Adelaide will kick off its 2025 SANFL finals campaign against reigning premier Glenelg at Adelaide Oval this Sunday.

While the Club’s AFL team remains active in the finals, any AFL-listed player is permitted to play in SANFL finals, except if they lined up in Round 24 (including the activated substitute), in which case they are not eligible to play in the SANFL qualifying final.

Those players can, however, be made available for selection in the SANFL semi-final on Sunday, September 7.

Other SANFL finals eligibility rules

  • If or when the AFL side’s finals campaign comes to an end, the specific eligibility kicks in.

  • AFL-listed players must have played a higher percentage of SANFL games than AFL games throughout the year to then qualify.

  • AFL-listed players must also have played at least three SANFL games after the halfway point of the SANFL season.

  • A maximum team selection limit of 17 AFL listed players, regardless of whether the AFL team is in the AFL finals series or not, can play in a SANFL finals game.

  • In addition to the AFL listed players, up to four open aged players are eligible for the SANFL finals.

  • All Talent Development Listed and Community Listed players must have played at least one minor round SANFL game throughout the year to qualify for finals.
     
  • An AFL listed player who is named as the substitute in an AFL final, can play that same weekend in a SANFL Final.

General SANFL rules overview

Ahead of the 2025 season, the South Australian Football Commission introduced new rules and regulations to player access for the AFL clubs in the SANFL competition.

The new rules allowed Adelaide and Port Adelaide, to list up to four players aged over 21 from SANFL clubs, or from interstate competitions such as the VFL, WAFL or AFL. 

Adelaide has three open aged players  - SANFL Captain Jack Madgen, interstate recruit Blake Drury, and previously listed AFL player Kieran Strachan.

In addition to mature aged players, the AFL club has been permitted to sign up to six SANFL players under the new Talent Development List. 

Ned Atkinson is Adelaide’s only Talent Development player this season.

Other Information

  • This will be Adelaide's fifth SANFL finals campaign in 11 years and third in the past four years.

  • The Crows have played 12 SANFL finals games for five wins.

  • Adelaide has played in four SANFL preliminary finals in the past nine years - 2016, 2019, 2022 and 2023.'

Adelaide faces Glenelg in a qualifying final at Adelaide Oval this Sunday, with the first bounce at 3.15pm.