Pre-season form isn’t always a reliable indicator heading into Round One, but there were some promising signs in Adelaide’s three NAB Challenge matches.
Here are a few statistics to come out of the pre-season competition …
The Crows won two of their three NAB Challenge games, defeating an undermanned West Coast by 100 points; narrowly going down to a reasonably strong Fremantle side in week two and rounding out the pre-season with a gritty 25-point win over an improved Gold Coast at Metricon Stadium. Fremantle, Collingwood and Melbourne were the only undefeated teams this pre-season.
Adelaide was the highest-scoring team in the NAB Challenge, pipping the Pies by one point. The Crows kicked a total of 5.40.39 (324) across the three matches.
An efficient Adelaide scored from 59.2 per cent of its forward 50m entries – ranked No.1.
Pleasingly, Don Pyke’s team also held firm defensively, conceding an average of only 9.3 goal per game – the second least behind Fremantle (7.3).
In another positive, the Crows had the highest percentage of effective disposals at 75.5 per cent.
Rory Laird picked up where he left off last season. Laird was the second ranked defender over the course of the NAB Challenge according to Champion Data. The courageous and creative half-back collected more uncontested possessions (60) and handball receives (43) than any other player. He was also top 10 for rebound 50ms (11).
Laird and teammate Matt Crouch ranked equal-third for total disposals (78) across three games.
A standout of the pre-season competition, the younger Crouch sibling won a disposal on average every 2.7 minutes – level with Hawthorn champion Sam Mitchell and also Carlton’s Rising Star winner Patrick Cripps, who only played one match.
Crouch won more loose-ball gets (18) than any other player, and was top 10 in contested possessions (33) and also clearances (15).
Adelaide tried 31 players across the three NAB Challenge matches. Of the 31, six pulled on the Crows AFL jumper for the first time; trade period recruits Paul Seedsman, Dean Gore and Troy Menzel, draftee Wayne Milera Junior and second-year players Mitch McGovern and Harry Dear.
Seedsman recorded more long kicks to advantage (four) than any other player in the pre-season.
In his first pre-season, Milera ranked equal second in score assists with seven. Reigning score assist leader, Tom Lynch was No.1 in the League for both goal (nine) and score (13) assists. The Crows link man was also fourth for total marks (23) and fifth for inside 50ms (14).
Lynch ranked 12th for metres gained (1,138) and boasted the highest retention rate (80 per cent) of the top 16 players for metres gained. Paul Seedsman had second best retention rate of top 16 (72.9 per cent).
Ruckman Sam Jacobs was fourth in overall hit-outs (64) despite only playing two of the matches.
Forwards Eddie Betts and Taylor Walker each kicked six goals. Betts’ goals all came in the first week against the Eagles, while Walker split his across two matches. Walker has also claimed the outright record for Crows super goals with six, edging out Simon Goodwin on five.
