1. Good things come in threes ...
‘When was the last time we had three debutants?’ If that was your reaction to selection on Thursday night, you weren’t alone. The answer is Round One, 2009, when current captain Taylor Walker, forward Jared Petrenko and midfielder Myke Cook pulled on the Crows colours for the first time against Collingwood at the MCG. The trio received a Gatorade shower after Adelaide held on to record a four-point win over the Pies. First-gamers Tom Doedee, Darcy Fogarty and Lachlan Murphy will be hoping to celebrate in similar fashion on Friday night.
2. … and fives
You have to go even further back for the last time five Crows made their Club debut in the same game. Trade Period recruits Bryce Gibbs and Sam Gibson will also make their maiden appearances for Adelaide against Essendon at Etihad Stadium. Outside of the first-ever game in 1991, the record for most Crows debutants in a match is six in the 1997 season-opener against the Brisbane Lions at Football Park. On that day, future premiership players Simon Goodwin, Brett James (from Collingwood), Chad Rintoul and Aaron Keating, forward Barry Standfield (from Footscray) and first-round draft pick Brent Williams enjoyed a 36-point win in their first hit-outs for the Club. The Bombers will also take the wraps off big-name recruits Jake Stringer, Devon Smith and Adam Saad on Friday night, making it eight new faces across the two 2017 finalists.
See Essendon’s full Round One team
3. Flash forward
Walker (foot) and link-man Tom Lynch (side strain) will both be missing on Friday night. The last time the Crows played without the pair was also at Etihad Stadium against Lynch’s former club, St Kilda, in Round Four, 2014. Walker was nearing a return from a knee reconstruction, while Lynch was sidelined with a shoulder injury. Led by Josh Jenkins (four goals) and James Podsiadly (three goals) Adelaide overcame the goalkicking duo’s absence to record an 86-point win. It will be a different-looking Crows forward line this week, with debutants Fogarty and Murphy and the returning Cameron Ellis-Yolmen named alongside regular players Eddie Betts, Mitch McGovern and Jenkins in the starting six.
4. Cam-do attitude
It was at Etihad Stadium 392 days ago that Ellis-Yolmen ruptured his ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) in a seemingly innocuous incident against Richmond in a JLT Community Series match. The strongly-built midfielder has overcome the serious injury as well as being delisted to earn an opportunity off the Rookie List on Friday night. Ellis-Yolmen has played 14 AFL games, with his most recent senior appearance coming against West Coast on Round 23, 2016. The 25-year-old, who has been rewarded for strong pre-season form, is one of two rookie-listed players in Adelaide’s Round One team, selected alongside former SANFL development player Murphy.
It's been 574 days since Cam Ellis-Yolmen's last AFL game for premiership points
5. Running backs
One of the highest-scoring teams in the competition last season, Essendon’s attacking brand will be bolstered by the acquisition of Saad from the Gold Coast. Saad led the League for running bounces in 2017 with 93 – 29 more than the next-best player. Fellow speedster, Irishman Conor McKenna, ranked fifth in this category. Quelling the impact of the pair, along with composed backman Andrew McGrath and veteran Brendon Goddard on the fast, indoor deck will be a challenge for Adelaide. Forwards Betts, McGovern and Murphy will need to be at their pressuring best to keep the ball inside the visitors’ attacking 50m.
Read the statistical preview of the Round One blockbuster
