Adelaide’s AFLW team has turned to Olympic success for inspiration to help fuel its push to remain one of the competition’s powerhouses.

Rower Lucy Stephan OAM, who helped the Australian women’s four claim gold at the Tokyo Olympics, has been a regular presence at the Crows this year, sharing insights from her journey of resilience and elite performance.

Crows Assistant Coach Courtney Cramey said the Club was always looking for ways to challenge and develop its players, and believed learning from an athlete outside the football world was invaluable.

“We thought it would be a good idea to bring in some people who have achieved at a high level or worked in high performing spaces so the girls could get some learnings and experiences from them,” Cramey said.

“Lucy presented some stories around how she had gone about it through her journey with Olympic rowing, and what it takes to train hard for four years to get to the pinnacle and the peak of what you’re setting out to achieve.

“There’s a natural respect for someone that is going about trying to reach the pinnacle in their own sport and what they do, albeit over a journey of four years through the Olympic cycle.

“She’s that type of person that she has so many gold nuggets throughout her dialogue that there were so many bits and pieces to take away, and we definitely know there’s been a transfer of knowledge and drawing on some of Lucy’s stories and experiences.”

Stephan made her senior international debut for Australia’s rowing team in 2013 at the age of 21, winning gold in the women's eight at the 2013 World Rowing Cup I in Sydney.

She is a three-time Olympian, having competed at the 2016, 2021 (which were initially scheduled for 2020), and 2024 Games.

The now 33-year-old has also had success at the World Championships with the coxless four, claiming gold in 2017, 2019, silver in 2018, and bronze in 2013 and 2022.

Stephan, who is now Head Coach of St Peter’s College’s 1st VII rowing crew, says she has enjoyed sharing her stories.

“It’s been really cool, I put together a talk for the girls explaining my lessons I learnt through Tokyo and my rowing, but relating it back to footy and building that trust within your teammates,” Stephan said.

“I’ve also really encouraged the girls to enjoy the journey. I think I got quite caught up and definitely towards the end, I was a bit burnt out, but now having taken some time away, it’s honing into that it’s the best job in the world, so it’s important to enjoy it and embrace it,

“I shared a story with the girls that one of my favourite memories from Tokyo is when we were sitting on the balcony before race day, enjoying each other’s company as a team and trying to relax before arguably the most important event of our careers.

“It’s also about building that trust with one another, and knowing that when the buzzer goes you have complete faith that as a unit, you’ll know exactly what to do - so for the AFLW girls, it’s as soon as that siren goes, you don’t want anyone else in your team.”

Stephan said she had also learnt a lot from AFLW Senior Coach Matthew Clarke and Carmey, as she continued to develop her own coaching style.

“For me, rowing is all I’ve ever known, so working and being a part of a different sport has been really great, and there’s some aspects that are really similar to rowing, but also many that are so different,” Stephan said.

“I had an opportunity to sit in the coaches’ box a few weeks ago and it was really interesting to see how they go about things.

“When I coach rowing, as soon as you push them off a landing for a race, you have zero control, but in a footy game you can impact the play by your subs and having those conversations on the bench.

“I’m super grateful for the opportunity, I feel like I've gotten a lot out of it, and after moving to Adelaide only a year ago, it’s great to feel a part of the community, it’s been so special.”

The Crows will be looking to secure a third-straight win when they take on Gold Coast at People First Stadium on Sunday at 4.35pm (ASCT).

The match will be broadcast live on Fox Footy and Kayo.