It’s been a year that the Crows themselves describe as a “missed opportunity”, given the success they had in 2017.
Sitting 12th on the ladder with its finals hopes hanging by a thread, Adelaide will need big victories in its remaining two matches and for results to fall in its favour to play in September.
Big Jacobs stands tall
In the past few years, it has looked as though the impact of rucks was waning, but in 2018 the craft has experienced a revival, and Adelaide big man Sam Jacobs has led the charge.
Jacobs has proven to be one of the competition’s most dominant ruckman, ranking fourth in total hit-outs across the league.
The 30-year-old has amassed an impressive 736 hit-outs across the season.
He has battled through back soreness for much of the year and hasn’t missed a game this season, making him just one of four Crows to have an uninterrupted year.
The big man finds himself in red-hot form of late, coming off the back of a 55 hit-out performance against the Giants, the most taps from any ruckman last weekend.
With midfielders such as Rory Sloane, Matt Crouch and Bryce Gibbs at his feet, first-use from Jacobs can go a long way towards securing a win for the Crows.
Damaging defender
Elite defender Rory Laird has managed to put together another ultra impressive season so far, catapulting himself into the conversation around the game’s most impactful players.
The 24-year-old continues to be one of the side’s best performers, averaging a career-high 31.6 disposals per game.
In 2018, Laird has record 30-plus disposals 12 times, with the defender racking-up 40 or more touches four times.
He ranks third amongst the competition in disposals per game, sitting above talented ball getters Adam Treloar, Andrew Gaff and Clayton Oliver.
Defensively he’s reliable too, ranking second in the league for total intercepts with 167, behind four-time All-Australian Alex Rance.
Despite missing a pair of matches prior to the bye, Laird’s form has barely waivered, which is why he would no doubt cause headaches to opposition coaches.
By foot over hands
With this decade’s football trends leaning towards a more handball-happy style of play, the Crows have defied the norm, electing to move the ball by foot more often than not.
Adelaide lead the competition in kicks per game, averaging 222.4, sitting behind the West Coast Eagles which average 227.4.
Bryce Gibbs is the biggest exponent of the kick, leading the Crows for total kicks with 322, which ranks him 11th in the competition.
Averaging 25.9 disposals per game, Gibbs has almost twice the amount of kicks than handballs, which is what makes him such a damaging player.
The ability and willingness to kick rather than handball helps Adelaide penetrate the opposition's defensive structures, which is why it is able to generate so many high percentage shots on goal.
