Welcome to our brand new Team Preview series.
This year we will be looking at every team and choosing a..
Lock
Dark horse
Breakout
Rookie watch
Not all SC relevant players will fit into this format, but it should provide a brief outline of each team and a space to discuss potential players from each side. 
The Lock
Jordon Dawson ( Mid ) $611.300
Jordon is a solid performer that you will want in your side at some point. He played all 23 games, and averaged 113 in 2025 ( 9th for midfielders). I don’t see too much changing this year, in fact I only see the Crows improving. They want the ball in Dawsons hands as much as possible, and he’s shown he can score in the midfield, behind or even in front of the ball. No early bye makes him a very viable staring pick in my eyes. These’s not a heap of value here, but you pay for what you get, and you’re getting quality.
The Dark Horse
Rory Laird (Def) $559.000
Rory laird has been a Premium Supercoach asset for close to a decade. Overlooked by many last year due to his move to defense in 2025, Laird took awhile to settle back into his backline role. All Australian HB in 2017 and 2018 Rory loves it down back and his end to 2025 showed just that. Unfortunately Laird only played 20 games last year, as he missed a few due to “soreness”. I do think Laird is hell bent on getting success at the Crows and will do everything to secure another AA blazer. The elevated price and a pretty hard draw to start may put a few folks off. I think his low ownership could be great assets to start the season. Certainly one to consider if you haven’t already.
The Breakout
Josh Rachele (Fwd) $369.600
Dan Curtain was my first choice for this spot , but injury has cursed him so Rachele it is. Josh’s 13 games for a 68.3 point average in 2025 certainly isn’t pretty reading. Trying to look past the injuries and inconstant form, the talent is there, it’s just a matter of if / when he begins to show some consistency. I’m not sure I’d have the balls to start him, but keep an eye on his role in the preseason games. I would bump him up your draft boards as well, as whatever happens I see improvement. It’s just a matter of how much.
Rookie Watch
Sid Draper ( Mid/Fwd ) $126.100
Pick 4 in the 2024 national draft, Draper promises to be a SC beast at some stage.. Not much worked out for Sid in 2025, he just couldn’t get either his body right, or break into a pretty stacked Crows line up. The few games he played ( mainly as Sub) he certainly showed glimpses. Now that we have finally scrapped the Sub rule, could we start to see the best of Draper in 2026. The bad news is Sid is yet to get back to full training and the Crows have said they want to play the long game and not rush the young fella back. Keep him watch listed as even if he doesn’t get up for round one, he could still be a viable downgrade option in 2026.
So who at Adelaide do you think can be SC relevant in 2026 ?
Feel free to comment below.
Cheers FT.
Hey Freo,
Soligo is sort of interesting… 10 tons last year, but a huge range from 53 to 126. Lack of consistency does not a midfielder make…..but I confess to not watching much of Crows last year so no idea why that happened – eg was he being switched around ground, used of bench a lot – whatever…???
Avg 90 (`25) 83 (`24) 73 (`23) 63 (`22) so his avg is going right way, hardly missed a game I think – where do you see him in `26?
Hey Cuzza
Soligo is so hard to get a read on. Started 2025 with 4 tons and looked like he might have finally made the next step. Then literally fell off a cliff the next month. Pretty hard to trust him TBH. I did consider him as that Breakout guy, I just have zero faith he be a decent option as a pure mid. He’s also nearly $500k . There’s so many guys that are significantly cheaper.,like Young / Wardlaw even Parish.
Hard pass from me .
Literally fell off a cliff. Rough luck
Had a parachute, just a few grazes
Gidday FR,
Crowe supporter but I they showed 2025 that Laird will be managed several times during the yr.
Cheers WG
Yeah, you are probably right about Laird. The “managed” risk is always there, although a few of us thought similar things about Zorko and the Magician still got up for 23 games last year.
Probably should of gone with the Thill seeker in the Dark Horse spot. He’s pretty consistent for a big guy now. Imagine what he could do if he finally gets the solo ruck role.
Rankine will be close to a top 6 forward when he is back
100%
I would of fit him in somewhere if he wasn’t missing round 1.
He could find his way into my side if a bench rookie pops off round 1 though.
Is he missing one or two games?
Ok thanks for that I thought it was just the one. Somehow I thought they won another final.;
I wish
My biggest concern with Adelaide players is they share the Rd 12 bye with Port, North and Suns. As much as there are a few Crows that I want in my side, it feels like I might be waiting until after their Rd 12 bye. I know a lot of coaches care less about the byes in favour of their preferred players – fair enough too – I just happen to be a coach that factors in byes in their selections.
Great Point Phil
That round 12 Bye is looking like a real problem, especially if you try and avoid most of the early bye players. It’s gonna be super interesting to see who tries to get ahead early and who plays the longer more strategic game. I think those that get this balance right will go long way to successful 2026 season.
I looked at Lairds returns after the bye fixture last year. Was not many better. Will be rested during the year, but could be a sneaky flip to a Whitfield, Sinclair type early on.?