Adelaide’s SANFL side completed its second pre-season trial match of 2026 - against Woodville-West Torrens at Football Park (West Lakes) on Friday evening. 

The match was a tale of two halves for the Crows, as they bounced back from a 35-point quarter-time deficit to cut the margin to within three goals in the final term. 

They were ultimately unable to complete the comeback, as the Eagles steadied late to prevail 13.11 (89) to 9.8 (62). 

Despite the result, there were plenty of positives for SANFL Senior Coach Matthew Wright to take from the contest, as he delivered five key takeaways. 

O’Brien stands tall in the ruck

The experience of Reilly O’Brien rose to the fore at West Lakes on Friday evening, as he produced a strong performance in the ruck. 

O’Brien outworked his opposite number throughout the four quarters, pushing back to help his defence and had an impact inside forward 50, where he kicked one goal and passed off another. 

Wright said the 30-year-old was a commanding presence all over the field, and helped bring his younger teammates into the game. 

“He’s a leader of this footy club for a reason, he competes strongly, leads by example and is just such a presence out there on the field,” Wright said. 

“I thought he battled so hard for the group all day and gave us some great looks with his ruckwork and ability to impact contests across the ground. 

“The best big men find a way to hit the scoreboard and he was able to do that, overall I just thought he played big today and can take a lot of confidence about how he went about it.” 

Draper returns to competitive football

Second-year Crow Sid Draper got his first taste of competitive matchplay this pre-season, getting through two quarters against the Eagles on Friday night. 

The explosive midfielder started the game in the midfield, and was a constant presence around the ball, as he showcased his trademark speed and ability to break the lines. 

The 19-year-old was then managed, as planned, after half time, as he continued to build his match fitness. 

“Sid playing two quarters today was always part of the plan with his build, and it was pleasing to see him get through that strongly,” Wright said. 

“When he was out there we saw how dynamic he was, and he had some really nice moments where he was clean and sharp in the contest. 

“He’s done a lot of work to get himself to the point where he can get out and play a half of footy today, and the way he went about it tonight was a credit to him as he was really able to impact the game. 

“So he’ll continue to build his minutes now, and tonight was a good first step.” 

Borlase a barometer behind the ball 

The continued improvement of James Borlase was on show against the Eagles, as he led a young Crows backline superbly.

Forced to deal with a lot of attacking forays throughout the night, Borlase stood tall, locking down his opponent and having an impact with his intercept game. 

Wright said the 23-year-old’s performance was a result of the hard work he had put into his game across the summer. 

“I thought James Borlase was fantastic, I don’t know how many intercept marks he had but he had such a big impact in stopping the Eagles going forward,” Wright said. 

“He’s one that continues to rock up week in and week out and put in great shifts, and he did that again today. 

“His game is just in a great spot at the moment, he’s coming off an awesome pre-season on the track and is one that just continues to put the work in and get the results on game day.”

Zac puts his best Foot forward 

Train on player Zac Foot showcased his speed and dynamic impact in what was an eye-catching performance through the midfield. 

The main beneficiary of O’Brien’s ruck advantage, Foot was able to get the ball moving forward and have an influence with his ability to break the lines. 

The former Swan was also able to have an impact forward, kicking a goal in the last quarter and playing a key role in a number of other scores. 

“Zac is a really hard worker, he’s got some class, he’s explosive and he’s able to impact the game in a number of ways, which we saw tonight,” Wright said. 

“His workrate between the lines sets him apart from some of the other midfielders going around, and tonight’s performance was a good reward for him, as he has well and truly worked his backside off all summer. 

“For him to come out and put in a shift for four quarters, he’s one that can definitely walk off proud of his output.” 

Ludowyke and Maley take to the skies

The combination of Archie Ludowyke and Finnbar Maley up forward certainly provided highlights throughout the night. 

Both blessed with strong athletic ability, they flew for everything coming inside attacking 50, and didn’t waver in their determination to create a contest. 

Ludowyke showed he will be a frequent flyer throughout his career, as he soared in between two Eagles defenders to take an exciting specky, in what was the highlight of a performance that yielded one goal and three behinds. 

Maley on the other hand crashed packs throughout the night, and brought down two contested marks in attack to contribute to his two goals. 

“Young Ludowyke ahead of the ball showed a heap of great signs again, he competes really strongly for a kid coming in playing his first year of senior footy, and tonight gave us the first of what I think will be many big marks with that specky,” Wright said. 

“He works hard across the ground, and just has a knack of finding opportunities to score, he probably would have liked to have kicked straighter today, but he’s showing some great signs.

“Finnbar is just a workhorse, he smashed himself all night with his ability to keep fronting up and creating contests. 

“I don’t think I’ve seen him outmarked since he got here, and his follow up work has been super, so it was great to see him get rewarded tonight.” 

SCOREBOARD 

Adelaide: 1.2 (8) 2.4 (16) 7.7 (49) 9.8 (62) 

Woodville-West Torrens: 7.1 (43) 10.2 (62) 11.6 (72) 13.11 (89)

Adelaide goalkickers: Maley 2, Drury 2, Ludowyke, O’Brien, Welsh, Foot, Richards