For Adelaide forward Alex Neal-Bullen, reaching the 200-game milestone is not only a reward for him but for everyone who has supported his footballing journey.
Neal-Bullen is set to notch 200 AFL games during the Crows’ qualifying final against Collingwood at Adelaide Oval next Thursday night.
Although 176 of those were played at Melbourne, Neal-Bullen said he was grateful to hit the double ton in his home town in front of his family and friends.
“I’ll always look back at my time at Melbourne and be so thankful for the 176 games I played,” Neal-Bullen said.
“(But) this is the blessing of coming home… To have my family there, I have about 20 mates who I grew up with coming along as well, and that for me is so special.
“Although it’s a small milestone in the scheme of an AFL world, a lot of the people who have been in my corner, especially here in Adelaide - from the Glenelg Footy Club, Sacred Heart College, to playing at Plympton Bulldogs, which was my junior footy Club.
“There’s people along the way that shape you, there’s not one sole person, but everyone here who will be there for me has played a small part in giving me this opportunity to stand here in a Crows polo and play finals footy in 2025.”
Neal-Bullen joined the Crows during the 2024 off-season following a trade after a decade at the Demons, where he featured in the side’s 2021 premiership.
Having finals experience under his belt, Neal-Bullen said the biggest advice he could give teammates set to line-up in their first post-season game was to stay focused, stick to the process, but also to embrace the moment.
“The learning for me over the years has been that a finals game might look different to the outside, but for us it’s about what’s worked for us to get into a position to play finals footy - that’s our process, that’s our game style - so nothing like that will change,” Neal-Bullen said.
“There will be a bit more noise, and that’s out of our control, but we also understand that we’ve been very fortunate to have an Adelaide Crows fan base who’ve turned up each and every week.
“12 months ago, I was on holidays, as were all the players at the Adelaide Crows, and you’re so envious of the opportunity that clubs get (to play finals).
“It’s a great reminder that this position we are in now, with not only the AFL team, but also the SANFL team, to be playing finals and both have double chances, you’ve got to be excited and you’ve got to enjoy this moment.”
Adelaide will enter the qualifying final following a standout minor round, in which it finished top-of-the-ladder with an 18-5 win/loss record.
The 29-year-old said there were many reasons behind the Crows going from 15th in 2024 to top, but there was one main aspect setting the Club apart.
“I am very grateful (to have come in) to a system where people value each other’s role to a really high degree,” Neal-Bullen said.
“An example I use is Tex Walker is playing game 300 next week, but his ability to empower people around him - you see Riley Thilthorpe this year in the All-Australian squad and that’s off the back of having someone who’s about to play 300 games allow Riley to be the front man at times and stand up in big moments.
“Riley can’t do that unless he feels empowered by a Taylor Walker or Darcy Fogarty.
“We’ve got a small forward group where each and every game someone will be up in lights statistically, but within that we have a system that we believe is so strong it allows each other to flourish when your moment comes.”
The Crows will enjoy a break this weekend with a pre-finals bye, before kicking off the 2025 AFL Toyota Finals series with their game against Collingwood at Adelaide Oval on Thursday at 7.10pm.
Tickets for Adelaide’s qualifying final against Collingwood are exhausted.
Priority was given to Club Members during their exclusive pre-sale window, with club members purchasing all the available tickets.
Should further tickets become available, they will be released via Ticketek on a date to be confirmed.
For more information on the Crows' game, head to the Club's finals hub here.
