Adelaide will be searching for its fourth victory of the AFLW season when it faces Fremantle at Unley Oval on Sunday afternoon. 

The Crows come into the match brimming with confidence, after knocking off reigning grand finalist Brisbane away from home last week, and will be looking to make their move closer to the top eight. 

Senior Coach Ryan Davis spoke to the media in the lead up to the match, and touched on the following. 

Lions win a huge lift

Last Sunday’s drought breaking win against the Lions served as a huge confidence boost for Davis and his team, as he hit the halfway mark of his first season in charge. 

The result was Adelaide’s first victory against Brisbane in 1717 days and a performance Davis said instilled great belief in his team.

“It was just a huge, huge lift for us,” Davis said. 

“The vibes in the rooms post game were fantastic, obviously, Brisbane are a fantastic operation and a team we hadn’t beaten in over 1700 days. 

“So the real belief that we got going away and being able to produce a result like that, is something we can use to really kickstart our season. 

“I think the grit that the players showed, the belief in themselves, like our pressure, our running capacity, and even our game style. It was awesome to watch.” 

Staying in the mix for finals

The victory against the Lions evened Adelaide’s win-loss record to three apiece, and propelled it just one win outside of the top eight at the halfway point of the season. 

Davis said it was pleasing to have his young side in a position to contend for finals, and had high expectations for what they could achieve in 2026. 

“We still feel that we have a very strong playing list, and there's a lot of seasoned finals campaigners, and we've been able to add some good talent through the draft.

“So I think when you start any year, you do want to qualify for finals. We're still well and truly in the hunt.

“We've got our next four or five games against teams that are in and around us on the ladder, so they all become pretty important from now on, and we’ll get a true indication of where we are at.” 

Developing a new game style

Since joining the Club prior to this season, Davis has been resolute in his goal to refresh Adelaide’s playing style. 

Across the first six weeks he admitted he had seen positive progress in his endeavours, with the young group coming to grips with the new game plan a little more each week. 

“I feel like the group's been extremely receptive to how we've tried to structure up and how we've tried to play,” Davis said. 

“A lot of that's their natural ability and their flair and we’ve tried to instill a belief in them to go out there and show off their talent and what they’re best at. 

“We won’t get it right all the time, but it is exciting to see the progress we’ve made across the first six games.” 

An important battle against the Dockers

Adelaide will face another tough challenge this Sunday with Fremantle sitting just one spot above them on the ladder. 

Davis spoke about where he felt the game would be decided, and a key match-up he was locking forward to seeing. 

“Fremantle will be another strong test for us, they're an extremely good contested side and they've really added a good amount of kick/mark in their game. 

“So where they've been beating teams is on the inside with their contest, and then being able to to own the football and force teams to be able to defend them for longer. 

“I think the ruck battle (against Mim Strom) will be huge, Jess (Allan) has been in great form for us, and is doing a good job getting her hand on the ball. 

“We just need to break even in that regard (in the ruck) and we back Jess in to help us get the job done.”

The greatness of Ebony Marinoff

Crows Skipper Ebony Marinoff claimed yet another slice of AFLW history last weekend, as she became the only player to play in every single match for her Club since the competition’s inception. 

Davis said the feat was a credit to the way the 28-year-old carried herself both on and off the field.

“I think it's just a reward for the effort, and shows how much of a true professional she is, how diligent she is week in, week out, off season, preseason, in season. 

“She's the ultimate professional and continues to look after her body and strive to get better in each way. So I think it's a bit of a feather in the cap for her professionalism more so than anything else. 

“The accolades have come with everything else, but certainly being able to be available every week for 10 years is pretty incredible.”

Adelaide takes on Fremantle this Sunday afternoon at Unley Oval, with the match to start at 12.35pm (ACST). 

Get your tickets here.