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Disregarding their passionate fan-base, who we expect to be rabid in their enthusiasm, the Adelaide Crows have many objective believers in their talent.
The doubters, like myself, point to their inconsistency and inability to win the games they should, or those when crunch time is really on.
Losing to West Coast at home one week, beating up on the Lions at the Gabba the next. Smashing GWS but then being defeated by Melbourne at home. Sticking it to Hawthorn, but inept against Sydney.
Their best is very good, and makes people wonder about top four. Their worst, which happens too regularly, is bottom six football.
Their elite talent is headed up by Patrick Dangerfield, Rory Sloane, Taylor Walker, Daniel Talia and Sam Jacobs.
What a beautifully balanced group of players that is – a ruckman, key forward, key backman, and two midfielders.
Some might throw Brodie Smith, as an All-Australian half-back candidate, into that mix, and Brad Crouch, if he can remain uninjured, will no doubt graduate into that class next year.
The average age of those seven players next season will be 24. It’s a fantastic core group from which to be launching to greater heights than they currently occupy.
The tier below that group is also full of very good footballers.
Scott Thompson and Richard Douglas are veterans that always deliver a high standard. Matthew Jaensch, David Mackay and Matthew Wright have gone to a new level this year, each doing their best work in a different section of the ground.
Up forward, Eddie Betts has been one of the best small forwards in the competition for the best part of a decade, James Podsiadly has provided great value as a marking target, and Josh Jenkins has had a breakout year as a late maturer to suggest he can be a key focal point for several years.
Matthew Jaensch has finally found some continuity and produced his best season by far as a running back, while Luke Brown does the lock-down jobs and is getting better with experience.
The nuts and bolts are all there for this playing group, and we’ve been exposed to a lot of youngsters that can carry them into the future too.
Brenton Sanderson had a fairytale first season at the helm of Adelaide, but the question marks have to be raised if his side is going to continue to deliver inconsistency when their core group contains so much quality.
His continued bleating on Sunday about the Brisbane ‘heat’ and capped rotations certainly won him no fans. It smacked of someone setting up his playing group for an excuse to lose this week.
You generally get what you pay for in this game. If you deserve to play finals, you will.
Despite everything that’s come and gone, the stupendous highs and depressing lows, the next two matches will define their season. The Crows can join in the September fun by winning only one of them.
The first is a home clash against a resurgent Richmond hitting peak form, with a few things against them, and the second is a trip to Tasmania for the ‘Schizophrenic Cup’ against North Melbourne.
If the ‘good’ Adelaide turns up, they’ll win both and press for a home final in the last round. If it’s the bad version, they can look to 2015.
The jury is still out on what track the Crows are on. But their destiny, both in the short and long term, is completely in their own hands.