ALWAYS there at the pointy end of the season, Adelaide is a side that will never be too far away from premiership contention. Though the Crows fell short of defending their Season 6 title in Season 7, they were able to get games into a stack of first and second-season players to set up for the future.

TEAM LIST

#1 Caitlin Gould
#2 Eloise Jones
#3 Amber Ward
#4 Zoe Prowse
#5 Rachelle Martin
#6 Hannah Button
#7 Keeley Kustermann
#8 Najwa Allen
#9 Deni Varnhagen
#10 Ebony Marinoff
#11 Sarah Goodwin
#12 Chelsea Biddell
#13 Kiera Mueller
#14 Stevie-Lee Thompson
#15 Danielle Ponter
#16 Taylah Levy
#17 Madison Newman
#18 Brooke Smith
#19 Jess Waterhouse
#20 Hannah Munyard
#21 Montana McKinnon
#22 Lisa Whiteley
#23 Niamh Kelly
#24 McKenzie Dowrick
#25 Teah Charlton
#26 Chelsea Randall
#27 Abbie Ballard
#28 Brooke Tonon
#31 Yvonne Bonner
#32 Jess Allan
#33 Anne Hatchard
#39 Sarah Allan

CHANGES

In: Sarah Goodwin, Jess Allan, Taylah Levy, Brooke Smith, Yvette Bonner, Demi Varnhagen (inactive)
Out: Ashleigh Saint, Ailish Considine, Dayna Cox, Marijana Rajcic, Jasmyn Hewett, Jasmine Simmons

FIXTURE

Round 1: vs. Port Adelaide @ Norwood Oval
Round 2: vs. Richmond @ Ikon Park
Round 3: vs. Essendon @ Unley Oval
Round 4: vs. GWS @ Manuka Oval
Round 5: vs. Gold Coast @ Unley Oval
Round 6: vs. Melbourne @ Casey Fields
Round 7: vs. Western Bulldogs @ Norwood Oval
Round 8: vs. Brisbane @ Brighton Homes Arena
Round 9: vs. North Melbourne @ Unley Oval
Round 10: vs. West Coast @ Mineral Resources Park

STRENGTHS

• Experience

• Top-end midfield quality

• Ruck depth

• High floor

There is little doubt that the one-two punch of Ebony Marinoff and Anne Hatchard makes the Crows one of the toughest midfields to come up against. But it is not just the top-end quality that can punish opposition sides, but the growth of players such as Teah Charlton, and the move of captain Chelsea Randall in there at times.

Along with the midfield talent, the ruck depth at the club is quite impressive even with the loss of Jasmine Simmons to the Power. The Crows have Caitlin Gould as the number one ruck, but realistically she will go forward or play any role they need her in, which gives the young combination of Montana McKinnon and Zoe Prowse a go. Not to mention bringing in Jess Allan who adds to that area.

Perhaps the big difference between the Crows and arguably 15 other clubs is the incredibly spread across the entire playing list. Adelaide’s bottom six players could come in and play a role with ease, and therefore the floor – in terms of the Crows’ theoretical worst case performance – is quite high, and makes them difficult to beat even if they do not always have the game on their own terms.

QUESTION MARKS

• Overcoming loss of Ash Saint (nee Woodland)

• Tough fixture

The big question mark coming into the season for the Crows will be how they overcome the loss of of a competition leading goalkicker in Ash Saint. With Erin Phillips going the year before, the Crows will look to the likes of Danielle Ponter and Abbie Ballard to have an impact, and while no doubt Matthew Clarke will find a way, it will not be easy.

While the team is good enough to get to the pointy end, the Crows will have to earn it, playing the grand finalists and Richmond away from home, and four of the other top six teams from last season.

BEST & FAIREST CONTENDER

While the likes of Hatchard and Marinoff will always be among the contenders for the league best and fairest, one player who somehow gets better each year is skipper Randall. If she has the same impact all over the ground as she has the last couple of seasons, then anyone who can play on all three lines will be highly fancied by the umpires.

BREAKOUT PLAYER

Sarah Goodwin could be a good shout if the Glenelg speedster can get a run at it in the tri-colours. Making the switch over from Alberton, Goodwin showed her class back at SANFL Women’s level and is a player who has enormous potential to impact at the top level.

PREDICTION

Adelaide has too much talent on its list to not make finals, and realistically should be in top four contention. If they find a way to cover Saint, there is no reason the Crows cannot be considered among the flag contenders, and they clearly have some terrific depth at their disposal.