As Senior Coach Ryan Davis reflects on Adelaide's 2026 campaign and his first season at the helm, his emotions remain mixed and, just days on from the final siren, still raw.
The Crows' season came to an end against Melbourne at Unley Oval on Sunday, with player and coach reviews now underway.
Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Davis reflected on a season of growth, the foundations being built for future improvement, list needs, as well as future scheduling the competition.
Here's what he had to say.
A year of growth and development
This season was full of change.
Davis took the reins from Matthew Clarke, welcomed Bree Brock as its new Executive General Manager Women’s Football, plus nine new players joined the squad.
The first-year Senior Coach conceded the changes had taken time for everyone to adapt to, but he was pleased with the progress made as the campaign went on.
“Coming into a new environment, a successful environment, coming in with ideas, and having to start those relationships from scratch was always a challenging part,” Davis said.
“But I think the same as our on-field performances went, that's the same with sort of the off-field stuff as well. Slowly being able to build the rapport with the teammates, with the staff, I think that that got better and better as the year went on.
“(We’re) really trending upwards in terms of where we started our pre-season with a host of new players, a host of new staff, new game style, new game plan, and I think I think the fans would have seen an improved brand as we went on deeper into the season.
“With another pre-season of all the data and evidence that we've got from this year can really sharpen and narrow our focus on where we need to get better and how we need to close the gap on those top teams.”
Davis did, however, also have mixed emotions with the season coming to an end.
Although he was proud of the team for how it had handled all the changes, missing finals was a tough pill to swallow.
“We're pretty excited about what's coming in the future, certainly next year, but are obviously disappointed not playing finals,” he said.
“(We’re) really trending upwards in terms of where we started our pre-season with a host of new players, a host of new staff, new game style, new game plan, and I think I think the fans would have seen an improved brand as we went on deeper into the season.
“There's still 10 teams ahead of us that we need to eclipse, but in terms of our growth internally, organically, I am quite pleased.”
Scheduling and double-headers
The AFL has announced that double-headers across the men's and women’s games are set to be increased next year, after the success of their introduction in 2026.
The men's season has been pushed back a week next year due to the MCG's unavailability in March, meaning there will be at least three weeks of crossover between the men's and women's home-and-away seasons.
Davis was asked about when he believed was the best time to schedule W games, as well as his thoughts on double-headers, and his answer was simple.
“I think the double headers are a fantastic initiative. That just gets more eyes on the game and playing at bigger stadiums - I think the product is much better,” Davis said.
“The AFL is going to do what they deem best, and I'm okay with that. I'm open to play anywhere, anytime, and so is our playing group.”
Davis was also quizzed about whether he wanted the AFLW season to be extended from its current format of 12 minor round matches.
“If it does extend, I mean, that does make a more even competition with all the teams that you would play, but again, that's at the AFL's discretion,” Davis said.
“We're going to be beholden to that, and whatever they decide, we're more than happy to do.”
List improvements and building on 2026
As Adelaide begins planning for 2027, Davis said the Club's focus is twofold - continuing to invest in the growth of its emerging talent, while exploring opportunities to strengthen the list during the off-season.
After introducing seven debutants and seeing several younger players take significant strides in their development, Davis believed the Crows had a strong foundation to build on.
“We know where our holes are in this new game style, we know where our weapons are, and we're going to try to sharpen both of those,” Davis said.
“That's the exciting part for me is that we got through this year with debuting seven players, having Grace Egan come in as a senior player, and then still being within a kick or two on a lot of the top eight sides.
“It’s about building on that, nothing fancy, nothing flash, it's just like getting back to work.”
He said ongoing leadership growth, increased experience across the list and targeted list management would all be key priorities heading into next season.
“We're continuing to work through all that with our list manager,” Davis said.
“I think the organic growth that we're able to see, in terms of experience or years in the system, was awesome.
“The amount of speaking up and leadership development that we've seen through the likes of Teah Charlton, Sarah Goodwin, those types of players, was really exciting. We're just going to keep developing that from a leadership density point of view.
“We're always looking to get better through this period as well, so there's a lot of good players in the draft as well, and a lot of good players out of contract, so we're always looking to get better.”
Performance demands accountability
As discussion around the AFLW competition continues to evolve, Davis said criticism has an important role to play in driving standards and growth across the game.
From clubs and players to the competition as a whole, Davis believed accountability and honest feedback were important ingredients in continued improvement.
“We're in a performance industry, we need to have honest criticism and honest feedback of where we're going,” Davis said.
“It does drive performance, it does drive standards, so all those things are welcomed if they're valid.”
