Adelaide will walk away from the 2024 AFL Trade Period with a grin stretching from ear to ear.
Securing the likes of established players Alex Neal-Bullen, James Peatling, and Isaac Cumming immediately makes the team better, whilst holding onto Pick 4 in a stacked draft will no doubt see a future star walk into the West Lakes club.
But, the proud club has been starved of finals opportunities since its appearance in the 2017 AFL Grand Final, which did not go as planned, beginning with the infamous 'power stance' that had Richmond - and the entire football community - giggling during the National Anthem.
Since then, the club has endured a tortuous pre-season camp that fractured the club, which some can say is still being repaired.
Former Sydney player and now Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks inherited the underperforming South Australian side ahead of the COVID-19-impacted seasons, which yielded its first-ever wooden spoon in 2020.
In Nicks' time, the club has watched a host of former stars depart due to retirement and delistings, with list manager Justin Reid playing a huge significance on the draft.
As a result, players like Josh Rachele, Riley Thilthorpe, Dan Curtin, Max Michalanney, Jake Soligo and Sam Berry walked through the door.
Topped with the acquisitions of Jordan Dawson and Izak Rankine, as well as the most recent trio.
Season 2024 was an utter disappointment for a team that was robbed of a finals spot the year prior by way of a faulty goal review in the final round.
But now's the time for Adelaide and Nicks.
The Crows coach was signed until the end of 2026, providing him with a sense of security, but make no mistake, the whips are well and truly cracking.
For a club that has had extended holidays beginning before September for the past seven campaigns, the club's figureheads will begin to ask questions if it becomes an eighth season.
And Nicks could be no more.
In 2023, Adelaide was the highest-scoring team in the competition, utilising a lot of their star power in the front half, all of which are still there.
Neal-Bullen will immediately add that connection piece between defence and offence as a hard-working forward-midfielder, while Cumming's poise and skill will assist Nicks in gaining metres from the backline.
Peatling can allow Dawson to be freed up while Rory Laird could return to a defensively-minded midfielder or small defender, a role he initially made his name from.
The age demographic of the group is historically in a sweet spot, averaging 25.1 years across the board, with three players over 30 and four more set to join the club in 2025.
Their areas of concern will be the key defensive options despite the rise in the estimation of Irishman Mark Keane.
The former Pie rose to relative stardom following an impressive 2024, while Nick Murray and Jordon Butts will need to follow suit.
Ruckman Reilly O'Brien found himself in the SANFL at times but will need to regain his form from years gone by.
But as a contingency plan, the Crows will "come hard" for Essendon ruckman Sam Draper, who will need to see drastic improvement if he were to entertain a move to his home state.
Adelaide has everything at their disposal, with weapons all across the ground.
And Nicks better make the most of it or face the cold, harsh world on his own.
