Throughout the final years of the 1990s, AFL clubs across the land looked backwards rather than forward, with selectors, historians and superstars converging to name their Teams of the 20th Century.
So, as we near the quarter-time mark of the 21st century, what better time to run the rule on which players are likely to feature when the selectors of tomorrow get together in several decades' time?
While every club has an array of deadset legends that can be called on, we here at Zero Hanger have employed the following rules of selection:
First up, we head to West Lakes to catalogue the crème de la crème of the Adelaide Football Club.
240 games, 21.8 disposals per game, 75 Brownlow votes, 0.3 votes per game
Never the straw that stirred Adelaide's drink, but never the weak link either, Edwards toiled hard for the Crows, season after season, despite never earning his just desserts on awards night.
A favourite of fans and most teammates alike, Edwards was the kind of player you wanted in the trenches beside you.
1 x best and fairest (2015)
3 x All-Australian (2012, 2013 and 2015)
154 games, 21.1 disposals per game, 97 Brownlow votes, 0.6 votes per game
Despite capping his ascent to superstardom as a Cat, Dangerfield cut his teeth as a Crow, progressing from a fresh-faced kid to a genuine Brownlow threat.
If Dangerfield had stayed on at West Lakes instead of heading home to Moggs Creek, there is no denying he would have sat higher on this list.
2 x best and fairest (2013 and 2016)
1 x All-Australian (2016)
255 games, 21.8 disposals per game, 108 Brownlow votes, 0.4 votes per game
Heart, soul and hard as nails, where Sloane goes, his teammates invariably follow.
While no longer at his peak or officially calling the shots for the Crows, the veteran still has a role to play in Adelaide's ascent back up the ladder.
2 x best and fairest (2011 and 2012)
1 x All-Australian (2012)
269 games, 25.1 disposals per game, 152 Brownlow votes, 0.6 votes per game
Despite starting his career as a Demon, Thompson flourished upon returning home to South Australia, melding brawn with a brilliant skillset.
While the Crows never saluted during Thompson's time at the club, fans and teammates alike could always rely on the midfielder who ran like Greenwich Mean Time.
3 x best and fairest (2018, 2021 and 2022)
2 x All-Australian (2017 and 2018)
224 games, 27.1 disposals per game, 93 Brownlow votes, 0.4 votes per game
Although a contemporary great of the club, Laird has already left a sizable mark during his decade and change as a Crow.
Still contracted until the end of the 2026 season, the ball-magnet could still rise up this list.
4 x leading goalkicker (2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017)
3 x All-Australian (2015, 2016 and 2017)
132 games, 310 goals, 2.3 goals per game
While drafted by the Blues before rounding out his glittering career at Princes Park, Betts' peak as a forward came during his six seasons as a Crow.
Again, like Dangerfield, had Betts worn the tri-colours for longer, his name would have sat higher on this list.
However, Eddie will always have his pocket at the Adelaide Oval.
7 x leading goalkicker (2011, 2012, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023)
1 x All-Australian (2023)
260 games, 612 goals, 2.35 goals per game
With a career-best 76-goal 2023 campaign, Walker finally earned his first All-Australian blazer at the seasoned age of 33.
Akin to Sloane, the Broken Hill native still has a large role to play in 2024, leading an absolutely stacked offensive unit.
3 x best and fairest (2000, 2005 and 2006)
5 x All-Australian (2000, 2001, 2005, 2006 and 2009)
225 games, 22.7 disposals per game, 74 Brownlow votes, 0.3 votes per game
Think Goodwin these days and you are sure to picture the former star in red and blue.
However, for the first decade of the 2000s, Goodwin was a key cog in the Crows' wheel, earning individual honours but never quite returning to the premiership dais.
2 x best and fairest (2001 and 2007)
4 x All-Australian (2000, 2001, 2006 and 2007)
239 games, 21.7 disposals per game, 124 Brownlow votes, 0.5 votes per game
If we were looking at entire careers, McLeod would have topped this list, with his back-to-back Norm Smith Medals separating him from the rest of the red, gold and blue pack.
And while none of the superstar's achievements this century are anything to sneeze at, 'Bunji' has been squeezed out by a long-term teammate of his.
1 x Brownlow Medal (2003)
2 x best and fairest (2003 and 2004)
5 x All-Australian (2000, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005)
163 games, 21.2 disposals per game, 96 Brownlow votes, 0.6 votes per game
While Ricciuto called West Lakes home for the vast majority of the 1990s, it was after the turn of the millennium that the steely midfielder's star rose to its highest point.
A quintet of All-Australian blazers, a pair of Malcolm Blight Medals and the only Brownlow in club history proved enough to put 'Roo' atop this chart of Crows.