Adelaide’s list regeneration has taken the club into new territory heading into 2009.

The Crows will enter next season with a bulging nest of development players, including 13 teenagers on the primary list.

By the time Adelaide opens its 2009 campaign against Collingwood in late March there will be 21 players aged 22 or under on the senior list, with an additional six rookies also in this age bracket.

Since the end of the 2007 season the Crows have added 16 new players to the senior squad.

Adelaide coach Neil Craig said the significant shift in the squad’s profile had been an important strategy embraced by the club.

“It challenges the club in many ways but it’s also exciting,” he said. “We needed to increase the number of quality young players coming into the club and we also need to find better ways to develop them as quickly as possible, to prepare them to play and perform in the AFL.

“We believe this year we had gathered the best group of young footballers this club has had for some time and the latest group of draftees should add to that, so that’s great for our club and our supporters.”

List statistics:

• Only 15 of 40 have played 50 or more AFL games and of the group under 50, just under half of the list (19) have played under 20 games.
• Eleven of the 40-man list have not played an AFL game, while Jarrhan Jacky (three games), Andy Otten (two), Patrick Dangerfield (two) and James Sellar (one) have had limited exposure.
• The new players on the list since end of 2007 season are Moran, Symes, Gallman, Otten, Cook, Jacky, Armstrong, Kite, Petrenko, Sloane, Dangerfield, Walker, Young, Lee, McKernan and Davis.

Age at first premiership game 2009
32 – Simon Goodwin, Tyson Edwards, Andrew McLeod
30 – Brett Burton
29 – Michael Doughty
28 – Robert Shirley
27 – Scott Stevens
26 – Nathan Bock, Nick Gill, Trent Hentschel, Graham Johncock, Scott Thompson
25 – Ben Rutten, Brent Reilly
24 – Jason Porplyzia, Brad Symes
23 – Ivan Maric, Bernie Vince, Jonathon Griffin
22 – Nathan van Berlo, Richard Douglas, Chris Knights, Brad Moran
21 – Kurt Tippett
20 – David Mackay, James Sellar, Greg Gallman, Brian Donnelly (rookie), Brodie Martin (rookie)
19 – Andy Otten, Myke Cook, Jarrhan Jacky, Tony Armstrong, Aaron Kite, Jared Petrenko, Rory Sloane, James Moss (rookie).
18 – Patrick Dangerfield, Taylor Walker, Will Young, Tom Lee, Shaun McKernan, Phil Davis.