Adelaide has finalised its leadership group for the 2026 AFLW season, with triple premiership player Ebony Marinoff announced as the standalone Captain.
The 28-year-old will lead the Club this Friday when the Crows take on Fremantle in Perth in the first match simulation game of the pre-season.
Marinoff has been Co-Captain for the past two seasons alongside fellow triple premiership player Sarah Allan, with Allan this year making the decision to step down from the leadership group.
The four-time Club Champion and seven-time All-Australian will be supported by a six-person leadership group that features Jess Allan, Chelsea Biddell and Eloise Jones, who has been elevated to Vice-Captain.
The group welcomes three new faces in Grace Kelly, Niamh Kelly and Grace Egan - who bring with them a combined 193 games of AFLW experience.
Crows AFLW Senior Coach Ryan Davis said the 2026 leadership group is a good reflection of the side itself: new faces sitting alongside the strong foundations of depth and experience.
“Ebony leads the standards on and off the field and embodies our team’s values of accountability and hard work, and deservingly has been voted in again as Captain by her peers,” Davis said.
“To see three new players elevated to the leadership group is really pleasing.
“For Grace Egan, it’s fantastic for her to come into a new club, a new environment and to be voted into the leadership group in her first season is evidence of how she’s not only attacked her pre-season, but of the love and care she has shown for everybody.
“For our Irish sisters, I’m really excited for them to take this step forward; they bring such a wealth of knowledge from elite programs from the other side of the world, and our Club is the better for it.
“It’s also great to see Jess and Chelsea return to their leadership roles, while for Eloise to now have ‘VC’ next to her name, I’m looking forward to seeing her flourish with the renewed responsibility and expectation that goes along with the title.”
Marinoff said she was honoured to continue leading the side.
“My love for this Club and this team runs deep, and I feel very proud and privileged to be leading the side,” Marinoff said.
“Being Captain is a role I’ve never taken lightly, and I’m looking forward to demanding the highest standards so that everyone in our team reaches their full potential.”
Adelaide’s leaders were voted by the team, with the group endorsed by the Club’s Board and senior management.
The Crows will open their 2026 AFLW season against Sydney at Unley Oval on Sunday, August 16.
