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ANZ Premiership LIVE from 4pmDestination club: The credit owed to Adelaide's list management
Jaiden Sciberras • June 1st, 2025 4:57 pm
The Adelaide Crows have continued their dominant display of attacking football, brushing the Swans aside on Saturday night to propel into the top three.
Fielding their three-pronged attack with consistency, the Crows have developed into one of the AFL’s most dangerous sides going forward. Saturday night’s 131-41 win over the Swans elevated the side to a league-leading 139.3 per cent, with an average of 104 points scored per game, second to only the Western Bulldogs.
While the side was stacked with attacking talent entering this season, their work over the summer to fill out surrounding positions on the ground has made major inroads in their quest for September football.
Securing the talent of trio Isaac Cumming, James Peatling and Alex Neal-Bullen to complement their forward half has been a major success. Having cemented their place within the starting 22, the trio have impressed immensely over the course of the first 12 rounds.
Within their victory over the Swans, the recruits combined for 67 disposals, 11 tackles and three goals, proving to be the exact profiles required to build out a successful, cohesive on-field unit.
Alongside stars Izak Rankine and captain Jordan Dawson, who the club also managed to attract from elsewhere, SEN’s Cam Luke has commended Adelaide’s list management in their ability to consistently attract and sign top AFL talent.
“What they have done, the list management, and the recruiters, and Matthew Nicks, and everybody who has to wine and dine players who are already in the league, to be able to suggest that playing in Adelaide's a great place to play and therefore choose the Crows over Port Adelaide (is what has them in this position),” Luke told SEN Crunch Time.
“I know there's extenuating circumstances at different times, but they went out and got players that just perfectly suited exactly what they needed.
“They then held off Collingwood from all reports who were trying to get (Mark) Keane back, but their ability to go and get players, Jordan Dawson from another club, Rankine likewise, Peatling, Cumming, Neal-Bullen, all of those five have had outstanding starts to the year.
“We're sitting here and we're saying, Adelaide can legitimately push to have a crack in September.
“They've done it in a way where they've been able to sell the dream that Adelaide's the place for the best footy.
“Collingwood's doing it, Brisbane won a flag and a continually one of the best teams by having players who they were able to sell the dream, that that's a destination club.
“Right now, Adelaide is most certainly a destination club when it comes to being able to suggest to fully fledged AFL players who play seniors each and every week, (that they) can come in and help the team win a flag.
“That's a kudos to the whole club.”
Now with eight wins on the season, the Crows will embrace the challenge of the reigning premiers at home next Friday in a battle for second spot on the AFL ladder.
