Adelaide will enter the home-and-away fixture with two pre-season wins following a six-point victory over Geelong on Saturday.

The Crows played an extended 24-player squad for the game, giving fans a final look at what to expect from the team heading into Round One.

Here are the five key takeaways from the match. 

Midfielders bring the pressure 

Adelaide midfielders Anne Hatchard, Teah Charlton and Ebony Marinoff were dominant in the middle of the ground, winning plenty of the ball and bringing the heat from the first bounce. 

“It was a little bit of the usual suspects, some of our midfielders were pretty good,” Crows Coach Matthew Clarke said. 

“I thought Teah and Anne were really strong, Ebony again pretty good.

“We have got some stuff to work on out of that but we are reasonably happy.”

New recruits impress

Crows fans can be excited about what returning ruck Jess Allan and Irish forward Yvonne Bonner will bring to the side in 2023. 

Following strong performances in Adelaide’s match simulation against Brisbane, Allan and Bonner were once again pivotal in the ruck and up forward. 

“Jess and Yvonne contributed really well, they were good last week as well,” Clarke said.

“They have both had a good pre-season and they will be pressing for Round One selection.

“They finished off their pre-season really well so overall happy.” 

Room to improve in defence

While Clarke was pleased with the win, he said there was still work to be done in the lead up to the season opener. 

“Some of our aerial and behind the ball defence was a bit off tonight which we will need to tidy up,” Clarke said.

“Geelong’s use of handball, we weren't able to shut that down at times.

“There are a couple of things defensively we will look to improve on.”

Spots still up for grabs

After two competitive pre-season hit outs, the competition for spots is heating up. 

“Selection will be tough, we have had a lot of players have really strong pre-seasons,” Clarke said. 

“Last week against Brisbane was a good hit out where we played the whole squad.

“Today we were only able to play 24 so selection will be really challenging.”

Plenty to look forward to in Round One 

After a solid pre-season, Crows fans can look forward to a fast, attacking style of football this season.

“Our players have had a great pre-season, even though tonight we didn't quite finish the plays as well as we would have liked,” Clarke said.

“It was a solid hit-out, it wasn’t our best footy probably but the first half was pretty good and then it got a bit scrappy towards the end. 

“We are trying to play that higher speed attacking style of football so that's what we will try to take into Round One.”

Niamh Kelly suffered a head knock in the first quarter and has entered the concussion protocols.

She is expected to be available for Round One selection. 

Adelaide will open its 2023 AFLW campaign with a home Showdown against Port Adelaide at Norwood Oval on Saturday, September 2. 

Adelaide 2023 AFLW Memberships available here.

Final Score 

ADELAIDE       3.3       6.3       7.6      8.8      (56)

GEELONG       1.3       3.3       4.6      7.8      (50)

Goals:

Charlton (2), Waterhouse (2), Gould, Thompson, Ponter, J Allan