PRIOR to round one, gun Crow Bernie Vince didn't think Adelaide could finish the regular season as one of the top two ranked sides in the competition.
He wouldn't have been alone, either.
Having finished 14th last season and with an untried coach at the helm, very few would have predicted Adelaide's rise up the ladder.
The Crows have improved significantly in Brenton Sanderson's first season as coach, but doubters pointed to their 'soft' draw as the reason behind their stellar season and claimed it had allowed the side to 'arrive' too early.
Vince conceded their criticisms were "strengthened" when Adelaide lost to the Sydney Swans in the qualifying final last weekend in what was perhaps its first true test since it lost to Geelong in round 18.
But he denied the Crows had arrived prematurely, preferring to think of 2012 as a golden opportunity.
"Did we think we'd finish second? Probably not at the start of the year, but in saying that we thought we could certainly finish top eight," Vince said.
"We knew and Sando was a big believer in that while we finished 14th on the ladder last year- we weren't a 14th team … he drummed that into us and gave us that belief that we could turn our form around really quickly.
"We finished second on the ladder and that's a massive opportunity to be able to perform this year.
"I'm a massive believer of taking your opportunity when it comes."
The Crows have been met with skepticism for much of the journey this year, but Vince says the Crows aren't drawing inspiration from proving the critics wrong.
"They get paid to say that stuff, they're in the media and everyone can be their own judge, but all we can control is the way we go," he said.
"It's not a motivating factor to go 'up yours, we can do it', we just worry about what we're doing.
"Generally when we lose it's because of things we're not doing well and when we win it's because of things we're doing well, it's nothing to do with anyone else.
"If you get caught up in outside things you can get off track a bit."
The only motivating factor, Vince said, would be to share Adelaide's success with his close friends.
The 26-year-old said the list was the tightest playing group he had been a member of since he was taken by Adelaide with pick No. 32 at the 2005 NAB AFL Draft.
"I don't know whether it's because I've been here seven years now and I've seen most of the guys come through under me … [but] it's the closest I've been to any group since I've been at the club.
"Guys who aren't getting a game are helping those who are getting a game, guys who are fighting for the same position are helping each other out at training and pointing things out they could do better
"It's just really unselfish stuff which is great."
Harry Thring is a reporter for AFL Media. Follow him on Twitter: @AFL_Harry
