Adelaide will be out to defy the predictions of the AFL’s captains this year.
The AFL’s annual poll of the 18 club skippers revealed only three captains expect the Crows to return to the top eight for the first time since 2012.
Players were unable to vote for their own team in the poll, with the results released on Wednesday morning.
Adelaide showed promising signs through its pre-season campaign and finished the NAB Challenge with a 2-1 record, notching wins over last year’s preliminary finalists North Melbourne and Port Adelaide. The Club’s only loss was to Geelong at Simonds Stadium.
The captains also predict Crows midfielder Patrick Dangerfield to be one of the contenders in this year’s Brownlow Medal count.
Two club captains backed the tough Crow for the AFL’s most prestigious individual award, with Fremantle’s Nat Fyfe touted as the top fancy with four votes.
Dangerfield finished equal-fifth in last year’s Brownlow Medal count with 21 votes.
New Crows captain Taylor Walker was selected by one skipper to win this year’s Coleman Medal race. Walker booted 34 goals in 15 games last season after returning from reconstructive knee surgery.
Ball magnet Matt Crouch, who turns 20 next month, was also named by one captain as their pick for the AFL’s Rising Star award. Crouch won a Rising Star nomination in Round Five last season but is again eligible for the honour in 2015.
All votes in the AFL’s annual captains poll are kept anonymous.
AFL captains poll – Full voting
Which seven other clubs do you think can make this year’s top eight?
TEAM | VOTES |
|---|---|
| Hawthorn | 17 |
| Sydney | 17 |
| Port Adelaide | 17 |
| Fremantle | 16 |
| Geelong | 16 |
| North Melbourne | 14 |
| Gold Coast | 12 |
| Richmond | 8 |
| Essendon | 4 |
| Adelaide | 3 |
| Collingwood | 1 |
| West Coast | 1 |
Who is your pick for this year’s Brownlow Medal?
PLAYER | VOTES |
|---|---|
| Nat Fyfe | 4 |
| Gary Ablett | 3 |
| Patrick Dangerfield | 2 |
| Travis Boak | 2 |
| Joel Selwood | 2 |
| Dayne Beams | 1 |
| Robbie Gray | 1 |
| Josh Kennedy | 1 |
| Dustin Martin | 1 |
| Daniel Wells | 1 |
| Matt Priddis | 1 |
Who is your pick for this year’s Coleman Medal?
PLAYER | VOTES |
|---|---|
| Jarryd Roughead | 7 |
| Lance Franklin | 4 |
| Tom Hawkins | 2 |
| Jack Riewoldt | 2 |
| Taylor Walker | 1 |
| Josh Kennedy | 1 |
| Kurt Tippett | 1 |
| Josh Kennedy | 1 |
| Jeremy Cameron | 1 |
Who is your pick for this year’s AFL Rising Star award?
PLAYER | VOTES |
|---|---|
| Nakia Cockatoo | 4 |
| Isaac Heeney | 3 |
| Jed Anderson | 2 |
| Matt Crouch | 1 |
| Angus Brayshaw | 1 |
| Patrick Cripps | 1 |
| Jordan De Goey | 1 |
| Jarrod Garlett | 1 |
| Jaden McGrath | 1 |
| Matt Scharenburg | 1 |
| Kayne Turner | 1 |
| Patrick McCartin | 1 |
