | Crouch, Brad | 61 | 14 Jan 1994 | 186cm 85kg | Midfield |
| 5 | Crouch, Matt | 90 | 21 Apr 1995 | 182cm 80kg | Midfield |
| 40 | Davis, Ben | 0 | 19 May 1997 | 187cm 82kg | Forward |
| 39 | Doedee, Tom | 20 | 1 Mar 1997 | 188cm 88kg | Defender |
| 26 | Douglas, Richard | 237 | 6 Feb 1987 | 181cm 79kg | Midfield |
| 28 | Ellis-Yolmen, Cam | 29 | 28 Jan 1993 | 190cm 97kg | Midfield |
| 32 | Fogarty, Darcy | 10 | 25 Sep 1999 | 193cm 94kg | Forward |
| 7 | Gallucci, Jordan | 17 | 4 May 1998 | 182cm 76kg | Midfield |
| 6 | Gibbs, Bryce | 253 | 15 Mar 1989 | 188cm 84kg | Midfield |
| 11 | Greenwood, Hugh | 37 | 6 Mar 1992 | 191cm 92kg | Midfield |
| Hamill, Will | 0 | 185cm 72kg | Defender | ||
| 15 | Hartigan, Kyle | 82 | 7 Nov 1991 | 194cm 98kg | Defender |
| 34 | Himmelberg, Elliott | 1 | 4 Jun 1998 | 198cm 94kg | Forward |
| 37 | Hunter, Paul (R) | 0 | 9 Feb 1993 | 200cm 100kg | Ruck |
| 24 | Jacobs, Sam | 196 | 10 Apr 1988 | 202cm 102kg | Ruck |
| 4 | Jenkins, Josh | 136 | 8 Feb 1989 | 200cm 108kg | Forward |
| Jones, Chayce | 0 | 14 Jan 2000 | 180cm 77kg | Midfield | |
| 42 | Keath, Alex | 12 | 20 Jan 1992 | 197cm 93kg | Defender |
| 8 | Kelly, Jake | 53 | 21 Jan 1995 | 190cm 89kg | Defender |
| 3 | Knight, Riley | 39 | 27 Mar 1995 | 181cm 80kg | Forward |
| 29 | Laird, Rory | 121 | 29 Dec 1993 | 177cm 81kg | Defender |
| 27 | Lynch, Tom | 123 | 15 Sep 1990 | 193cm 88kg | Forward |
| 14 | MacKay, David | 202 | 25 Jul 1988 | 181cm 77kg | Midfield |
| Shane McAdam | 0 | Forward | |||
| McHenry, Edward | 0 | 178cm 70kg | Forward | ||
| 36 | McPherson, Andrew | 0 | 20 Jun 1999 | 186cm 79kg | Defender |
| 30 | Milera, Wayne | 43 | 14 Sep 1997 | 184cm 81kg | Midfield |
| 44 | Murphy, Lachlan (R) | 11 | 4 Dec 1998 | 176cm 76kg | Forward |
| 43 | O'Brien, Reilly | 2 | 20 Aug 1995 | 202cm 101kg | Ruck |
| 22 | Otten, Andy | 106 | 15 May 1989 | 192cm 94kg | Defender |
| 10 | Poholke, Myles | 9 | 10 Jul 1998 | 186cm 86kg | Midfield |
| 11 | Seedsman, Paul | 88 | 22 Jan 1992 | 189cm 87kg | Midfield |
| Sholl, Lachlan | 0 | 186cm 74kg | Midfield | ||
| 9 | Sloane, Rory | 177 | 17 Mar 1990 | 182cm 83kg | Midfield |
| 33 | Smith, Brodie | 145 | 14 Jan 1992 | 189cm 90kg | Defender |
| Stengle, Tyson | 2 | 19 Oct 1998 | 172cm 73kg | Forward | |
| Strachan, Kieran (R) | 0 | Ruck | |||
| 12 | Talia, Daniel | 164 | 2 Oct 1991 | 197cm 98kg | Defender |
| 13 | Walker, Taylor | 167 | 25 Apr 1990 | 193cm 102kg | Forward |
| 31 | Wilson, Patrick (R) | 1 | 11 Dec 1994 | 188cm 89kg | Midfield |
Our draftees got their first taste of training today 😋🎥 #weflyasone pic.twitter.com/6WPMrtflAI
— Adelaide Crows (@Adelaide_FC) November 26, 2018
Adelaide Crows' 2019 Fixture
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saturday March 23 | Hawthorn | Adelaide Oval |
| 2 | Friday March 29 | Sydney | SCG |
| 3 | Thursday April 4 | Geelong | Adelaide Oval |
| 4 | Saturday April 13 | North Melbourne | Marvel Stadium |
| 5 | Sunday April 21 | Gold Coast | Adelaide Oval |
| 6 | Saturday April 27 | St Kilda | Marvel Stadium |
| 7 | Sunday May 5 | Fremantle | Adelaide Oval |
| 8 | Saturday May 11 | Port Adelaide | Adelaide Oval |
| 9 | Saturday May 18 | Brisbane | The Gabba |
| 10 | Saturday May 25 | West Coast | Adelaide Oval |
| 11 | Saturday June 1 | Melbourne | TIO Stadium |
| 12 | Saturday June 8 | GWS Giants | Adelaide Oval |
| 13 | Thursday June 13 | Richmond | Adelaide Oval |
| 14 | BYE | ||
| 15 | Friday June 28 | Geelong | GMHBA Stadium |
| 16 | Saturday July 6 | Port Adelaide | Adelaide Oval |
| 17 | Saturday July 13 | Gold Coast | Metricon |
| 18 | Friday July 19 | Essendon | Adelaide Oval |
| 19 | Saturday July 27 | Carlton | MCG |
| 20 | Saturday August 3 | St Kilda | Adelaide Oval |
| 21 | Sunday August 11 | West Coast | Optus Stadium |
| 22 | Saturday August 17 | Collingwood | Adelaide Oval |
| 23 | TBA | Western Bulldogs | Mars Stadium |
Teams played twice:
Port Adelaide, Gold Coast, St Kilda, West Coast, Geelong
Josh Jenkins was awarded a goal late in the Showdown after a review.#AFLCrowsPower pic.twitter.com/ghS8YJzjMd
— AFL (@AFL) August 4, 2018
Games played on:
Thursday: 2
Friday: 3
Saturday: 13
Sunday: 3
2019 Preview and premiership odds
The Crows are starting back at ninth in flag favouritism at $16.00, despite their list being ranked the second best by Champion Data after the draft and trade period.
Surely Adelaide will head back at least some way towards being the powerhouse side it was in 2017.
Mitch McGovern is the only top-22 player lost and, to be honest, there’s more than enough talls at either end of the ground to cover for him, at least for the moment.
Taylor Walker, Tom Lynch and Josh Jenkins are all getting to an age where injuries take a little longer to return from and six-day breaks can affect next week’s performance, so while it’s not quite ‘now or never’, there won’t be a whole lot of premiership opportunities for the bigger names on the list.
Add Betts (32), Sam Jacobs (31 by round four) and Bryce Gibbs (30 by the season opener) and there’s a lot of grey hairs starting to sprout among the Crows’ best players.
Adelaide drafted well but those guys will take time, although traded-in mature-age player Shane McAdam could have an immediate impact.
Their pre-season hasn't been without its dramas as scans revealed key defender Darcy Gardiner ruptured the posterior cruciate ligament on his right leg while playing in a practice match midway through January.
“Darcy will be able to remain active while in recovery and we’re hopeful he will have recovered in time for the start of the season," GM of Football David Noble said.
If the Crows are going to challenge next year it’s going to be up to the Class of ’17 to get the job done, and we won’t know if they’ve got over their mental - and soft-tissue - woes until the first ball is bounced in anger.