The Crows were flying high and mighty going into the 2017 AFL Grand Final but little did they know that the events that unfolded that day would put in motion the sinking of the club into mediocrity for the foreseeable future.
Fast forward to the present, and Adelaide have been through the wringer since that fateful final Saturday in September, however, things are now looking up ahead of what could potentially unfold over the coming years.
With a series of promising youngsters and a few elite stars in their ranks, the Crows are now primed for improvement in 2022 and with a few additions over the off-season to facilitate their rise, it should be feeling optimistic about the future.
Off-season moves
Ins
Jordan Dawsonย (Sydney Swans, 2026),ย Luke Nankervisย (2022),ย Josh Racheleย (2023),ย Jake Soligoย (2023),ย Zac Taylorย (2022)
Outs
Ben Davisย (delisted),ย Bryce Gibbsย (retired),ย Jake Kellyย (Essendon Bombers),ย Tom Lynchย (delisted),ย David Mackayย (retired),ย Ronin O'Connorย (delisted),ย Daniel Taliaย (delisted)
Weaknesses
Defensive solidity: The Crows have been lacking quality at the back for some time, having the third most and single-most leakiest defence in the competition for last season and 2020 respectively.
The departure of Daniel Talia and Jake Kelly saw the Crows lose two of their most solid rearguard leaders, with the former's injury history finally taking a toll on his career.
With Jordan Dawson coming to the club, previous expectations were that the 24-year-old would start down in defence, however, it's been rumoured that the former Swan may just slot in on the opposite wing to Seedsman in Round 1, extinguishing hopes of some defensive reinforcement.
It's not for a lack of defensive personnel, with the Crows' list containing well in excess of a dozen available backmen, but it's the quality of said defenders which leave questions over whether or not Adelaide will be able to shut out teams that they should be overcoming.
Key forward role: Taylor Walker came out firing in 2021, however, controversies off-field late on in the year meant that the 31-year-old was forced to sit out the final three games of the season.
Taking the 220-game veteran out of the lineup exposed Adelaide's weakness of having no genuine key forward at this point in time, with star 2020 draftee Riley Thilthorpe being deployed in the ruck and not having a huge effect when placed down in attack.
It's harsh to expect the youngster to be a ready-made solution for the Crows' problems, hence why more onus is placed on other tall forward Elliott Himmelberg who was unable to nail down a spot in the side, only playing eight games and booting the same amount of majors.
Although Darcy Fogarty can occasionally turn it on, his performances have been too few and far between to be classed as a true key forward who can win matches off his own boot. Therefore, it looks as if it could be another year of placing precedence on small forwards to chip in with the workload.
Middle-aged talent: The set of youngsters that the Crows boast was mentioned previously, but it's their set of players in their prime - or lack thereof - that looks as if it could hold back the team in 2022.
If we say that a footballer's prime years are between ages 24 and 29, the Crows have 12 players on that list that slot into that category. Moreover, only five of them appeared over 20 times in 2021, signifying the lack of starting prime players within the side.
The 'prime years' concept is a subjective one, with some fans claiming that once a player hits their 30th birthday, they're automatically a fossil in footballing terms. However, it's painstakingly obvious Matthew Nicks currently has a squad that is very much at either end of the age category.
Of course, as time wears on the Crows will add more and more into that middle-age bracket, but for 2022, the side will have to make do with the stretched list that they currently wield.
