EBONY Marinoff's leadership apprenticeship under Chelsea Randall and Erin Phillips set her up beautifully to take over Adelaide's captaincy this year.
As a teenager Marinoff plied her trade with the star duo guiding her, and now she aims to offer the same support to her younger teammates.
"You pinch yourself because I was really lucky. Came in with Anne Hatchard, Sarah Allan, three 18-year-olds that got drafted," Marinoff told AFL.com.au.
"Erin Phillips walks through the door with all this background of elite sports in America, and then you've got one of the best in Chelsea Randall that's come from Western Australia… we were really blessed with two amazing leaders and a wealth of experience."
It was their willingness to appreciate Marinoff for the person and player she was, appreciating her hard-working nature, that allowed her to hit the ground running. In that maiden season Marinoff won the Telstra Rising Star award, while Phillips won the AFLW best and fairest.
"I've had so many amazing people around me that have always believed in me, but have just helped me just be calm," Marinoff said.
"Building those relationships off the field so you can demand of others, and it comes from a really good place because you have that really good relationship… I'm always pushing people because I want them to be the best that they can be."
That leadership isn't just something Marinoff offers at the club. She also brings it home, where teammates Zoe Prowse and Lily Tarlinton live with her.
"I'm a really hard worker and I'm competitive and I like to do most things to the very best, if not everything," Marinoff said.
Prowse, in particular, has emerged as a seriously important member of Adelaide's defence, and Marinoff admits she can only take some of the credit.
"Her seeing my everyday life, just even eating a little bit more to fuel your body as an athlete, the small one percenters of recovery, sleep, small things," Marinoff said.
"Now she makes her bed every day, she didn't do that until she moved in with me. Just little habits. You wake up and you start your day well, and you get into routine."
Taking Prowse under her wing has been a joy for the Crows' co-captain, and it is a relationship that somewhat emulates her experience as a new player. Prowse very similar to Marinoff in the sense that she is driven to be the best, and now coming into her confidence.
"(As) someone who's been around the club since day dot, you get to watch the natural progression of players and individuals, and Zoe Prowse is one of them. A top draft pick a few years ago, comes in as a naturally skinny, lanky, tall key that played at SANFLW level and was really strong at SANFLW level, but took a little bit of time to find her feet in the AFLW system," Marinoff said.
"But (she's) so driven to get the best out of herself, and I think when you watch a player like Zoe last year come up in leaps and bounds, playing on Katie Brennan who's one of the best premium forwards in the competition, and really held her own, that gives Zoe Prowse confidence to go 'I'm good, but I want to get better'."
It is through this sort of leadership that Marinoff, and co-captain Sarah Allan, hope to return Adelaide to the Grand Final. The Crows haven't reached Grand Final day since they won their third premiership in 2022 S6. For other clubs, two seasons without reaching the season's final day is not unusual, but for Adelaide it is a rarity.
Last year they were one point away from the Grand Final, falling to North Melbourne in the prelim. The agonising loss has been burning in Marinoff ever since.
"I feel like last year we kind of let it slip," Marinoff said.
"The teams on the day beat us because they were absolutely better, take no credit away from them, but I think it was an opportunity slipped. You know, felt like everything we'd done in the preseason last year, even just in games, we had the calibre, we had the system, we just weren't able to execute that.
"But I think we've done everything that we possibly can to make sure that we're there, and hopefully it all comes together."
