We’re counting down the days until footy returns in 2016.
Let’s whet our appetite by previewing The Five big Crows games to look forward to next season.
Round Two - Showdown XL
It’s the game all South Australian footy fans circle in the calendar as soon as the fixture is released.
There’s no other rivalry quite like it. Ladder position and form often count for nothing as SA’s two teams duke it out for local bragging rights and, of course, the valuable four premiership points.
The Crows held off a fast-finishing Port Adelaide in the last meeting between the two clubs in a titanic contest in Round 16 in 2015. But both clubs have had a busy offseason, which could result in a host of players from both teams making their Showdown debuts.
The Power hold a slender advantage overall (21-18) in the head-to-head ledger between the two clubs, but it’s Adelaide which has won two of the last three encounters.
Be sure to keep Saturday, April 2 free in the diary.
Round Five – Crows kick off Anzac Round
Friday night at the MCG. Anzac Round. Against the reigning premiers.
It’s hard to imagine a bigger stage for the Crows to seek redemption against three-peat premiers Hawthorn.
The Hawks bundled Adelaide out of the 2015 finals race at the home of football in last season’s Semi-Final clash.
Many in Adelaide’s squad also played in the Club’s Preliminary Final loss to the Hawks in 2012 which saw the Crows fall agonisingly short of a Grand Final appearance.
Anzac Round will be Adelaide’s first chance to get one back on the brown and gold and claim the competition’s biggest scalp in front of a national audience.
Round Seven – Finals rematch in Melbourne
Adelaide and the Western Bulldogs will resume hostilities at Etihad Stadium in Round Seven after playing out one of the games of the year in last season’s Elimination Final.
Adelaide ended the Bulldogs’ finals campaign with a thrilling seven-point win at the MCG that drew accolades from footy fans of all allegiances.
The high-scoring Crows and fleet-footed Bulldogs were two of the most improved and attractive teams to watch last season, and both clubs have their sights set on rising further up the ladder next year.
The intense rivalry between the two clubs extends back to Adelaide’s premiership years, when the Crows bundled the Bulldogs out of successive Preliminary Finals in 1997 and 1998. Yet it’s the Dogs who boast a 22-19 advantage over Adelaide overall.
Don’t expect either team to take a backwards step.
Round Eight – Crows and Cats to collide
Patrick Dangerfield returns to Adelaide Oval under the Friday night lights in Round Eight.
The midfielder requested a trade to Geelong for family reasons during the offseason and it’s anyone’s guess how he’ll be received upon his return to Adelaide for the first time.
More importantly, the Crows will feel like they owe the Cats one after suffering a disappointing loss the last time these two teams met. Adelaide was comprehensively outplayed in the previous meeting, with the Cats running out 39-point winners in Round 23.
Next year’s clash will be the first encounter between the two sides at Adelaide Oval, after last season’s Round 14 clash at the venue was called off.
Round 14 – Thursday night lights
Adelaide will host its third Thursday night game at Adelaide Oval next year against last season’s Preliminary Finalists North Melbourne.
Thursday night football at the Oval is fast-becoming one of the features of the AFL fixture. The mix of footy, a buzzing crowd and the majesty of Adelaide Oval under lights produces the perfect combo for a blockbuster sporting event.
The battle on the field also promises to be just as enthralling. North Melbourne has become a proven finals performer in recent seasons and the Round 14 clash will come at a crucial time for both teams in the run towards September.
Adelaide will be returning from its mid-season bye in the lead-up and must be on guard to bounce the Roos in front of a packed Adelaide Oval crowd.
