For Adelaide AFLW captain Ebony Marinoff, having her season come to an end in early November is unfamiliar territory.

The 2026 campaign marked the beginning of a new chapter for the Crows, with Senior Coach Ryan Davis in his first year at the helm, and nine new players added to the squad.

And while the Crows fell short of finals, speaking on the Club’s post-match show Crows Live, following the loss to the Demons, Marinoff said there was still plenty to be proud of.

“It's a little bit of a weird territory for myself and probably some of the senior players that have been here for a fair amount of time,” Marinoff said.

“(There’s) disappointment of not playing finals, we always strive for that, so we’ll let that sit in the belly and make sure that we come back and use that fuel to drive us through the next four, five, six months.

“We had such a young group and so many draftees, so I feel like they really showed us and Crows fans what they're going to be capable of in the years to come. 

“But I'm standing here as sole Captain for the first time when we're not playing finals, so it's a bit of a bad feeling. 

“Footy is not always perfect, it doesn't always go your way, so there’s a lot of learning in that for myself as well.”

Draftees Chloe Bown, Olivia Gorman, Lucy Waye and Ava Stewart were among a wave of emerging talent to make their AFLW debuts this season, alongside Jemmika Douglas, Alice Tentye and Juliet Kelly.

Marinoff said they provided a positive glimpse into the Crows’ future.

“You saw Liv Gorman come in today and really compete, even in that last quarter with that ‘never die’ attitude. I thought Livvy was awesome today,” Marinoff said.

“Her ability to hit the contest, and then Ava Stewart came in for the Richmond game, and I'm excited to see her really step up into that defensive role. Then Chloe came in as well, she certainly shone and held her own, too.

“But I need to give a big shout-out to Jemmika Douglas. Crows fans would be really excited to see what she can do. The fact she only came in two weeks before our season started, and she’s as ruthless as ever.

“These girls will certainly be better off for having that experience under their belts.”

While encouraged by the growth of Adelaide's younger players, Marinoff acknowledged there were valuable lessons to take away from this year.

She pointed to the forward line as an area the group would look to improve, following the departures of Chelsea Randall (retirement), Anne Hatchard (trade) and Danielle Ponter (inactive due to pregnancy) from the Club's attacking mix.

“Our forward mix (this season) has been a work in progress. Given the fact that there were games where we weren't able to put any scoreboard pressure on, but to have the inside-50s go our way, was disappointing,” the four-time Club Champion said.

“It was a common theme, so I think again going back, looking at the learnings, hopefully that's something the coaches can look into and then really educate us.

“We lost Chelsea Randall, Anne Hatchard and Danielle Ponter, and the reality is they were three key cogs for us.Hopefully we will see some growth here but also bring in some help for Caitlin Gould as well.

“We have been a team that punishes the opposition and puts large scores on, so I'd hope that we can tidy that up to be a really high-scoring, exciting, fun team.”

As the season has now come to a close, Marinoff said the focus would shift to recovering, regrouping and returning refreshed for next year.

“Again, it’s a weird feeling being done so early, (but) it’s just about sticking together and having a break as well,” Marinoff said.

“I am a bit crazy, I don't like to stop, but we've got a lot of interstate girls, so it allows them to go home, reset, and then when they come back next year be fresh.

“I'm going to America. It's been on my bucket list for a long time, so I'm super excited to be able to go over there.

“I actually have not had a break since I went to Europe in 2019, so I am looking forward to that.”