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 Dawson (Sydney Swans, 2026), Luke Nankervis (2022), Josh Rachele (2023), Jake Soligo (2023), Zac Taylor (2022)
Outs
Ben Davis (delisted), Bryce Gibbs (retired), Jake Kelly (Essendon Bombers), Tom Lynch (delisted), David Mackay (retired), Ronin O'Connor (delisted), Daniel Talia (delisted)
After falling so far from grace in season 2020, Adelaide had a much better year in 2021, starting the season off strong by winning three of their first five matches.
However, the first month of the season was where the club's dream of a rapid ascent back to the promised land ended, only winning a further four games for the year to just jump off the bottom of the ladder and finish in 15th.
The undoubted highlight of the Crows' season was their emphatic nail-biting win over eventual premiers Melbourne at the Adelaide Oval, with the final siren triggering scenes of pandemonium for a long-suffering set of fans.
The main focus of the year was the club's midfield, with the likes of Rory Laird, Paul Seedsman, Ben Keays and Rory Sloane pulling the strings for the side and leaving nothing in the tank no matter the result.
Taylor Walker was another surprise package up in the forward line. Still, his infamous racism controversy late on in the season marred what should have been a shining campaign for him.
Midfield brigade: Despite the team having a torrid time in several encounters over the course of 2021, one thing that head coach Matthew Nicks can point to as a serious strength is Adelaide's engine room.
The midfield, consisting of best-and-fairest winner Rory Laird, Ben Keays, Rory Sloane, Paul Seedsman and Matt Crouch, is as solid as a group as you'd hope for in any side.
The ball-winning ability of the likes of Keays and Laird, as well as the run of Seedsman, is a potent pairing to have for coach Nicks, with the club finishing eighth in the competition for total contested possessions in season 2021.
Waiting in the wings are the likes of Brayden Cook, Lachie Sholl and Harry Schoenberg, with Jackson Hately hoping to kickstart his Adelaide career this year, meaning that the club has sound depth to combat any injuries that come about.
Crop of youngsters: With the high draft picks that the club have been thrown over the past few seasons, there have been some exciting prospects that have walked through the door at West Lakes.
2021's draft saw Pick 6 Josh Rachele come to the City of Churches before the Crows picked Josh Soligo and Zac Taylor at Picks 36 and 44 respectively. In the pre-season draft, mid-forward Luke Nankervis was also taken at Pick 4 from the footy factory at Sandringham Dragons.
All of these incomings are either midfielders or forwards, joining the likes of Riley Thilthorpe and Luke Pedlar as the club seemingly pursue an attack-minded style of recruitment.
With the Crows' offence lacking in 2021, it will be down to these new additions to inject some goals into the side throughout 2022 with some help from those already established within the team.
Small forward stocks: As mentioned before, the club has done a brilliant job of making sure their small forward stocks are kept high.
Shane McAdam, Sam Berry, James Rowe, Ned McHenry and Lachlan Murphy amongst others are all in contention week in, week out for a starting spot in the Crows side, with those names alone combining for 65 goals last year.
However, the main addition here is the aforementioned Josh Rachele who is rated extremely highly by recruiters nationwide. His ability to either play in midfield or down in attack and perform under pressure has many at the Crows firmly believing they've uncovered a genuine match-winner.
With 'Tex' Walker being out for the first few rounds of the season, the small forwards will have to step up and take some of the load come Round 1 and get their side off to a flyer.
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.
It's no doubt that 2021 best-and-fairest Rory Laird is the Crows star man heading into this year, with the 28-year-old proving to be an imperious presence in the engine room for Matthew Nicks.
His transition from half-back to an inside midfielder was seamless, averaging a whopping 32 disposals, 6.9 clearances and six tackles per game - huge numbers for a man playing for a side usually on the receiving end of some shellackings.
The efficiency of his disposals means that he constantly puts his side on the front foot, and with a long time still to go in his career Laird could be the heart and soul of Adelaide's side for years to come.
A youngster's first year at AFL level is often the most difficult year in terms of adjusting to life at the very top, so 2022 should be the year that star forward Riley Thilthorpe kicks on and becomes a core part of the Adelaide setup.
The 19-year-old managed 18 goals from 14 games in 2021, and his massive two-metre frame means that he has the potential to mature into one of the great superstars of the competition should everything go to plan.
With this year's big arrival in Josh Rachele joining the Crows camp in 2022, Thilthorpe will have another young gun to bond with inside the forward 50, with fireworks set to ensue if they both turn it on.
A six-week period from Rounds 12 up to 18 is set to shape where the Crows finish up this year, with the club likely to be battling to stay out of the wooden spoon race come the mid-point of the year.
Games at home to West Coast, Melbourne and Collingwood will be pivotal and getting two victories from those three would be classed as big results in the grand scheme of things. The Crows will have to travel to the Gold Coast and Tasmania to play the Suns and Roos, before heading to the 'G in Round 17 to lock horns with Sam Mitchell's Hawks.
Winning half of the six games they play in that period would be a massive morale-lifter for the side as they aim to make even more progress this year relative to last season.
With the recruitment they've done over the summer plus the strides they took in 2021, it's hard to see Adelaide clinching the wooden spoon for the second time in three years.
Instead, anything below their finishing position last year would be a failure in Matthew Nicks' eyes, with 2021 teaching him and his coaching staff plenty about what direction they should proceed in.
Another pre-season under the belt of Adelaide's young guns only serves to better their footballing ability, and should hopefully translate to a holistic improvement within the side.
Predicted position: 17th