Thousands of fans have had their say and selected their own Crows best 22 on the eve of the premiership season.
The final team is the product of three interactive polls hosted on afc.com.au over the past week. Fans were asked to choose six defenders, midfielders and forwards with the remaining four interchange spots filled by the most popular remaining players.
The surveys received more than 8,000 responses in total.
All Australian full-back Daniel Talia was the overwhelming choice as Adelaide’s leading tall defender. Fellow talls Jake Lever and Kyle Hartigan were closely matched in the polling and hold down the remaining key defensive posts.
Last year’s runner-up Club Champion Rory Laird and reliable backman Luke Brown were clear choices for the small defender roles alongside All Australian backman Brodie Smith.
Crows fans want a steely midfield, judging from the survey results.
Brad Crouch, Rory Sloane and Scott Thompson were all well supported in the polls and occupy the centre square in the fan-selected side. Sam Jacobs was a near-unanimous selection for the lead ruck position.
Paul Seedsman was the first of two new faces to earn a spot in the team. The former Magpie was picked on a wing, with left-footer Rory Atkins earning the fans' nod to start on the opposite side of the square.
It was little surprise to see captain Taylor Walker and livewire Eddie Betts dominate the forwards survey.
Josh Jenkins and Tom Lynch were also clear selections, while Charlie Cameron edged out stiff competition for the second small forward role. Richard Douglas adds class and flexibility to the attacking mix.
The most popular Crow of the remaining players was ball magnet Matt Crouch. The 20-year-old has been named on the fans’ interchange after an impressive NAB Challenge campaign.
Forward Riley Knight joins Crouch on the pine after winning many admirers in his 11 games late last season.
Crows fans want to see Andy Otten make a fairytale return to the senior side. The versatile tall hasn’t played since Round 20, 2014 after rupturing the ACL in his right knee.
Exciting draftee Wayne Milera gets the final spot on the bench in the fan-selected team.
See the full fans’ best 22 below
All players were considered fit and available for this interactive experiment.
Adelaide’s real final team, selected by Don Pyke and his coaching panel, will be announced on afc.com.au on Thursday night at 6pm.
