Adelaide Crows AFL 2025 Team Preview, Predictions & Player Movement

Jeremy Darke

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Last updated: 17 Feb 2025

Jeremy Darke 17 Feb 2025

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Adelaide Crows predicted to finish 14th in the 2025 AFL season.
Minimal offseason changes; focus on fixing forward play & defensive strategy.
will the Crows find their attacking spark in 2025?

Adelaide Crows predicted to finish 14th in the 2025 AFL season. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

Adelaide Crows AFL 2025 Team Preview, Predictions & Player Movement

Adelaide Crows AFL 2025 Team Preview, Predictions & Player Movement
Where the Adelaide Crows finish in 2025: 14
Projected Win total: 10
Best Contender for Brownlow Medal: Jordan Dawson
What’s to like
What’s NOT to like
Adelaide Crows Offseason Player Movement
Adelaide Crows Predicted Round 1 Squad

Where the Adelaide Crows finish in 2025: 14

The end of 2023 showed a lot of promise for the Crows, just missing out on the finals on a controversial call. In 2024 they didn’t leave anything for chance, they simply failed to make any real impact at all, finishing 15th.

The Crows had real problems getting quality possessions inside their forward 50, missing their open targets, taking the wrong option from their half-forward line and it cost them dearly.

The Crows haven’t made any real moves in the offseason and Taylor Walker is another year older, which isn’t going to help their attack. No real improvement is expected from the Crows in 2025.

Projected Win total: 10

The Crows started 2025 going 0-4 and tallying 8 wins all season. They also lost their first 3 games at Adelaide Oval and won just 5 of 12 matches at home, which is usually a fortress for them.

Adelaide looked better as the season went on in 2024 and if they can ride a little of that momentum in 2025 they will get off to a better start and improve on the 8 wins they had in 2024.

Best Contender for Brownlow Medal: Jordan Dawson

With an average of 24.5 disposals, three clearances and six tackles, captain Jordan Dawson had another stellar year for the Crows in 2024.

In 2025 there is no reason to expect that he will slow down. At 27 years of age, the former Sydney Swan is hitting his prime and coming into his fourth season at the club and third as the Crows captain.

With Izak Rankine expected to play more on the ball, this should open things up again for Dawson who will enjoy the attention that Rankine attracts and benefit from the space.

What’s to like

Obviously the strength of the Crows is their ball movement and goal scoring of their 2024 dual- Best and Fairest Winners Jordan Dawson and Ben Keays.

Dawson had another year in 2024 where he led from the front with his work rate while Ben Keays, who hasn’t missed a match since joining the club in 2020, had a career-best 34 goals last season.

There are good pieces to play with in Adelaide, it is just how they fit together that will make the difference.

What’s NOT to like

Adelaide were much less aggressive last season than they were in 2024, folding back on themselves to protect their own goals, flooding the ball and their own 50.

While this made them a fairly decent defensive team in relation to points against, they suffered by starting most of their possessions in their own end and failing to force interceptions in the midfield.

Coach Matthew Nicks needs to find the plan to win games and with a healthy and young roster the Crows can afford to put the pressure on their opponents.

Adelaide Crows Offseason Player Movement

Isaac Cumming (free agent, Greater Western Sydney), Sid Draper (No.4 draft pick), Alex Neal-Bullen (trade, Melbourne), James Peatling (trade, Greater Western Sydney), Tyler Welsh (No.59 draft pick, father-son)

OUT

Lachlan Gollant (delisted), Will Hamill (delisted), Elliott Himmelberg (free agent, Gold Coast), Ned McHenry (delisted), Patrick Parnell (delisted), Rory Sloane (retired)