Season 2025 - Adelaide

Football Discussion Non Essendon Stuff
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Adelaide

Coach – Matthew Nicks

2024 –

Points For – 12th
Points Against –10th

Top 5 Best and Fairest

=1. Jordan Dawson
=1. Ben Keays
3. Jake Soligo
4. Max Michalanney
5. Darcy Fogarty

2024 Rising Star Noms

Luke Nankervis (Rnd 13)

Ins – Isaac Cumming, Sid Draper, Alex Neal-Bullen, James Peatling, Tyler Welsh

Outs – Lachlan Gollant, Will Hammill, Elliott Himmelberg, Ned McHenry, Patrick Parnell, Rory Sloane

My Prediction

I had to google twice to make sure Nicks was still the coach, feels like he has been fired a whole bunch of times. Adelaide paid the price for a successful 2023 with a tough draw in 2024 and a list that wasn’t quite up to it. They lost a few close games (one courtesy of the bombers after Draper doing his ridiculous dive thing). They topped up in trade and the benefit of a high draft pick to go again.

The backline needs to perform better and I am not sure that Cumming coming in will make a big difference. Murray and Keane are just ok whilst Michalanney has been really good for a young player. They would have liked to have seen more from Curtin who everyone thought was ready to go but just hasn’t settled into it. It is a very average backline.

The midfield is ok at the top end but probably more working class than world beating. They let teams get on top and have trouble arresting the momentum. It feels like they leave way too much to Dawson and Rankine. Crouch found his way back in after being stuck in purgatory for an exceptionally long period of time. Laird, Sholl and Peatling play their part in making them one of the most boring teams in football. I would expect Draper to play some serious mid/forward time this year.

The forward line paid the price for Walker falling off the cliff (in true Essendon style, they rewarded that with another contract). Thilthorpe showed signs of turning into the player he was drafted to be. He is a massive unit. Neal-Bullen will bring some class with him and Keays has been really good over a long period now. Rachele is a player you would think would like the bright lights but when the pressure is on, he drops off. Fogarty also looked good in patches last year and as Walker steps away, it makes more space for Fogarty to have an impact.

Reilly O’Brien looked like he was going to become a really good ruck a couple of years ago. Looks can be deceiving and he is a spud. I expect them to come for Sam Draper this year in a relatively big way because they need something. Nicks needs a good year or he will join the scrap heap of ex Adelaide coaches. One good year doesn’t hold much weight at Adelaide and that is all he has.

The Crows are so boring, one of the teams I wont watch unless they are playing someone very interesting. They rely on Dawson and Rankine to be matchwinners and when they are shut out of the game it seems like there isn’t much else. I don’t think they are a top eight team but they certainly shouldn’t be a bottom four team. I think 11-13 is about the landing spot.

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I think Crows are still pretty Vanilla, midfield is thin.
Bottom 4 IMO.

AFL would love it, but its a bit sad that the crows and eagles are insignificant now, like us adding year on year of mediocrity.

At least the eagles have Harley Reid and recent success. I think Nicks will be given his marching orders this year, but they simply don’t have the cattle.

Dawson has gone to another level and is a good captain, but they lack talent.

According to draft guru they have 3 A graders, but IMO its just Dawson with Rankine as a B+

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Their good is really good. Their bad is woeful. Rarely do they produce something in between.

They are the non-Victorian Essendon equivalent in that regard. Could sneak into the eight, could be bottom four.

Sid Draper was a damn good get for them, though.

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Boring and uninspiring

Nicks is gone this year

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If they don’t make the 8 this season, Nicks will be sacked. I quite like him, but he’s entering his 6th season. If you can’t make the finals once in that time (granted, they were dudded in 2023 with that non-goal call on Keays v Sydney which would’ve put them in the 8 and the Swans outside) then I don’t see how you can hold onto the job. Their forward line is exciting and potent, defence is workmanlike but yeah, that midfield lacks a fair bit of class. Not being a great Free Agent destination makes it hard to attract top-line talent so you have to hit some home runs in the draft.

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I reckon Nicks has been close to losing the playing group at times, it’ll be interesting to see if they can all get on the same page. Not at all convinced that keeping Walker helps that either.

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We’ll beat them Rd.2 at the G.

I’d be surprised if they made the 8.
Not sure where the improvement comes from ?

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I think Sid Draper could be the best player from the draft just gone and his burst from stoppage is absolutely something the Crows have been lacking. I hope for their sake that he can come to hand fairly quickly at AFL level and have genuine influence from season one.

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Its probably better for their sake to get another top end talent in before getting back to mid table. Strange Tex playing on as hes just gonna give them a couple of wins more that could be the difference between getting Luke Jackson or Fisher McAsey on draft night.

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He should be used to bright lights, he sleeps with the lights on. I am surprised that Rankine didn’t feature in their B & F.

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He missed a fairly considerable chunk of the season (8 games).

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The best moves the Crows will make will be binning that fool Ricciuto and getting Balme into the club.

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