STEP by step, Brenton Sanderson has seen his new gameplan take shape at Adelaide over summer, but the new Crows coach was never quite sure how it would stand up to the rigours of an actual opponent.
Now, with five consecutive pre-season wins under his belt and Adelaide's second NAB Cup premiership in its 21-year history, Sanderson has reason to be confident he's got things about right.
After the Crows' 34-point win over West Coast at AAMI Stadium on Saturday night, Sanderson was able to enjoy the progress his club has made after finishing 14th last season. He knows the job isn't done yet, but he's optimistic everything is on track.
"Obviously it's good for the coaching group because we've worked really hard at developing a style of play which we think can work," Sanderson said.
"It's really satisfying to see it work against other sides. I've mentioned all summer that we've spent a lot of time doing match practice with umpires, but it's always been internally and Adelaide against Adelaide.
"The test was going to be whether it would stand up against another AFL side and we've had five wins and beat a couple of good sides along the way. It's a nice reward for how hard we've worked over summer."
Adelaide's new-look gameplan was on show against the Eagles in Saturday's Grand Final. The Crows appear to be a bit different to the team that looked out of ideas last year. They look a bit sharper, a bit smarter and a bit faster.
Mostly, they look to be playing a brand of football that is built on the foundations of any success in football: winning the ball, and using it well. And, they look like they're having fun doing it.
"It's not rocket science, we're just doing the basics really well at the moment," Sanderson said.
"We're playing contested footy which I think the players are relishing and they're enjoying the contest."
As well as praising the work of Michael Tuck medalist Bernie Vince - "He was outstanding," Sanderson said - Sanderson was quick to highlight key forward Taylor Walker.
Sanderson admitted he was close to subbing the 21-year-old out of the game in the second quarter, only moments before Walker's stunning passage of play that "ignited" the Crows.
On the half-forward flank Walker tackled Eagles' defender Will Schofield, smothered a handball from opponent Andrew Embley and then booted a supergoal from beyond 50. He finished with three goals and was an important player in the win.
"I was really proud of Taylor tonight," Sanderson said.
"He didn’t have much of the footy at all until midway through the second quarter, but I felt he ignited the group."
Just as the Crows were sparked by Walker's impact, the Eagles were sapped of one of their star forwards when Mark Nicoski left the field in the first quarter with a hamstring injury.
West Coast coach John Worsfold said it did not appear to be a serious strain, and that the club had the depth to cover the loss of Nicoski on top of the season-long absence of Mark LeCras.
"It's hard to say at this stage, but it looks like it could be two or three weeks," he said.
"We've been really pleased and excited with three blokes, (Ashton) Hams, (Josh) Hill and (Gerrick) Weedon ... three main guys who have been pushing up in those roles."
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Follow Callum Twomey on Twitter at @AFL_CalTwomey.
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs
