ADELAIDE will be looking to return to the Grand Final in 2019, and have recruited well to provide that rise up the ladder. The Crows have recruited young talent to bolster their line-up, and have also added 35 year-old Jess Foley to their ruck stocks.

What they needed:

• A ruck to support Rhiannon Metcalfe, after Jess Allan decided to not play AFL Women’s this year because of work commitments
• Midfield support due to the delisting of Georgia Bevan
• Small forward to replace Ruth Wallace

Players selected:

Nikki Gore – South Adelaide

Gore is a hard-nut midfielder who can get the ball on the inside and feed it out. She is great through congestion and can create space with her good kicking. She is a member of the AFL Women’s Academy, was named in the 2018 AFL Women’s All Australian squad, and was a premiership player for South Adelaide. Gore will certainly enjoy working alongside the likes of Ebony Marinoff and Erin Phillips in the middle, which will make Adelaide’s midfield one to watch in 2019.

Jess Foley – Sturt

Foley comes from a basketball background so she is no stranger to a high vertical leap. She will provide some much-needed support for Rhiannon Metcalfe, who shouldered a lot of Adelaide’s ruck duties last season. In Foley’s first season of the South Australian Women’s Football League (SAWFL), she won the Coaches Award for Sturt and was named in the Team of the Year as a ruck, highlighting her ability to make an immediate impact.

Chloe Scheer – Central District

Chloe Scheer looked a certainty to be drafted last year before an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury ended her hopes of being a Crow in the 2018 season. She had a stellar 2017, winning an Under-18 Best and Fairest and senior Best and Fairest as a 16 year-old, claiming a spot in the Under-18 All Australian team and was nominated for the SANFLW Star Search award. She comes into the Crows’ line-up as a clever forward/midfielder, so she could play a similar role to Erin Phillips, who rotated through the two positions last year.

Katelyn Rosenzweig – Salisbury

Rosenzweig has been a South Australian Under 18 sensation, winning the 2018 SANFLW Leading Goalkicker Award as a 17 year-old and making the 2018 AFL Women’s Under 18 All Australian squad. This is Rosenzweig’s first year as a forward, having played most of her junior career as a defender. Expect her to provide a key target in the forward line, thanks to her great overhead mark and accurate kick. This will help fill the void of exciting forward, Ruth Wallace. She could also rotate between the 50s to add an element of versatility to the Crows’ line-up.

Hannah Martin- West Adelaide

Martin predominantly plays on the wing and displays elite speed. She could help Rosenzweig fill the void of Wallace, but could do so with her excitement and unpredictability with the ball in hand. Despite 2018 being her first year of football, Martin is the reigning SANFLW Best and Fairest and was selected in the SANFLW Team of the Year, thanks to her handy average of 15 disposals. She is the older sister of Central Allies Under-18 representative, Rachelle Martin. Expect the West Adelaide winger to break the lines well for the Crows in 2019.

How they went:

The Crows did well to bolster their ruck stocks, drafting Jess Foley to complement Rhiannon Metcalfe. Jasmyn Hewett also spent a lot of time in the ruck playing for the NT Thunder in the Victorian Football League (VFL) Women’s, so the trio will be formidable at the contest. Adelaide has managed to fill the absence of Ruth Wallace perfectly, combining Hannah Martin’s excitement, Katelyn Rosenzweig’s goal sense and Chloe Scheer’s consistency inside 50. Scheer provides benefits in the midfield too, as she has the capacity to roll across both positions. Nikki Gore’s aggression in the midfield will complement Ebony Marinoff’s style really well, with both players possessing the ability to dominate on the inside.