Adelaide’s relationship with the Melbourne Cricket Ground involves a mix of triumph and heartbreak.
Through 36 seasons and 83 AFL games – including 15 finals – the famous ground has been the stage for some of the Crows’ most significant moments.
Adelaide first played at the MCG in round nine of its debut 1991 season, the round after being smashed by St Kilda by 131 points at Moorabbin Oval. The Crows led North Melbourne by 21 points early in the final term and by 18 points with ten minutes left but North champion Wayne Carey put his side in front seven minutes later.
The next trip to the MCG was a month later against Richmond and this time Adelaide kicked six last-quarter goals in the wet to secure its first win in Melbourne at the fifth attempt.
Modra arrives and finals history begins
The Crows posted a 110-point win over Richmond in 1992 and then late call-up Tony Modra kicked 10 goals in the 94-point win over the Tigers in the opening round of the 1993 season.
It was also the year when Adelaide played its first final, at the MCG, and stunned hardened Hawthorn. The Crows regained the lead in the last quarter and then Matthew Liptak’s third goal, Nigel Smart’s third and fourth goals – split by a 60m bomb by Stuart Wigney – secured the win.
But a fortnight later, back at the ‘G, Adelaide’s first preliminary final appearance ended in disappointment after Essendon recovered from a 42-point half-time deficit to win by 11 points.
Highs and lows of the mid-90s
After not playing at the MCG in 1994, the Crows suffered their biggest loss at the venue – a 122-point defeat to Essendon in round 14, 1995.
The MCG was also the setting for new Adelaide coach Malcolm Blight’s famous “pathetic” outburst after the 1997 round two loss to Richmond.
Six months later, however, the Crows were celebrating their first AFL premiership.
The 1997 miracle run
After winning two finals at home, Adelaide returned to the MCG for a remarkable preliminary final against the Western Bulldogs.
Trailing by 31 points at half-time and without injured All-Australian forward Tony Modra, the Crows still trailed by 22 points at three-quarter-time, before kicking the only four goals of the final term to snatch a thrilling two-point victory.
Adelaide then claimed the AFL’s biggest prize, staging another stirring comeback after trailing St Kilda by 13 points at half-time in the Grand Final.
Reduced to one fit player on the bench after early injuries to Rod Jameson and Clay Sampson, the Crows surged when Darren Jarman took control. He kicked six goals – including four in a blistering burst early in the final quarter – as Adelaide secured its first premiership.
Back-to-back brilliance in 1998
Adelaide’s 1998 finals campaign took a different path.
After a heavy qualifying final loss to Melbourne at the MCG, the Crows regrouped by beating Sydney at the SCG before returning to Melbourne for another preliminary final against the Western Bulldogs.
This time Adelaide dominated from the opening bounce. Matthew Robran kicked six goals from centre half-forward while Andrew McLeod booted seven despite knee soreness in a commanding 68-point win.
The Grand Final against North Melbourne delivered another unforgettable comeback.
The Kangaroos led by 24 points at half-time before Adelaide stormed home, inspired by another Norm Smith Medal-winning display from McLeod. The Crows held North scoreless in the final quarter and kicked six goals of their own to claim a second premiership in front of 94,431 spectators.
New century, new moments
Adelaide’s next MCG win came in round eight, 2001 against Richmond after the Crows exploded with nine third-quarter goals.
The club returned to finals later that season but exited in an elimination final loss to Carlton, which also marked Darren Jarman’s final AFL game.
In 2002, Adelaide produced one of the wildest finals in club history against Melbourne. The Crows led by 40 points at quarter-time, trailed late in the third quarter, then kicked six unanswered goals before Brett Burton’s late major sealed victory.
Nigel Smart also became the first player to reach 250 games for Adelaide in the 2002 final.
The following week Adelaide returned to the MCG for a preliminary final against Collingwood, but injuries to Tyson Edwards and Andrew McLeod proved costly as the Magpies prevailed.
Memorable modern-era battles
The Crows thrashed Hawthorn by 86 points in round 10, 2004, with Mark Ricciuto starring in his 250th AFL game.
A new-look Adelaide opened the 2009 season with a four-point win over Collingwood at the MCG, featuring AFL debuts for Taylor Walker, Myke Cook and Jared Petrenko.
The venue also hosted several memorable finals in the following years.
Adelaide narrowly lost preliminary finals to Hawthorn in 2012 and the Hawks again ended the Crows’ season in 2015 after Adelaide had earlier produced a thrilling elimination final win over the Western Bulldogs.
In 2017, the Crows produced one of the club’s great home-and-away fightbacks when Mitch McGovern marked in a pack and goaled after the siren to secure a draw against Collingwood after Adelaide had trailed by 50 points during the third term.
A new chapter at the ‘G
The next visit to the MCG was the 2017 Grand Final against Richmond, beginning a ten-game losing streak at the venue.
But Adelaide broke through with a 61-point win over Essendon in round three, 2025 and has now won three of its past four matches at the MCG, including the round one victory over Collingwood this season.
Crows at the MCG
Overall: 32 wins, 1 draw, 50 losses
Finals played: 15
Biggest win: 110 points v Richmond, round 20, 1992
Highest score: 28.10 (178) v Richmond, round one, 1993
Lowest score: 5.11 (41) v Melbourne, round 3, 2010
Most goals: 10, Tony Modra (round one, 1993)
Most goals in a final: 7, Andrew McLeod (1998 preliminary final)
AFL debuts for Adelaide at the MCG: Matthew Liptak, Chris Groom, Tim Cook, Ian Perrie, Myke Cook, Jared Petrenko, Taylor Walker, Rory Sloane, Sam Kerridge, Patrick Wilson, Luke Nankervis and Toby Murray.
Most games against: 16 v Collingwood and Melbourne
Of the current Crows, Alex Neal-Bullen has played the most games at the MCG with 94 appearances for Melbourne and Adelaide.
