Adelaide and Hawthorn have faced off 41 times since the Crows joined the competition in 1991.

The Crows have won 19 of the games, including the club’s first competitive win.

In front of nearly 45,000 people at Football Park, Adelaide announced itself to the competition with an 86-point win over the Hawks on March 22, 1991.

The Crows have struggled against Hawthorn in the past seven seasons, having defeated the Hawks just once in 10 games.

Last time the sides met, Hawthorn ran away as comfortable 56-point winners at the MCG in Round 13 last year.

Rory Sloane has been the Crows’ standout player in the last five meetups, averaging 24.7 disposals and 9.7 tackles.

DEFENSIVE DUO: Laird and Smith back at it

From the Hawks, Brownlow medalist Tom Mitchell has dominated with almost 39 touches per game.

Adelaide played in the Saturday twilight time slot three times last season, winning two and losing one (Hawthorn did not once play at that time).

The Crows were marginally higher scoring than the Hawks last year - 88 to 87 - but conceded eight points more per game.

Don Pyke will start the season with the third highest winning percentage in the competition, behind Chris Scott (Geelong) and John Longmire (Sydney).

DENNIS DENUTO: Pyke calls on classic Australian film

Adelaide began 2018 off with a 12-point home loss to Essendon.

Hawthorn defeated Grand Finalists Collingwood by 44 points at the MCG.

Despite a disappointing season in 2018, the Crows still managed the fifth highest average attendance in the AFL at 45,417.

Hawthorn had an average attendance of 33,298, ranking them 11th in the league.