After several dismal seasons languishing near the bottom, the Crows face the very real need for a bounce back up the ladder in season 2023. While they have been in a rebuild phase for a while, they're still short on the kind of quality that would see them play finals.
This has been exacerbated for years, losing key players to trade requests or serious injuries. However, all clubs have to contend with these issues and it's incumbent on the club to begin to rise back up the ladder.
Season 2022 was another to forget for the South Australians, winning just eight games and falling well short of finals. Despite it being an ordinary season, there were the occasional highlights, notably a win over crosstown rivals Port Adelaide after the siren, as well as wins over the Bulldogs, Richmond and Carlton.
Yet it also came with plenty of poor moments, losing ten out of twelve games during the season that not only ruled them out of finals, but had them in contention for a bottom-four finish. They salvaged things somewhat by winning three of their last four, but the damage was done.
It's not ideal for a club that has historically never been out of finals contention for long, having not featured in September since being smashed by the Tigers in the 2017 Grand Final. After a quick decent, they will be optimistic they are on the right track however, winning more games than the previous season every year since 2020.
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Coach Matthew Nicks has been under some pressure, however he appears to have the full support of the playing group and there are some green shoots appearing via the draft and smart trade acquisitions. With that being said, they can't afford to be making up the numbers for much longer.
Strong first steps have been taken with the likes of Izak Rankine and Jordan Dawson being acquired as needs for the club, injecting class and ability. Though Rankine is yet to play a game for the Crows, there is no doubting his ability. Ben Keays has been a revelation for them, proving a bargain after being salvaged from the AFL scrapheap.
More will be expected of Jackson Hately, who is yet to fully find his feet, only featuring in 11 games in season 2022, while the loss of Paul Seedsman to concussion for another full year will be costly for the Crows.
The Crows have plenty of youth on their list, what they need are ready-made players of quality, who can step in to fill gaps in this team that are being exposed by much of the competition.
With that in mind, we take a look at four players who might fit the Adelaide wish list in a hypothetical situation where stealing a player was possible.
2. Touk Miller
With Laird's ability to tackle but also run and gun, coupled with Ben Keays' ability to do the same, the need for an inside midfielder who can also move at stoppages is crucial. Sam Berry is coming along nicely but they still need more firepower in this area.
Jackson Hately was supposed to fill this void but he's taken time to adjust, while Rory Sloan has been enormous for them over the years but injury appears to be taking its toll. Finally, Matt Crouch is on the outs, dominating in the SANFL yet not able to get a look in.
A blue-chip midfielder with skills, pace, power and leadership is on every club's wish list, with the Crows a prime example of a club crying out for one more than others. Touk Miller has established himself as one of the competition's finest onballers and leaders at the Gold Coast Suns.
His standards, work ethic and strength of character are matched only by his athleticism and football ability. He would be an incredible addition to the Crows engine room and at 26 years of age, is entering his prime.
His 2022 season was phenomenal, averaging 28.4 disposals, 6.0 tackles, 7.8 clearances and 5.5 inside 50s per game. Those kinds of numbers saw him ranked second in the AFL for clearances and fourth for contested possessions per game.
His standout season was rewarded when with 27 votes and a third-placed finish on Brownlow night, while he was also selected in the All-Australian team for the second year running. The Crows would love a player of Miller's ilk in their midst.
