Champion Data's AFL Prospectus has finally arrived, and we've compiled some of the best stats on the 2015 Adelaide Crows playing squad.
The Crows have an average age of 24.21 years – ranked eighth in the AFL this season. Fremantle, North Melbourne, Essendon, Hawthorn, Sydney Swans, Geelong and Carlton round out the eight ‘oldest’ teams.
Adelaide is 11th for games played with an average of 61.85 games. In 2014, the top four teams on the AFL ladder correlated with the most experienced teams (Sydney Swans, North Melbourne and Hawthorn) with the exception of Port Adelaide.
Two of Adelaide’s draftees, Jake Lever (sixth) and Harrison Wigg (26th) ranked in Champion Data’s top 30 players in the 2014 AFL Draft.
The Crows have an average height of 186.8cm – ranked 18th in the AFL (excluding rookies).
Sam Jacobs took out Champion Data’s ‘Spoon Feeder’ award for hit-outs to advantage in 2014.
Adelaide has the fifth-best winning percentage (56%) of any team in the AFL in the past decade (2005-14). Geelong leads the way on 73.7 per cent ahead of the Hawks (62.6%).
Patrick Dangerfield won 62 per cent of his possessions when the ball was in dispute – the highest percentage of the top-50 ball winners last season.
Adelaide has eight left-footers: James Podsiadly, Mitch Grigg, Sam Shaw, Matt Crouch, Luke Lowden, Harrison Wigg, Rory Atkins and Jake Kelly.
In 2014, Rory Sloane was No.1 for Champion Data Player Rating points per 30 Disposals, averaging 21.4 points per 30 ahead of Scott Pendlebury, Joel Selwood, Gary Ablett and Brent Harvey.
Adelaide’s senior playing list is ranked sixth for quality according to Champion Data metrics. The Crows have six players, Brodie Smith, Patrick Dangerfield, Rory Sloane, Eddie Betts, Daniel Talia and Sam Jacobs, classed as ‘Elite’ or being in the top 10 per cent of their position across the competition. Taylor Walker, Richard Douglas and Matt Wright are all considered ‘Above Average’ (top 35% of position). Reigning premiers Hawthorn lead the way with eight ‘Elite’ players.
Four of Adelaide’s ‘Elite’ players, Smith, Dangerfield, Sloane and Talia, are aged under 25 years.
Of the 45 members of the 2015 playing squad, 25 were drafted from Victoria, 14 from South Australia, three from West Australia, two from Tasmania and one, Taylor Walker, from NSW.
Twelve Crows are yet to make their AFL debut: Jake Lever, Sam Siggins, Rory Atkins, Harrison Wigg, Harry Dear, Riley Knight, Mitch McGovern, Anthony Wilson, Reilly O’Brien, Keenan Ramsey, Jack Osborn and Jake Kelly.
Another eight have played 25 or fewer AFL games: Brad Crouch, Matt Crouch, Kyle Hartigan, Jarryd Lyons, Mitch Grigg, Charlie Cameron, Sam Shaw and Cam Ellis-Yolmen.
‘Sam’ is the most popular name at West Lakes again this season. Four players, Sam Jacobs, Sam Kerridge, Sam Shaw and Sam Siggins, have Sam as their given name. The Crows have three players named Rory: Sloane, Laird and Atkins and three ‘Matthews’: Jaensch, Wright and Crouch. Adelaide also has two ‘Brodies’ (Smith and Martin) and two ‘Jakes’ (Lever and Kelly). The addition of rookie Reilly O’Brien is also bound to cause some confusion with Riley Knight and Brent Reilly.
Adelaide will enter the 2015 season with a new coach and captain. Phil Walsh is the seventh Senior Coach of the Crows, while Taylor Walker is the seventh captain.
James Podsiadly, who turned 33 last September, is the oldest player on Adelaide’s list. Next is Scott Thompson, who turns 32 in March.
Harrison Wigg, Adelaide’s second selection at last year’s national draft, is Adelaide’s youngest player. He turned 18 on October 16 last year.
At 206cm, former Hawthorn ruckman/forward Luke Lowden is now the tallest player on the list. That’s 34cm taller than our shortest player Eddie Betts.
