The Hawks had played in eight of the last nine grand finals, winning four, and showed no sign of relinquishing their stranglehold on the competition, claiming the Fosters Cup by winning the pre-season competition.
The Crows, as they had been nicknamed, were comprised of the best talent SA had to offer, but had only three players with VFL or AFL experience.
The star-studded Hawks, who boasted names like Michael Tuck, Dermott Brereton, John Platten and Jason Dunstall, arrived at Football Park oozing more confidence than Brereton's trademark swagger - while their opponents prepared for their entry into the unknown.
The hype surrounding Adelaide's transition to the AFL had reached fever pitch in South Australia, following the club's practice game win over Essendon and better-than-expected performance in the Fosters Cup.
A crowd of 45,000 waited anxiously as the Crows, led by inaugural skipper Chris McDermott prepared to enter Football Park for the first time.
At age 27, McDermott had waited longer than most of his teammates for an opportunity to play on the VFL/AFL stage.
The Glenelg stalwart had never aspired to play outside of the SANFL and knocked back offers from several Victorian-based clubs and also the Brisbane Bears to remain with the Bays.
However, the opportunity to represent a South Australian team in the expanded competition appealed to him, and at the top of the race he took a moment to reflect on what the team was about to achieve.
"I remember us all standing at the top of the race before we went out onto the ground and just taking a moment to think about what we were about to do," McDermott told afl.com.au.
"That walk onto the ground and that first game was something that would never be repeated.
"You might have premiership wins, Grand Final appearances and other magnificent moments, but there would never be another first team and that was probably the most significant thing for me in the whole lead up."
Buoyed by the wins of West Coast and the Brisbane Bears in their respective first VFL/AFL games in 1987, the Crows were confident of causing an upset.
"We had so much going for us," McDermott said.
"The newness, the fact it was our first time and the [45,000] screaming fans.
"We were at our dead-set peak. We had peaked for round one like you wouldn't believe. We were really confident going into the game that we could win."
Sitting in the coach's box for the first time since filling in for an ailing Allan Jeans in 1988, Alan Joyce sensed his team was in trouble from the opening bounce. And he was right.
The Crows piled on five goals before the Hawks could score and led by 51 points at half time.
"It was one hell of a night," Joyce said.
"I don't think I've seen a side as pumped up as the Crows were and they were far more pumped up than we were… and the result just kept coming.
"The unexpected occasionally happens in football and it happened to us in Adelaide that night. Looking back we were not tuned in at all. First games and the hype that goes with them is probably something out of the norm.
"Dermott got reported and got five weeks and the Adelaide supporters set out to demolish the coach's box, which I think they almost did. It was just a nightmare."
The Hawthorn coach's box remained intact (barely) and Adelaide went on to win the game by 86 points.
McDermott, who was the target of Brereton's unlawful bump, missed the chance to sing the club song for the first time because of concussion, but rode the wave of Crows' euphoria until the eventual let down against the Bombers at Windy Hill in round four.
Gold Coast will also attempt to use the emotion of an inaugural game when it takes on Carlton at the Gabba in round two.
The Blues can take heart in the fact the last two teams to enter the competition, Fremantle and Port Adelaide, were both beaten in their opening games, but McDermott said it would be tough for Carlton to match the spirit of the Suns.
"It's a massive danger game for Carlton," he said.
"[Coach] Guy McKenna has done it beautifully with his star players, not exposing them too much in the pre-season and we haven't seen them attack the pre-season like the Crows did 20 years ago.
"In 1991, we tried to play our best kit as much as we could and were quite up for the pre-season, but Guy McKenna has kept this team down, I think deliberately, and kept them understated."
