ADELAIDE has a new coach and lost a trio of top talents including champion midfielder Anne Hatchard during the AFLW Trade Period, but also armed itself with three first round selections, and Gold Coast’s coveted first rounder next season. It means the Crows will begin life under Ryan Davis with some serious top-end talent coming into the program.

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2025 RECORD: 6th (H&A) | 7-5 | 112.0% | Eliminated: Semi-Finals
2025 PICKS: 4, 13, 17, 39, 60, 68, 86
FUTURE PICKS: ’26 R1 (Gold Coast), ’26 R3 (Essendon), ’26 R3 (Adelaide), 26′ R3 (Melbourne)

LIST CHANGES:

IN
Grace Egan (trade, Richmond)

OUT
Abbie Ballard (delisted), Rachelle Martin (delisted), Stevie-Lee Thompson (retired), Anne Hatchard (trade, Gold Coast), Zoe Prowse (trade, Essendon), Brooke Boileau (trade, Carlton)

Adelaide made a like-for-like replacement position-wise with Richmond’s Grace Egan able to come in and slot on-ball with Hatchard and Boileau’s departures, while the loss of versatile tall utility Prowse could hurt the Crows the most. They also cleared out a number of tenacious small forwards over the off-season.

FIRST PICK:
Pick 4

Adelaide has set itself up in the box seat behind Richmond and GWS Giants and should have a fair idea of which players will be available at the Crows’ first pick. Shuffling ahead of Collingwood, it means Adelaide might opt for the versatile small in Chloe Baker-West, or if available look to West Australian tall Olivia Wolmarans.

It is hard to imagine that GWS will not snap up Chloe Bown very quickly after Richmond select Scarlett Johnson, but the Crows would read her name out even quicker if she was there. Bown and Wolmarans are the tipped ones to head to the Giants, which means Adelaide might toss up between Baker-West and her Vic Metro teammate, Tayla McMillan.

Obviously it also depends on the bidding situation with Gold Coast, with the Crows potentially placing one on any number of the not already bidded on players from the Suns. Could they try and force Sydney’s hand with one on Alex Neyland in the process?

REMAINING CROP:
Picks 13, 17, 39

The benefit of moving up to four and still having 13 and 17 means the Crows can pick between best available and needs. Adelaide could picture pairing up Subiaco duo Wolmarans – if not taken by the Giants – and Olivia Crane to sure up the tall stocks up either end, while taking at least one midfielder in the process.

The Crows could even snatch up three West Australians with West Perth’s Mia Russo able to play a similar role to Boileau and Hatchard. They have plenty of powerful midfielders who can go forward in that zone though, with Tasmanian Priya Bowering and Vic Country’s Maggie Johnstone both thereabouts. Big-bodied utility Jade McLay is another one to keep in mind in the region, with a potential pairing of Calder Cannons graduates alongside Baker-West on the cards. Potentially a bid on Swans Academy Kiera Yerbury is also on the cards here.

From a South Australian perspective, Central District’s Sophie Eaton is a Crows Academy member and one would have to think she is a good shout for the later of the selections in the first round, though Croweaters skipper Imogen Trengove will likely not be there with the Crows’ last selection so might go early too and she fits a need.

Pick 39 is anyone’s guess, but the Crows might opt for a tall defender in that area be it Zara Neuwirth or Alex McBride-Loane, but the local talent in Eloise Mackereth up the other end might be too good to resist if she is there. A lot to play out before it comes to that pick, though.

KEY QUESTIONS:

– Will the Crows opt for a small with Pick 4 such as Baker-West or McMillan?
– Do they try and fill some key position holes?
– Does a local talent find a way onto Adelaide’s list?