Operation rebuild at the Adelaide Football Club is in full swing, with the Club transforming into the AFL’s youngest and least experienced squad on the eve of Season 2021.
In the space of two years, the Crows have gone from the third oldest squad in the League with 16 players aged 27 or older, to being ranked 18th with just nine players in that 27+ age bracket.
Almost half of Adelaide’s playing list will be aged 21 or younger when Round One rolls around next Thursday, following the signing of Nick Murray as a rookie on Sunday.
*Adelaide’s age breakdown at Round One – 2019-2021
|
Season |
Average Age |
AFL Rank |
18-21yo |
22-26yo |
27-29yo |
30+ |
|
2019 |
24.76 |
3rd |
14 |
14 |
10 |
6 |
|
2020 |
23.87 |
12th |
17 |
16 |
7 |
3 |
|
2021 |
23.40 |
18th |
21 |
14 |
5 |
4 |
*AFL Clubs ranked by average age at Round One, 2021
|
1 |
St Kilda |
25.30 |
|
2 |
Geelong |
25.29 |
|
3 |
West Coast |
24.97 |
|
4 |
Richmond |
24.72 |
|
5 |
Western Bulldogs |
24.63 |
|
6 |
Melbourne |
24.60 |
|
7 |
GWS Giants |
24.50 |
|
8 |
Port Adelaide |
24.44 |
|
9 |
Hawthorn |
24.39 |
|
10 |
Carlton |
24.30 |
|
11 |
Sydney |
24.30 |
|
12 |
Collingwood |
24.24 |
|
13 |
Fremantle |
23.95 |
|
14 |
Brisbane |
23.89 |
|
15 |
Essendon |
23.84 |
|
16 |
North Melbourne |
23.83 |
|
17 |
Gold Coast |
23.69 |
|
18 |
Adelaide |
23.40 |
Adelaide said farewell to 1,139 games of experience at the end of Season 2019 after finishing 11th on the AFL Ladder.
The likes of Eddie Betts, Sam Jacobs and Josh Jenkins were traded to other clubs while Richard Douglas and Andy Otten hung up the boots after lengthy careers at the top level.
While that number was lower at the end of Season 2020, the Crows still said goodbye to more than 700 games of experience with Bryce Gibbs retiring and Kyle Hartigan, Rory Atkins and Brad Crouch all moving on.
Adelaide’s experience in/out at the end of 2019 and 2020
|
|
Games In |
Games Out |
Difference |
|
2019 |
59 |
1,139 |
-1080 |
|
2020 |
16 |
710 |
-694 |
The Crows go into Season 2021 with the least experienced squad in the AFL, despite having several experienced veterans on its list including captain Rory Sloane (211 AFL games) and bookends Daniel Talia (200) and Taylor Walker (203).
Matt Crouch (125), Paul Seedsman (110), Jake Kelly (90) and Wayne Milera Jnr (62) are the only Adelaide players in the 51-150 game range.
However, the likes of reigning Club Champion Reilly O’Brien (37 games) and leadership group member Tom Doedee (30) could push up into that next bracket while a host of younger Crows will continue to gain valuable experience at senior level.
*Adelaide’s matches breakdown – 2019-2021
|
Season |
Matches |
AFL Rank |
<20 |
21-50 |
51-100 |
101-150 |
151+ |
|
2019 |
71.4 |
3rd |
20 |
4 |
6 |
6 |
8 |
|
2020 |
59.2 |
13th |
21 |
5 |
5 |
6 |
6 |
|
2021 |
50.6 |
18th |
26 |
6 |
2 |
2 |
8 |
*AFL Clubs ranked by average experience at Round One, 2021
|
1 |
Geelong |
88.00 |
|
2 |
West Coast |
80.52 |
|
3 |
St Kilda |
77.05 |
|
4 |
Richmond |
74.98 |
|
5 |
Port Adelaide |
71.26 |
|
6 |
Carlton |
68.79 |
|
7 |
Melbourne |
68.05 |
|
8 |
Hawthorn |
67.49 |
|
9 |
Western Bulldogs |
66.02 |
|
10 |
Sydney |
66.02 |
|
11 |
Collingwood |
65.57 |
|
12 |
Brisbane |
62.05 |
|
13 |
North Melbourne |
59.50 |
|
14 |
Fremantle |
58.19 |
|
15 |
GWS Giants |
57.45 |
|
16 |
Essendon |
56.11 |
|
17 |
Gold Coast |
53.00 |
|
18 |
Adelaide |
50.57 |
*NOTE: 2021 figures are correct as of Tuesday March 9 at the completion of the AFL’s Supplementary Selection Period. They do not include retired players still listed including Bryce Gibbs (Adelaide), Ross McQuillan (Essendon), Tom Scully (Hawthorn), Dylan Roberton (St Kilda) and Sam Lloyd (Western Bulldogs).
