NEW COACH, new-look team.
There are lots of questions to be answered about Matthew Nicks and his Crows ahead of Friday's Marsh Community Series finale against Gold Coast and the season proper.
AFL.com.au has identified three of the bigger ones below.
1. Can the Crows improve their pressure?
Fact: no club had a worse 'pressure factor' inside 50 than Adelaide last year.
The Champion Data rating bundles up a series of pressure-related categories to come up with the figure, and it offers at least a gauge into how good a team is in that department.
One of the flow-on effects was the Crows' time in forward half differential – a buzz statistic in the modern game – was almost five minutes less than their opponent on average.
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Lachie Murphy was the sole pure forward in Adelaide's top 10 tacklers in 2019, with an ageing Eddie Betts averaging a decade-low 2.5 tackles.
The Crows also used a number of tall forwards throughout the season, with Taylor Walker (22 games), Tom Lynch (16), Josh Jenkins (11), Elliott Himmelberg (seven) and Darcy Fogarty (four).
This is where there could be a significant change in what Adelaide does.
Small forwards Tyson Stengle (two) and Ben Davis (one) played three matches combined last year but have shone across the pre-season, while Murphy is a best-22 staple now.
Could Nicks pick all three for round one?
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Just one player – Gold Coast's Darcy MacPherson – laid more than Stengle's three forward-50 tackles in the first round of this year's Marsh Community Series.
Davis adds genuine zip to the forward line and kicked a couple of goals against Melbourne a fortnight ago, but isn't a ravenous tackler.
Shane McAdam is the other player who could force his way into this mix.
2. Does Reilly O'Brien need a deputy?
O'Brien has already established a reputation as a workhorse ruckman who can gobble up minutes on the field with limited rest.
The 24-year-old leapfrogged Sam Jacobs to be the Crows' No.1 big man last year, and now has no competition with Jacobs accepting a two-year deal to join the Giants.
Jenkins was previously the Crows' chief ruck back-up and Andy Otten stepped in sometimes, but they've both departed as well.
Elliott Himmelberg and Billy Frampton, who are both 200cm or taller, are the most obvious options to fill that role this season, but is there room for them in the best 22?
They both played against Melbourne, but only Himmelberg was selected for Friday's clash with Gold Coast.
Walker and Lynch are certain to be in the round one side, while 2017 first-round draft pick Fogarty needs greater senior exposure – and, as discussed above, improving the team's pressure is a necessity. But that trio has a combined 11 hitouts across 342 AFL games.
3. Is contested ball going to be a problem?
The Demons gave Adelaide a belting in contested situations in their Marsh Community Series opener at Casey Fields two Saturdays ago.
Nicks said post-match that day his hope was his side could break even with Melbourne, one of the AFL's best in that area.
However, the Crows won 28 fewer contested possessions, although Rory Sloane played only the first half and the kids were prioritised in the centre.
Nicks has since made it clear his thoughts on the matter: "My philosophy around football revolves around contest."
Adelaide offloaded two of its best contested-ball winners, Hugh Greenwood and Cam Ellis-Yolmen, in last year's Telstra AFL Trade Period, so others will need to step up.
The Crouch brothers – Matt and Brad – and Sloane hold their own but their company this year will include Myles Poholke and Chayce Jones and possibly Patrick Wilson, Ned McHenry, Jordan Gallucci, recruit Ben Keays and draftee Harry Schoenberg.
No Adelaide midfielder had more than Poholke's 16 centre attendances against the Demons and he gathered 20 disposals (five contested) and won one clearance.
The fleet-footed Jones, a top-10 draft pick entering his second season, amassed 16 touches (seven contested) and two clearances.
Rookie Wilson was the Crows' No.1 contested ball-winner in the SANFL last season, and Schoenberg ranked second at last year's NAB AFL Under-18 Championships behind new Giant Tom Green.
Wayne Milera is another potential option in the centre, although he continues to spend a lot of time at half-back, while Brodie Smith and Rory Atkins can also expect more centre attendances.
