Adelaide Coaching Director Murray Davis believes returning to pre-season amid South Australia’s scorching heatwave will help give the Crows a competitive edge.
Players returned to pre-season training on Thursday in 40-degree conditions after a three-week break over Christmas.
Speaking to the media following the session, Davis said the group had embraced the challenging conditions.
“It was warm conditions, but good conditions to train in,” Davis said.
“Coming from Queensland, I think there’s a bit of a competitive edge when you train in those conditions all the time.
“I think the pre-Christmas training period and block was a really solid one for us.
“They were able to go away and reset, but we were pretty strong on making sure they came back in good shape.”
Adelaide is coming off a solid 2025 campaign, after finishing top and earning its major round berth since 2017, before exiting with a semi-final loss to Hawthorn.
During the off-season, however, the Crows bolstered their list with the addition of two-time Lions premiership forward Callum Ah Chee, draftees Mitch Marsh, and Archie Ludowyke, and rookie Indy Cotton.
Davis, who is preparing to begin his second campaign with the Crows’ coaching cohort, following 13 years with reigning premier Brisbane, believes Adelaide now has plenty of versatility on its list
“There is a lot of flexibility we feel within our playing group, especially in our forward line,” Davis said.
“That’s the beauty of this time of the year, there's a lot of spots that are up for grabs, and it becomes very competitive, which is great, that’s what we love as a coaching group.
“Our fans and Members should be excited by that because guys are fighting for a spot in the team.
“Cal Ah Chee will come in and he’ll add another dynamic to our forward line as well.”
As training continued to heat up, Davis also said there were a few players who had caught his eye during the first day back, with one having the potential to break into the Crows’ midfield.
“There’s a lot of guys who have come back in really good shape,” Davis said.
“Dan Curtin continues to impress, Josh Rachele is going really well, but it’s really hard to single guys out because from a coaching perspective you’re always looking at it as a holistic approach.
“Dan has done a lot of work in not only developing his physical capabilities, but learning his craft as well.
“He’s got some great players alongside him to learn from and that (midfield minutes) will be something we’ll look to explore.”
Adelaide’s 2026 campaign kicks off with a clash against Collingwood at the MCG on Saturday, March 14.
See the full fixture here.
