Adelaide signals its arrival as a genuine AFL heavyweight and is perfectly placed for a premiership charge
A crushing 61-point defeat over the rising Gold Coast Suns has helped Adelaide soar into premiership contention, now among the favourites to take out the flag alongside Brisbane and Victorian heavyweights Collingwood.
With seven wins from their last eight games, (the only loss in that period coming against Hawthorn by three points), the Crows have signalled their arrival as a force to be reckoned with late in the season.
Captain Jordan Dawson has led the charge again this season, but he wouldn't be drawn into the argument that his club was the new flag favourite, ahead of Adelaide's Showdown 58 clash against the Power this weekend.
"I think we've got a great group and I'm really confident in the way we play our footy and the way we go about it," Dawson said.
"I've got no doubt our best footy is definitely good enough but like we've seen this year, any team on any given day can beat you, so we're very wary of that."
James Peatling, Isaac Cumming and Alex Neal-Bullen all joined the Crows ahead of 2025 and have all had their moments to shine in 2025.
Neal-Bullen's role as a midfielder and forward has given other players, like Dawson and Izak Rankine, freedom to be more damaging up the field.
The former Demon has also been damaging himself, kicking three goals and gathering a career-high 31 disposals against the Suns last weekend.
Former Giants Peatling and Cumming have also locked up spots in Adelaide's best team, showing versatility with their ability to play multiple roles.
Dawson this week said his side now had the depth and talent to challenge for a flag.
"Obviously bringing those three recruits in has helped us a lot and internally there's been a lot of growth from individuals," Dawson said at a press conference this week.
"We've always had a lot of belief but we've just really narrowed the focus, I suppose, this year and focused on the week to week."
In years gone by, if Taylor Walker didn't fire then the Crows struggled up forward.
Now in the later stages of his career, the veteran certainly hasn't been poor, but has handed the reins over to Adelaide's young brigade to lead the charge.
Riley Thilthorpe has kicked 41 goals this season, including bags of six against the Bulldogs in Round 18 and five against the Suns and Richmond early in the year.
Izak Rankine and Josh Rachele have both provided a spark and pinch-hit in the midfield — with both adding 25 goals to the team's goal tally.
Because of this, the pressure has been taken off of Walker — who has led the forward line for the past decade.
He's still managed 28 goals as a third option, while Darcy Fogarty has also benefited from Thilthorpe's form, with 34 goals as well.
Ben Keays and Alex Neal-Bullen also provide pressure and energy inside 50, providing a headache for all opposition defenders.
This has helped Adelaide become the third-ranked team in the competition for points per game, behind only Geelong and the Western Bulldogs.
Mark Keane, Josh Worrell and Nick Murray are three players not often spoken about as superstars of the competition.
With the likes of Carlton's Jacob Weitering, GWS defender Sam Taylor and Brisbane's Harris Andrews marshalling defensive 50s, Adelaide's key defenders are somewhat unheralded.
Despite the lack of media attention, Worrell and Keane are currently the top two players for intercept marks this season, Worrell with 137 and Keane with 134.
This form has catapulted Adelaide into the number one spot for total intercepts, with Worrell taking 11 marks against the Suns alone in Round 19.
Adelaide also sits second behind only Collingwood for points conceded and, thanks to its damaging forward line, has the healthiest percentage of 139.6 from 18 games.
It is worth mentioning Adelaide hasn't played in a final since being belted by the Tigers in the 2017 decider.
And it's quite rare for a team to jump straight to a premiership in its first finals appearance in years.
So, how much impact will that have on player mentality come September?
Crows Coach Matthew Nicks backed his team to lift when the finals begin.
He said they would treat their remaining games as a warm-up for September, starting with this week's Showdown.
"If you look back on the history of the game, we know what's coming," he said.
"It's often talked about in the post-game as finals-like footy, there's not many Showdowns that haven't been.
"From our point of view, it's perfect. We want to play in the hardest possible games we can and test ourselves and it won't be any harder than this."
Despite their form, the Crows have only won three games against current top eight teams this season, the Suns, Brisbane and the Giants.
Nicks said despite the extra commentary his side was getting late in the season, they were not thinking about finals at all.
"It's not even something that's crossed our mind," Nicks said.
"I think the position we're in is off the back of us not looking at any of that … the reality is it's there and it's noise."
Port Adelaide Coach Ken Hinkley, however, was keen to put some pressure on, claiming the Crows should finish on top of the ladder.
"Without pumping them up too much … they're the form team of the competition," Hinkley said at this week's Showdown press conference.
"They've had an unbelievable run, I think eight or 10 of the last 12 or something.
Adelaide play Port Adelaide in Showdown 58 this Saturday night, with clashes against Hawthorn and Collingwood to come in the run to finals.
A top four spot should be more than achievable, with Adelaide's remaining matches coming against lowly West Coast and North Melbourne.
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The Advertiser
2 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Check out who has touched down for the Newcastle Jets after a marathon trip
JOE Shaughnessy, a key piece to the Jets jigsaw puzzle, has touched down in Newcastle. The Irish defender and former Dundee captain was an interested spectator at training on Monday after a marathon trip from Scotland. The 32-year-old departed Glasgow on Saturday at 5.20pm and had stopovers in London and Singapore, before arriving in Sydney at 6am on Monday. After a trip up the MI, Shaughnessy met his new teammates at Maitland Sportsground and had a first look at them in action. However, the experienced centreback won't be involved in the Jets' Australia Cup clash against Adelaide United at the same venue on Wednesday night. His priority will be catching up on sleep and acclimatising. Jets coach Mark Milligan plans to take a cautious approach with Shaugnessy, who returned from a knee reconstruction in March. The hard-nosed centreback went on to play a key role for Dundee, making 11 appearances, to help The Dark Blues avoid relegation from the Scottish Premier League. Either Mark Natta or youth team defender Max Cooper is likely to partner Aleks Susnjar in the heart of defence against Adelaide. Natta, 22, welcomed Shaughnessy's arrival and is looking forward to learning from the Irishman. "A senior player, especiallly someone in your position, is someone to look up to for sure," Natta said. "He will have tips of the trade that I haven't quite developed yet." The Australia Cup round-of-32 battle is the first competitive match under new coach Mark Milligan. Adelaide also have a new boss in Airton Andrioli and boast a star-studded attack led by Socceroo Craig Goodwin and young guns Archie Goodwin and Luka Jovanovic. However, the former two are under injury clouds. "We don't know exactly how they are going to play," Natta said. "It's hard because they have a new coach, new players. Players have tendencies. You can look at individuals and see what strengths and weaknesses they have. "The preseason so far has been about us and how we can play our best brand of football." Shaughnessy is one of four major signings, alongside midfielders Max Burgess and Alex Badolato and keeper James Delianov. Burgess joined the Jets after four seasons at Sydney FC. "I have been blown away by how hard everyone works here and how together the group is," Burgess said. "It is really exciting to be a part of. "It has been a really productive couple of weeks with a couple of good hit outs [against St George and Edgeworth]. "The intensity has been really high. It has been really positive. "We want to be a ball-playing side. We want to play on the front foot. We want to control games. We want to set the tone on Wednesday and set a mark for what we want to be." The Jets, who beat St George (4-1) and Edgeworth (3-0), have an ordinary record in the Australia Cup. They went down 4-3 to Macarthur in the round of 16 last year and have only made the quarter-finals once, going down to Adelaide in 2019. "Everyone is excited to go out there on Wednesday night," Burgess said. "It is a competitive tournament. It can get you into Asia, it's silverware. "We want to be really competitive. We want to fight for things. It is game-by-game but we are looking at it as a massive opportunity for us as a club. We want to make a mark and set the tone on Wednesday for what we want to be moving forward." JOE Shaughnessy, a key piece to the Jets jigsaw puzzle, has touched down in Newcastle. The Irish defender and former Dundee captain was an interested spectator at training on Monday after a marathon trip from Scotland. The 32-year-old departed Glasgow on Saturday at 5.20pm and had stopovers in London and Singapore, before arriving in Sydney at 6am on Monday. After a trip up the MI, Shaughnessy met his new teammates at Maitland Sportsground and had a first look at them in action. However, the experienced centreback won't be involved in the Jets' Australia Cup clash against Adelaide United at the same venue on Wednesday night. His priority will be catching up on sleep and acclimatising. Jets coach Mark Milligan plans to take a cautious approach with Shaugnessy, who returned from a knee reconstruction in March. The hard-nosed centreback went on to play a key role for Dundee, making 11 appearances, to help The Dark Blues avoid relegation from the Scottish Premier League. Either Mark Natta or youth team defender Max Cooper is likely to partner Aleks Susnjar in the heart of defence against Adelaide. Natta, 22, welcomed Shaughnessy's arrival and is looking forward to learning from the Irishman. "A senior player, especiallly someone in your position, is someone to look up to for sure," Natta said. "He will have tips of the trade that I haven't quite developed yet." The Australia Cup round-of-32 battle is the first competitive match under new coach Mark Milligan. Adelaide also have a new boss in Airton Andrioli and boast a star-studded attack led by Socceroo Craig Goodwin and young guns Archie Goodwin and Luka Jovanovic. However, the former two are under injury clouds. "We don't know exactly how they are going to play," Natta said. "It's hard because they have a new coach, new players. Players have tendencies. You can look at individuals and see what strengths and weaknesses they have. "The preseason so far has been about us and how we can play our best brand of football." Shaughnessy is one of four major signings, alongside midfielders Max Burgess and Alex Badolato and keeper James Delianov. Burgess joined the Jets after four seasons at Sydney FC. "I have been blown away by how hard everyone works here and how together the group is," Burgess said. "It is really exciting to be a part of. "It has been a really productive couple of weeks with a couple of good hit outs [against St George and Edgeworth]. "The intensity has been really high. It has been really positive. "We want to be a ball-playing side. We want to play on the front foot. We want to control games. We want to set the tone on Wednesday and set a mark for what we want to be." The Jets, who beat St George (4-1) and Edgeworth (3-0), have an ordinary record in the Australia Cup. They went down 4-3 to Macarthur in the round of 16 last year and have only made the quarter-finals once, going down to Adelaide in 2019. "Everyone is excited to go out there on Wednesday night," Burgess said. "It is a competitive tournament. It can get you into Asia, it's silverware. "We want to be really competitive. We want to fight for things. It is game-by-game but we are looking at it as a massive opportunity for us as a club. We want to make a mark and set the tone on Wednesday for what we want to be moving forward." JOE Shaughnessy, a key piece to the Jets jigsaw puzzle, has touched down in Newcastle. The Irish defender and former Dundee captain was an interested spectator at training on Monday after a marathon trip from Scotland. The 32-year-old departed Glasgow on Saturday at 5.20pm and had stopovers in London and Singapore, before arriving in Sydney at 6am on Monday. After a trip up the MI, Shaughnessy met his new teammates at Maitland Sportsground and had a first look at them in action. However, the experienced centreback won't be involved in the Jets' Australia Cup clash against Adelaide United at the same venue on Wednesday night. His priority will be catching up on sleep and acclimatising. Jets coach Mark Milligan plans to take a cautious approach with Shaugnessy, who returned from a knee reconstruction in March. The hard-nosed centreback went on to play a key role for Dundee, making 11 appearances, to help The Dark Blues avoid relegation from the Scottish Premier League. Either Mark Natta or youth team defender Max Cooper is likely to partner Aleks Susnjar in the heart of defence against Adelaide. Natta, 22, welcomed Shaughnessy's arrival and is looking forward to learning from the Irishman. "A senior player, especiallly someone in your position, is someone to look up to for sure," Natta said. "He will have tips of the trade that I haven't quite developed yet." The Australia Cup round-of-32 battle is the first competitive match under new coach Mark Milligan. Adelaide also have a new boss in Airton Andrioli and boast a star-studded attack led by Socceroo Craig Goodwin and young guns Archie Goodwin and Luka Jovanovic. However, the former two are under injury clouds. "We don't know exactly how they are going to play," Natta said. "It's hard because they have a new coach, new players. Players have tendencies. You can look at individuals and see what strengths and weaknesses they have. "The preseason so far has been about us and how we can play our best brand of football." Shaughnessy is one of four major signings, alongside midfielders Max Burgess and Alex Badolato and keeper James Delianov. Burgess joined the Jets after four seasons at Sydney FC. "I have been blown away by how hard everyone works here and how together the group is," Burgess said. "It is really exciting to be a part of. "It has been a really productive couple of weeks with a couple of good hit outs [against St George and Edgeworth]. "The intensity has been really high. It has been really positive. "We want to be a ball-playing side. We want to play on the front foot. We want to control games. We want to set the tone on Wednesday and set a mark for what we want to be." The Jets, who beat St George (4-1) and Edgeworth (3-0), have an ordinary record in the Australia Cup. They went down 4-3 to Macarthur in the round of 16 last year and have only made the quarter-finals once, going down to Adelaide in 2019. "Everyone is excited to go out there on Wednesday night," Burgess said. "It is a competitive tournament. It can get you into Asia, it's silverware. "We want to be really competitive. We want to fight for things. It is game-by-game but we are looking at it as a massive opportunity for us as a club. We want to make a mark and set the tone on Wednesday for what we want to be moving forward." JOE Shaughnessy, a key piece to the Jets jigsaw puzzle, has touched down in Newcastle. The Irish defender and former Dundee captain was an interested spectator at training on Monday after a marathon trip from Scotland. The 32-year-old departed Glasgow on Saturday at 5.20pm and had stopovers in London and Singapore, before arriving in Sydney at 6am on Monday. After a trip up the MI, Shaughnessy met his new teammates at Maitland Sportsground and had a first look at them in action. However, the experienced centreback won't be involved in the Jets' Australia Cup clash against Adelaide United at the same venue on Wednesday night. His priority will be catching up on sleep and acclimatising. Jets coach Mark Milligan plans to take a cautious approach with Shaugnessy, who returned from a knee reconstruction in March. The hard-nosed centreback went on to play a key role for Dundee, making 11 appearances, to help The Dark Blues avoid relegation from the Scottish Premier League. Either Mark Natta or youth team defender Max Cooper is likely to partner Aleks Susnjar in the heart of defence against Adelaide. Natta, 22, welcomed Shaughnessy's arrival and is looking forward to learning from the Irishman. "A senior player, especiallly someone in your position, is someone to look up to for sure," Natta said. "He will have tips of the trade that I haven't quite developed yet." The Australia Cup round-of-32 battle is the first competitive match under new coach Mark Milligan. Adelaide also have a new boss in Airton Andrioli and boast a star-studded attack led by Socceroo Craig Goodwin and young guns Archie Goodwin and Luka Jovanovic. However, the former two are under injury clouds. "We don't know exactly how they are going to play," Natta said. "It's hard because they have a new coach, new players. Players have tendencies. You can look at individuals and see what strengths and weaknesses they have. "The preseason so far has been about us and how we can play our best brand of football." Shaughnessy is one of four major signings, alongside midfielders Max Burgess and Alex Badolato and keeper James Delianov. Burgess joined the Jets after four seasons at Sydney FC. "I have been blown away by how hard everyone works here and how together the group is," Burgess said. "It is really exciting to be a part of. "It has been a really productive couple of weeks with a couple of good hit outs [against St George and Edgeworth]. "The intensity has been really high. It has been really positive. "We want to be a ball-playing side. We want to play on the front foot. We want to control games. We want to set the tone on Wednesday and set a mark for what we want to be." The Jets, who beat St George (4-1) and Edgeworth (3-0), have an ordinary record in the Australia Cup. They went down 4-3 to Macarthur in the round of 16 last year and have only made the quarter-finals once, going down to Adelaide in 2019. "Everyone is excited to go out there on Wednesday night," Burgess said. "It is a competitive tournament. It can get you into Asia, it's silverware. "We want to be really competitive. We want to fight for things. It is game-by-game but we are looking at it as a massive opportunity for us as a club. We want to make a mark and set the tone on Wednesday for what we want to be moving forward."
Perth Now
3 hours ago
- Perth Now
SEASON OVER: Harley's injury blow confirmed
West Coast superstar Harley Reid's season is officially over after scans revealed he suffered an syndesmosis injury in Saturday's western derby loss. The 20-year-old hurt his ankle in the closing minutes against Fremantle on Saturday and was helped from the ground by medical staff, heading straight into the Optus Stadium changerooms. Scans later revealed the extent of the injury, which is on the minor side and won't require surgery but will rule him out for the remaining four games of the home and away season, as reported by 7News' Ryan Daniels. And the Eagles have been dealt another significant blow, with top draftee Bo Allan also ruled out for 2025 with a similar injury sustained at training last week. It comes amid constant speculation over Reid's future with the Victorian product's signature among the most sought-after in the AFL. His manager, Nick Gieschen from Connors Sports Management, was in town over the weekend and confirmed talks with West Coast on a new deal were ongoing. Reid is contracted with the Eagles until the end of 2026 on his initial three-year draft deal but is expected to field offers from a host of rival clubs. Harley Reid on the run during the derby. Credit: Daniel Carson/AFL Photos / AFL Photos via Getty Images Among the discussions is a two-year contract with a trigger for a monster nine-year extension, that could fetch the former No.1 pick an estimated $2 million per season. 'Harley is enjoying his time here and like I said before, we're talking about what the future looks like,' Gieschen, who has since returned to Melbourne, said on Thursday. 'We're having discussions with West Coast and we'll go from there. 'He's really good. He's happy. He loves the club... Nothing in concrete, we're just talking at the moment and we'll see where we get to.' The injury is another significant blow to West Coast's midfield firepower, which is already without Elliot Yeo (ankle), while Jack Graham still has one match to serve on his ban for using homophobic language. Reid is one of just five Eagles to have played every game this season, racking up a team-high 71 clearances and averaging 19 disposals per outing. Allan managed just six AFL appearances - including two starting as West Coast's substitute - after being the club's top draft selection with Pick 16.
West Australian
3 hours ago
- West Australian
Harley Reid: West Coast Eagles star to miss remainder of season with syndesmosis injury
West Coast superstar Harley Reid's season is officially over after scans revealed he suffered an syndesmosis injury in Saturday's western derby loss. The 20-year-old hurt his ankle in the closing minutes against Fremantle on Saturday and was helped from the ground by medical staff, heading straight into the Optus Stadium changerooms. Scans later revealed the extent of the injury, which is on the minor side but will rule him out for the remaining four games of the home and away season, as reported by 7News' Ryan Daniels. And the Eagles have been dealt another significant blow, with top draftee Bo Allan also ruled out for 2025 with a similar injury sustained at training last week. It comes amid constant speculation over Reid's future with the Victorian product's signature among the most sought-after in the AFL. His manager, Nick Gieschen from Connors Sports Management, was in town over the weekend and confirmed talks with West Coast on a new deal were ongoing. Reid is contracted with the Eagles until the end of 2026 on his initial three-year draft deal but is expected to field offers from a host of rival clubs. Among the discussions is a two-year contract with a trigger for a monster nine-year extension, that could fetch the former No.1 pick an estimated $2 million per season. 'Harley is enjoying his time here and like I said before, we're talking about what the future looks like,' Gieschen, who has since returned said on Thursday. 'We're having discussions with West Coast and we'll go from there. 'He's really good. He's happy. He loves the club... Nothing in concrete, we're just talking at the moment and we'll see where we get to.' The injury is another significant blow to West Coast's midfield firepower, which is already without Elliot Yeo (ankle), while Jack Graham still has one match to serve on his ban for using homophobic language. Reid is one of just five Eagles to have played every game this season, racking up a team-high 71 clearances and averaging 19 disposals per outing. Allan managed just six AFL appearances - including two starting as West Coast's substitute - after being the club's top draft selection with Pick 16.
