The time is now for Adelaide

We have finally made it.

The preliminary final weekend is here with four excellent sides battling it out for two elusive spots in next Saturday’s AFL Grand Final. Easily the best four teams for the entirety of the season (yes, that includes Sydney).

Fans are truly in for a treat as Adelaide take on Geelong at Adelaide Oval and Richmond take on GWS at the MCG.

Of these four teams, the one under the most pressure is definitely the Crows, after occupying the top spot on the ladder for the majority of the season, supporters are desperate to this team go all the way.

Being an avid supporter of the Crows, the past ten to fifteen years have been frustrating, to say the least. Sides with such great promise have simply failed to deliver in September. With an overall preliminary final record of 2-7 for a total of nine attempts, it is safe to say that Crows fans are getting sick and tired of just missing out on the big day.

Now, with a list of players capable of delivering the ultimate success, the pressure is firmly placed on this Crows side as they carry the hopes and dreams of a premiership starved city on their backs this Friday Night.

The season has been incredible for the Crows as a whole, after a solid first season at the helm in 2016 (where the team again choked in the back end), Don Pyke has taken this Adelaide team to a new level in 2017.

(Photo by Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images)

Headlined by the competition’s most potent attack, Adelaide has a great balance of players all over the field. With Daniel Talia leading the defence and consistently getting the job done, and an underrated midfield led by Rory Sloane and Brad and Matt Crouch, this team has played some true breathtaking football in 2017.

As well as their stacked top end, the Crows also boast some of the best depth of players in the league with the likes of Hugh Greenwood, Luke Brown, Richard Douglas, Riley Knight and David Mackay constantly playing their role for the team and getting it done when required.

Stats wise, Adelaide is among the top end in all key indicators, ranked first in contested possessions, first in scoring, second in clearances and again first in inside 50s. There is no doubt the Crows are one of the best teams going around. This consistent form has seen the faith of the city put behind these Crows, as fans everywhere constantly think to themselves ‘this is finally our year’.

However, despite all that has happened this year, the beauty of finals football is none of it really matters all that much. The Crows have done all the groundwork to get themselves to this position, but the real challenge now is to avenge previous finals misfortune and get the job done this Friday Night.

This is the part that is making Crows fans nervous, especially now that former club champion and number one villain Patrick Dangerfield is strolling his way into town for what promises to be an incredible Preliminary Final.

(Photo by James Elsby/AFL Media/Getty Images)

However, after all this group has been through in recent years they are finally mature and rounded enough to take this hype in their stride and just play footy.

This has been the ideology instilled in this Adelaide side ever since the end of the 2014 season as the board made the tough decision to replace former coach Brenton Sanderson with the older influence of Port Adelaide assistant Phil Walsh.

Although Walsh’s tenure at the Crows was tragically cut short, the values he placed in what was a side previously known for accepting mediocrity was astounding as his demands for elite standards and a complete buy-in saw a dramatic shift in this playing group.

With the shock appointment of key forward Taylor Walker as captain, a transformation was taking place at the club as Walsh looked to build not just a list of players, but a club capable of achieving the ultimate success.

Just three years since his appointment, the Crows have become exactly what Walsh envisioned with prophetic words such as “this is play formula one footy, if you drive slow you are going to finish last” and “great beauty comes out of a sense of frustration” underlining the fast, attacking brand of football the Crows have played this season.

Now under the tutelage of Don Pyke, the Crows have taken Walsh’s values to the next level as a now mature and finals hardened group of players are purely focused on getting the job done.

Even since Walsh’s death, the hardships this club has had to face haven’t stopped, with star player Patrick Dangerfield walking out on the team at the end of 2015, resulting in many doubting the midfield depth of the Crows.

This may have been a blessing in disguise for the Crows, as Adelaide now experience an even contribution through the middle of the ground with Sloane and the Crouches stepping up in Dangerfield’s absence.

(AAP Image/David Mariuz)

This finals series has again through a number of curveballs at the Crows, making fans question “why always us”. Beginning with the tragic death of star ruckman Sam Jacob’s brother Aaron, the Crows have again had to endure a period of hardship.

Ten minutes into the qualifying final, the Crows also lost former All Australian rebound defender Brodie Smith to a season-ending ACL injury.

As one of Adelaide’s most important players, Smith will be sorely missed in these final two weeks of the season, however, with such great depth, it appears they will be able to effectively cover him with the likes of Paul Seedsman or David Mackay off half back.

Along with Smith, news has also recently broken that up and coming forward Mitch McGovern has suffered a slight hamstring strain that will put him in serious doubt for Friday night’s clash with the Cats, only adding to the Crows woes.

Don’t get me wrong – this going to be an extremely tough fortnight for Adelaide as the spotlight is firmly placed on them to deliver on the big stage.

However, after so much hardship and missed opportunity, the time is now for Adelaide to put everything aside and play the brand of football we all know can win them the flag. At their best, this Adelaide team is clearly the best in the AFL, with being able to replicate it on two more occasions proving to be their biggest challenge.

Having suffered so many heartbreaking defeats in preliminary finals, this Friday night is huge for the Adelaide Football Club as they look to put the past behind them and get the job done for a supporter base that has been starved of the ultimate success for 19 long years.