Match sim v Port Adelaide: Five key takeaways

Adelaide’s preparations for its 2025 AFL campaign continued with a match simulation pre-season game against Port Adelaide in Mount Barker on Friday night.

The game was played across six, 28-minute periods, with a 12-minute break after the first three terms to allow for teams to rotate their players/squads.

The team changed significantly at the end of the third period and the final two stanzas featured a majority of SANFL-listed players.

The change up in the team didn’t stop the Crows, as they enjoyed a 22.11 (143) to 14.15 (99) win in the ‘Summit Showdown’.

Crows Assistant Coach Nathan van Berlo spoke to the media after three periods and gave his five key takeaways.

Soligo hits the ground running

Midfielder Jake Soligo enjoyed a career-best campaign in 2024, averaging 22 disposals and 3.9 clearances across 23 games.

Soligo booted an equal game-high three goals against Port Adelaide, alongside teammate Riley Thilthorpe, who also kicked three.

Van Berlo said Soligo refused to rest on his laurels and had worked hard over the summer to further improve.

“We saw Jake play an important role today… It’s very much the same as what I’ve seen since he arrived at the Club over the past couple of years,” van Berlo said.

“He’s a very hard worker, he constantly asks for ways to get better, absorbs that information and goes away and gets to work on it.

“He’s very coachable, he’s very self-driven - you mentioned the other guys - and they all feed off each other… That creates a real contagious working environment where they just get better.”

Tall forward line gives Crows “another dynamic”

Taylor Walker, Darcy Fogarty, Riley Thilthorpe and Dan Curtin combined up-forward, with Curtin drifting through the wing and on-ball.

Thilthorpe kicked three goals, Walker finished with two, while Curtin (one) also got his name on the scoresheet.

The quartet worked well together and gave Port Adelaide’s defenders trouble both in the air and on the ground.

“They’ve got some size about them, but equally they’re pretty nimble and quick at ground level,” van Berlo said.

“I wouldn’t want to be going for a ground ball against Darcy Fogarty or Dan Curtin and even Riley for that mix.

“They’ve got their strengths at ground level, they’re super competitive in the air and they give us another dynamic ahead of the ball.

“We are in a position at the moment where we feel like competition for spots is going to be a real challenge and that’s what you ultimately want.”

Squad depth

Adelaide was active over the summer in recruiting experienced players that could help bolster its midfield.

Alex Neal-Bullen (Melbourne) together with GWS pair James Peatling and Isaac Cumming were high on the Crows’ radar and the Club acquired the trio through the trade period.

Neal-Bullen and Peatling featured in the match simulation against the Power, while Cumming was managed.

Many players enjoyed rotations through the midfield, including Peatling, Josh Rachele, Curtin, Matt Crouch, Soligo, and draftee Sid Draper.

“We’ve done a lot of work over summer to try and build that depth throughout the midfield and we obviously went to work and recruited,” van Berlo said.

“James Peatling spent a bit of time in the midfield, we saw Sid spend some time in the middle as well, and a number of other guys.

“Josh Rachele spent some more time there, Izak Rankine didn’t play today, but he’ll be one who’ll spend some big minutes in the midfield as well.

“That builds the depth, also just gives us a different dynamic around the footy which we’ve been trying to work toward for the last couple of years. Hopefully the work we’ve done over the summer holds us in good shape.”

Opposition hit-out provides fresh challenge

The match simulation against Port Adelaide was Adelaide’s first game against an opposition, following four months of pre-season and playing against each other.

Van Berlo said the game was a chance for the side to test what it had been working on over the summer against players who did not know the team’s systems.

It was also an opportunity to build on the players’ match fitness as they continue to prepare for the 2025 season.

“It’s always great to have your first hit-out against another opposition, we’ve been playing ourselves for a long period of time,” van Berlo said.

“We saw some of those systems we’ve worked on - some of our ball movement was crisp, some of our ball movement was what we’ve been working on.

“There are still a lot of things we need to work on based on today and things we can do better.

“We'll review that, get to work and have another big challenge next week in preparation for Round One.”

Clean bill of health

Adelaide entered the match simulation with a healthy 46-player squad, consisting of a mix of AFL and SANFL-listed players, and fortunately finished the game with no major injury concerns.

Five AFL-listed players did not line-up in the game, with Isaac Cumming and Izak Rankine managed, while Lachlan Sholl (knee soreness) Max Michalanney (thumb) and Kieran Strachan (foot) missed due to injury.

Van Berlo was, however, confident Cumming, Rankine, Sholl and Michalanney would be able to push for Round One selection, with the Crows’ opening round match still three weeks away.

“They had a rehab session this morning and I went down and had a look, and they’re moving really well,” van Berlo said.

“Had this been a season proper game, they would’ve been available to play, as was the case with Lachie Sholl as well.

“Max will be ready for Round One, so they got through this morning and hopefully we’ve got a fit list next week.”

Adelaide’s pre-season will culminate with a Community Series match against reigning Premier Brisbane at Brighton Homes Arena on Thursday, February 27 2025, at 7.40pm (ACDT).

The Community Series match will be played across four quarters of 20 minutes, plus time-on.

A squad of 30 - including eight on the bench and four emergencies - will be selected for the game and there will be no interchange cap.

The match will be broadcast live on Foxtel and Kayo.

Adelaide will open its 2025 AFL season with a clash against St Kilda at Adelaide Oval on Sunday, March 16. Tickets available here.

SCOREBOARD

Adelaide 5.2 11.4 14.5 16.7 17.10 22.11 (143)

Port Adelaide 3.1 5.5 8.9 11.13 13.13 14.15 (99)

Goals:

Adelaide

Soligo, Thilthorpe 3, Walker, Rachele, T Murray 2, Dawson, Jones, Curtin, Keays, Pedlar, O’Leary, Cook, Pedlar, Drury, Taylor.

Port Adelaide