Season Preview: Adelaide

2020 Recap It was a long 2020 for the Crows, confirming they need a full rebuild of their list. Adelaide were winless up until Round 15 when they beat Hawthorn, which was followed up with impressive wins over finals hopefuls GWS and Carlton to finish with three wins for the season. Veteran forward Taylor Walker struggled all season but did manage to become the Crows' all-time leading goal scorer in a rare highlight for Adelaide in 2020. They blooded a lot of youth which was a key positive, with the likes of Lachlan Sholl, Shane McAdam and Harry Schoenberg were standouts for the wooden spooners as they look to the future. [caption id="attachment_59787" align="alignnone" width="696"] ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 01: Harry Schoenberg of the Crows celebrates a goal during the 2020 AFL Round 15 match between the Hawthorn Hawks and the Adelaide Crows at Adelaide Oval on September 1, 2020 in Adelaide, Australia. (Photo by James Elsby/AFL Photos via Getty Images)[/caption] The Crows, like a lot of young teams, struggled to maintain consistency during games all year. Their inexperience proved costly and you get the feeling that will be the case going forward. Off-season moves Ins Jackson Hately (GWS), Riley Thilthorpe (national draft), Luke Pedlar (national draft), Brayden Cook (national draft), Sam Berry (national draft), James Rowe (national draft). https://twitter.com/AFL/status/1336607915625512963 Outs Rory Atkins (Gold Coast), Bryce Gibbs (retired), Ben Crocker (delisted), Brad Crouch (St Kilda), Jordan Gallucci (delisted), Kyle Hartigan (Hawthorn), Riley Knight (delisted), Myles Poholke (delisted), Ayce Taylor (delisted), Patrick Wilson (delisted). Off-season Grade A- Hard to give them anything below an "A", they had one job and that was to invest in youth and they did so and they did it wisely. The Crows managed to draft South Australian talent which is a safe bet and they didn't have to sacrifice talent to do so. Losing Brad Crouch was obviously less than ideal, but it seemed as if he was always on the way out. They didn't receive the compensation they were hoping for and had the option to match St Kilda's bid and force a trade to maybe gain more compensation. Adelaide managed to bring in Jackson Hately for nothing via the pre-season draft which is always a win, Hately will slot straight into the midfield for the Crows. [caption id="attachment_64302" align="alignnone" width="696"] SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 20: Jackson Hately of the Giants in action during a Greater Western Sydney Giants AFL training session at GIANTS Stadium on March 20, 2020 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)[/caption] Riley Thilthorpe is the great white hope for Crows fans this year. The number two draft pick has all the tools to succeed at the elite level and will get plenty of opportunity to impress in 2021. Defining Period It will be early for the Crows, as they won't play finals and they probably won't win more than half-a-dozen games for the season. But just how dark the year will be can be defined very early. Are they competitive? Are they going to be in games? Or will they be the easy-beats as seen in 2020? Adelaide fans will be looking for something to pin their hopes to, they will want to see some signs of improvement and some direction as to where this club is going under the guidance of Matthew Nicks. [caption id="attachment_61759" align="alignnone" width="696"] GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 13: Lachlan Sholl of the Crows celebrates kicking a goal during the round 17 AFL match between the Carlton Blues and the Adelaide Crows at Metricon Stadium on September 13, 2020 in Gold Coast, Australia. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)[/caption] If they can snare a win in the first month it will help release pressure on the Crows early and allow them to focus on development a tad more than clawing for that breakthrough win as they did last year. Best 22 B: Luke Brown, Daniel Talia, Tom Doedee HB: Jake Kelly, Fisher McAsey, Brodie Smith C: Will Hamill, Rory Sloane, Wayne Milera HF: Jackson Hately, Darcy Fogarty, Tom Lynch F: Shane McAdam, Elliot Himmelberg, James Rowe FOLL: Reilly O’Brien, Matt Crouch, Rory Laird I/C: Lachie Sholl, Ben Keays, Harry Schoenberg , Taylor Walker [caption id="attachment_27918" align="alignnone" width="696"] ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 23: Tom Doedee of the Crows walks from the ground during the round one AFL match between the Adelaide Crows and the Hawthorn Hawks at Adelaide Oval on March 23, 2019 in Adelaide, Australia. (Photo by Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images)[/caption] Strengths and Weaknesses The strength for the Crows is their midfield's ability to win the ball. Matt Crouch and Rory Laird are terrific ball winners and will be key for the Crows season. The problem is more what the Crows do with the ball in hand, being a young side their structure can regularly fall-down and leave their ball use all at sea. Reilly O'Brien constantly gives his midfield first use but was all too often is led to nothing last season and that may not change too much this year. [caption id="attachment_30686" align="alignnone" width="696"] ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA - MAY 05: Reilly O'Brien of the Crows competes with Rory Lobb of the Dockers during the 2019 AFL round 07 match between the Adelaide Crows and the Fremantle Dockers at Adelaide Oval on May 05, 2019 in Adelaide, Australia. (Photo by James Elsby/AFL Photos/Getty Images)[/caption] Their greatest weakness is their scoring ability. Their forward line is lacking experience besides Walker and they struggle to put up a winning score. They rely heavily on veteran spearhead up forward, but his output has dramatically dropped season on season since 2017, and he may not be longed for the Adelaide forward line in 2021. Prediction 18th It will be a long year for the Crows but not a wasted year. They will get the opportunity to blood plenty of youth and show the fans what is in store for the future. [caption id="attachment_42302" align="alignnone" width="696"] GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 21: Crows players leave after the loss during the round 3 AFL match between the Gold Coast Suns and the Adelaide Crows at Metricon Stadium on June 21, 2020 in Gold Coast, Australia. (Photo by Jono Searle/AFL Photos/via Getty Images )[/caption] However, wins will be hard to come by and as a result the Crows will consolidate their first-ever wooden spoon with a second in 2021.

Season Preview: Adelaide

The rebuild continues for the Crows in 2021, but will they be cellar-dwellers once again?

5. Best 22

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		P	W	L	PTS	%
1	ADEL	23	18	5	72	139.3
2	GEEL	23	17	6	68	141.5
3	BL	23	16	6	66	114.2
4	COLL	23	16	7	64	122.4
5	GWS	23	16	7	64	115.3
6	FRE	23	16	7	64	109
7	GC	23	15	8	60	124.9
8	HAW	23	15	8	60	120.9