The Adelaide Crows were highly touted by experts to be amongst the best team at season’s end, but haven't started as they would have liked.
With their record currently at 1-2, the Crows find themselves sitting 13th on the ladder, but there’s no doubting they have the necessary firepower to turn things around in the blink of an eye.
It all starts with the midfield, blessed with talent and depth thanks to the return of Brad Crouch, who has recovered from a groin surgery which ruled him out of the 2018 season.
The 25-year-old averaged 28.1 disposals per game in 2017, the year before injury struck, and has showed no signs of slowing down since returning. He’s averaged 29.7 disposals in his three games to date this season.
A solid clearance player, Crouch sits 11th in the league for total centre clearances, putting him ahead of players such as Melbourne’s Angus Brayshaw and Sydney’s Josh Kennedy.
The midfielder is also damaging in space, averaging 15.3 kicks per game, the most for Adelaide, and has kicked four goals this season, which puts him atop the Crows’ list of goal-kickers.
In his first season as co-captain, Rory Sloane is back to full fitness and is showing why he’s considered as one of the game’s elite on-ballers.
Struck down by a lisfranc strain following Round 4 last season, Sloane missed ten games, but is back and firing.
The 29-year-old is averaging 28.3 disposals per game this season, almost 3 more than his next-best season average, which came back in 2016.
Defensively he’s unstoppable, laying over eight tackles per game, the most in the competition.
Up forward, the Crows’ options are potent, with Taylor Walker, Josh Jenkins, Tom Lynch and Eddie Betts all roaming inside 50.
While they’re yet to click in 2019, their best is undoubtedly on the horizon and when they hit their straps, the Crows forward-line will be an imposing threat for their opponents.
Lynch, Betts and Jenkins have all kicked three this season, while Walker has kicked just the two, and will likely be the ones that have the ability to turn their side’s fortunes around.