Adelaide SANFL Senior Coach Michael Godden says securing a place in the upcoming finals series means plenty to the Club and the players.

The Crows sit second on the ladder and their 11-5 win/loss record has secured them a place in the major round.

It will be the third time the side has qualified for the SANFL finals since entering the competition in 2014.

Speaking to AFC Media ahead of the penultimate minor round against Central District this Saturday, Godden said he was proud to have helped lead the Crows to another finals series.

“Finals are very important as part of their development and they mean a lot,” Godden said.

“We’ve wanted to create a winning culture and give them an opportunity to play in a finals series against generally more hardened bodies with a little bit more pressure.

“The year started well for us, coming off the back of last year was quite difficult.

“But over the summer we were able to add some experience to our development squad which has certainly helped us long term.

“Then our AFL players are now a year older and a little bit stronger, a little bit wiser and understand our game plan better.”

“We’ve wanted to create a winning culture and give them an opportunity to play in a finals series.

Godden said he was also pleased with how the AFL-listed and SANFL-listed players had improved as footballers, while developing strong bonds across the season.

“It’s been really good to see the way the guys have attacked the SANFL season,” Godden said.

“It can be quite difficult to jell them altogether with guys coming back from the AFL or from injury, but with the players’ help, they’ve been outstanding in that area.

“We’ve won some games when the game has been in the balance which generally shows care and compassion for each other.

“Another pleasing thing for me is how we’ve connected as a playing group and the AFL program supports us completely.”

Adelaide’s SANFL side takes on Central District at Adelaide Oval on Saturday, at 5pm, after the Club’s AFL game against North Melbourne.

Godden said playing at Adelaide Oval after the AFL team would further strengthen the one-Club culture.

“It’ll be a tough battle against Central,” Godden said.

“We understand the importance of getting a double chance for us to be successful in finals, we really need to finish with two wins.

“We are really pleased to have a ‘home game’ at Adelaide Oval, it keeps our Club connected.

“Playing on the same day means our training program can be the same, playing at the same venue means we can watch the AFL and the AFL can watch us.

“Of course playing at Adelaide Oval is a wonderful privilege.”