Searching for a fresh start - both for her footy career and in life - new Crow Grace Egan says Adelaide is the perfect place for her to hit the reset button.
After an up-and-down 2025, marked by battling a serious illness early in the year, before returning to the field and finishing a tough season with Richmond, Egan arrives at West Lakes with a clear purpose: to write a new chapter.
And speaking to AFC Media, Egan says she has the perfect in-built support to help, as she prepares to move in with her new Co-Captain and 2024 League Best and Fairest Winner, Ebony Marinoff.
Marinoff, a triple flag winner and four-time Club Champion, is widely respected across the League for her professionalism and relentless work ethic.
“I am moving in with Noffy, and she's probably the best person to follow around for the first few months, she was also part of the reason why I wanted to come across,” Egan said.
“I just want to become a better player, and living with Noffy I reckon will give me the best chance of that.
“I feel like I can help her, and she can help me, and the same goes for everyone else in the team.”
Egan, a tough, hard tackling inside midfielder, joined the Crows in December after the Club finalised a trade with the Tigers.
She comes across having played 66 AFLW games (23 for Carlton, 43 for Richmond), since debuting in 2020.
Last year, before the footy season began, the 25-year-old spent three weeks in two different hospitals due to an illness, losing 14kg, before miraculously getting herself fit enough to feature in the Tigers’ Round One game.
She went on to play nine games, and averaged 20 disposals, four tackles, and three clearances.
Egan said the difficult start to 2025 built up her resilience and made her hungry to return to her best footy.
“I took a lot of things from that - if anything it shows how resilient I can be,” Egan said.
“I know how much I love my footy now, which is why a change also excites me.
“I love football, it’s my passion, and now that I had a year to go through not the best situation, but it made me realise how much I love it and I have a lot of energy to put into it.”
Egan’s arrival at the Crows also coincides with a new era for the Club’s W team, as new Senior Coach Ryan Davis takes the reins for the 2026 season.
She said being led by Davis, a former assistant with Brisbane’s AFLW team, was another catalyst behind her decision to sign with Adelaide.
“I have been over (to Adelaide) a few times in the past few months, and this time is the first time it feels like home and a bit more real,” Egan said.
“I am super excited to play alongside the girls, and also to play under Ryan is something I feel like the group is really excited for and ready for a new challenge.
“Starting at a new Club is very scary, but now talking to the girls, and everyone feels like they are on a fresh start and it’s all a blank slate for everyone, so I am so excited.
“Coming over and meeting the girls, it just felt like the right fit and I know that I have definitely made the right decision, everyone has been amazing.”
