Adelaide concluded its three match off-season trial match series against Sydney at its West Lakes home on Saturday afternoon.

Nine Crows combined with an assortment of Brisbane players to face a stronger Swans outfit in one last hit-out before pre-season training officially begins on Monday, May 19. 

Sydney claimed a 10.10 (70) to 4.4 (28) win, as the teams battled it out across four 18-minute quarters.

Crows AFLW Coach Matthew Clarke was on deck at the clash and delivered four key takeaways.

Goodwin shows promise in new role 

20-year-old Crow Sarah Goodwin was exposed to a new role in the midfield throughout the off-season trial series, and showed great promise, according to Clarke. 

Showcasing her elite skills and aerobic capacity, Goodwin proved a natural fit for the on-ball position, and helped lead the Crows/Lions side as one of their most experienced players. 

Clarke said the running defender showed she may have a future further up the ground. 

“It might be a longer term thing for her, but she certainly showed quite a bit in the games that she played (in the off-season),” Clarke said. 

“She has an elite aerobic capacity, her contest work is really good, and just looks a lot more composed at the level. 

“There’s lots of attributes there that suggest she might be a midfielder down the track.” 

Boyle-Carr thriving with more exposure to Australian football 

Irish utility Amy Boyle Carr has spent her first off-season training as AFLW player, and is reaping the rewards. 

The 24-year-old featured in all three of the off-season practice matches against Sydney, and grew more comfortable with each outing. 

“Last year Amy came out three weeks before the start of the season, and did really well to get up to speed and to a level where she could play at AFLW level,” Clarke said. 

“It has been awesome for her to get a full off-season of training in, and actually get some playing time in before the pre-season starts.

“Even through these three matches, you can see the progress she’s made, she looks a lot more comfortable playing the game which has resulted in her being a lot more confident. 

“Amy is a perfect example of the benefits of these games, and I’m excited to see her continue to develop across the pre-season.”

Perfect preparation for Crows' draftees

Adelaide used the trio of off-season practice games to expose first-year players India Rasheed, Georgia McKee and Kayleigh Cronin to AFLW football. 

Rasheed featured in all three of the matches against the Swans, while McKee and Cronin both made two appearances across the series. 

“It was perfect for all three of the draftees to get exposed to the level, and obviously there is another level again that they will need to get to when it comes to the start of the season,” Clarke said. 

“The matches gave them a great indication of what playing footy in our system and structure is like, which is really important.”

He also took the chance to praise the Crows’ top draft pick Rasheed, and how much she grew across the three matches.

“India was really solid, she got an idea of what she needed to work on, but as a coaching group we were able to see her strengths on display,” Clarke said. 

“She will without doubt be better for the run, and we were rapt with everything she did.” 

Clarke reflects on successful off-season practice match series 

Upon the completion of the Club’s first ever off-season practice match series, Clarke was thrilled with what his team was able to take away. 

A cohort of Crows travelled to Sydney for two matches against the Swans, before they welcomed the same opposition for the final contest at West Lakes. 

He said the initiative was an incredible success, and gave the Crows a great lead-in to the official start of its pre-season campaign on May 19. 

“All three games were very competitive and a lot of fun, with the most important part being we didn’t get any injuries from it,” Clarke said. 

“Our administrative team, together with Brisbane and Sydney, did a great job to get these games up, massive kudos to everyone behind the scenes.

“Ultimately it was very worthwhile, and we would definitely go down that path in the future, as it was a great developmental opportunity for our players.”