2026 Adelaide Football Club season

Adelaide Football Club

2026 AFL season
Coach	Matthew Nicks
Captain	Jordan Dawson
Home ground	Adelaide Oval
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The 2026 Adelaide Football Club season is the Adelaide Crows' upcoming 36th season of senior competition in the Australian Football League (AFL). Adelaide's women's team will play their eleventh season in the AFLW, and their reserves team will play their twelfth season in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL).

The Adelaide Crows women's team will play their first season under head coach Ryan Davis following the departure of Matthew Clarke in 2025. ^[1]

Overview

Adelaide's 2026 board

CEO	Chairman	Deputy chair	Board
Tim Silvers	John Olsen	Linda Fellows	Neil Balme	Shanti Berggren	Richard Fennell	James Gallagher	Graeme Goodings	Imelda Lynch	Grant Stevens	Stephen Roche

Adelaide's 2026 season overview

League	Captain	Coach	Home ground	W-D-L	Ladder	Finals	Best and fairest	Leading goalkicker
AFL	Jordan Dawson	Matthew Nicks	Adelaide Oval
AFLW	Sarah Allan, Ebony Marinoff	Ryan Davis	Norwood Oval, Unley Oval
SANFL		Matthew Wright	—

Men's squad

Reflects the teams squad during their final game of the season.

Adelaide Football Club · AFL personnel

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Senior list						Rookie list		Coaching staff
1 Chayce Jones  2 Ben Keays (vc)  3 Sam Berry  4 Callum Ah Chee  5 Sid Draper  6 Daniel Curtin  7 Riley Thilthorpe  8 Josh Rachele  9 Nick Murray 10 Luke Pedlar 11 Charlie Edwards 12 Jordan Dawson (c) 13 Taylor Walker 14 Jake Soligo 15 Brayden Cook 16 Max Michalanney 19 Zac Taylor 20 Mitch Hinge 21 Hugh Bond		22 Oscar Ryan 23 Izak Rankine 24 Josh Worrell 25 James Peatling 26 Mitchell Marsh 27 Luke Nankervis 28 Alex Neal-Bullen (vc) 29 Rory Laird 30 Wayne Milera 31 Billy Dowling 32 Darcy Fogarty (vc) 34 Archie Ludowyke 36 Finnbar Maley 38 Lachlan Sholl 41 Jordon Butts 43 Reilly O'Brien (vc) 44 Isaac Cumming 48 Mark Keane				17 Tyler Welsh 33 Indy Cotton (B) 35 James Borlase 39 Toby Murray 42 Lachlan McAndrew		Head coach Matthew Nicks Assistant coaches Murray Davis (director) Scott Burns (senior assistant & forwards) Nathan van Berlo (midfield) Jack Hombsch (defence) Sam Baulderstone (ruck) Michael Godden (head of development) Chelsea Randall (development) Andrew McPherson (development) Legend: (c) Captain(s) (vc) Vice-captain(s) (B) - Category B rookie italics - Inactive player list (ret.) - Retired Long-term injury Updated: 15 December 2025 Source(s): Senior list, Rookie list, Coaching staff, Injuries

Squad changes

Main article: 2025 AFL draft

The following off-season changes were made to the squad prior to the 2025 season.

Out

No.	Name	Position	New Club	via	Ref.
5	Matt Crouch	Midfielder	—	Retirement	[2]
36	Karl Gallagher	Forward	Monaghan GAA	Delisted	[3]
4	Lachlan Murphy	Forward	Port Noarlunga	Delisted	[3]
45	Harry Schoenberg	Midfielder	West Coast	Delisted	[4]
45	Kieran Strachan	Ruck	Adelaide (SANFL)	Delisted	[4]
33	Brodie Smith	Defender	—	Retirement	[5]
21	Chris Burgess	Forward	Paskeville FNC	Delisted	[6]
17	Tyler Welsh	Forward	Adelaide	Delisted	[7]

In

No.	Name	Position	Previous club	via	Ref.
33	Indy Cotton	Utility	BA Centre of Excellence (NBL1 East)	Category B rookie	[8]
36	Finnbar Maley	Forward	North Melbourne	Trade with North Melbourne	[9]
26	Mitchell Marsh	Forward	West Adelaide	No. 22, 2025 national draft	[10]
34	Archie Ludowyke	Forward	Sandringham Dragons	No. 50, 2025 national draft	[11]
4	Callum Ah Chee	Utility	Brisbane Lions	No. 1, 2026 pre-season draft	[12]
17	Tyler Welsh	Forward	Adelaide	No. 11, 2025 rookie draft	[12]

Italics: Relisted as a rookie

Men's AFL season

Main article: 2026 AFL season

Pre-season matches

Adelaide's 2026 practice match and AFL Community Series fixtures

Date and local time	Opponent	Scores			Venue	Ref.
		Home	Away	Result
Saturday, 28 February (3:10 pm)	Fremantle				Rushton Park

Regular season

Adelaide's 2026 AFL season fixture

Round	Date and local time	Opponent	Home	Away	Result	Venue	Attendance	Ladder position	Ref.
			Scores
0	Bye							7th	Bye
1	Saturday, 14 March (7:35 pm)	Collingwood				Melbourne Cricket Ground (A)
2	Friday, 20 March (7:10 pm)	Western Bulldogs				Adelaide Oval (H)
3	Thursday, 26 March (7:30 pm)	Geelong				Kardinia Park (A)
4	Friday, 3 April (6:45 pm)	Fremantle				Adelaide Oval (H)
5	Thursday, 9 April (7:10 pm)	Carlton				Adelaide Oval (N)
6	Saturday, 18 April (7:05 pm)	St Kilda				Adelaide Oval (H)
7	Saturday, 26 April (3:15;pm)	Brisbane Lions				The Gabba (A)
8	Friday, 1 May (7:40 pm)	Port Adelaide				Adelaide Oval (H)
9	Sunday, 10 May (3:15 pm)	Richmond				Melbourne Cricket Ground (A)
10	Saturday, 16 May (12:45 pm)	North Melbourne				Adelaide Oval (H)
11	Thursday, 21 May (7:30 pm)	Hawthorn				York Park (A)
12	Bye								Bye
13	Thursday, 4 June (7:00 pm)	Geelong				Adelaide Oval (H)
14	Thursday, 11 June (7:30 pm)	Western Bulldogs				Docklands Stadium (A)
15	Saturday, 20 June (12:45 pm)	Melbourne				Adelaide Oval (H)
16		Port Adelaide				Adelaide Oval (A)
17		West Coast				Perth Stadium (A)
18		Gold Coast				Adelaide Oval (H)
19		Sydney				Sydney Cricket Ground (A)
20		Collingwood				Adelaide Oval (H)
21		Essendon				Docklands Stadium (A)
22		Richmond				Adelaide Oval (H)
23		Fremantle				Perth Stadium (A)
24		Greater Western Sydney				Adelaide Oval (H)

^ Opening Round
^ Gather Round

Women's squad

Adelaide Football Club · AFL Women's personnel

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Senior list						Rookie list		Coaching staff
1 Caitlin Gould  2 Eloise Jones  6 Hannah Munyard  8 India Rasheed  9 Hannah Ewings 10 Ebony Marinoff (c) 11 Sarah Goodwin 12 Chelsea Biddell 13 Kiera Mueller 15 Danielle Ponter 16 Georgia McKee 17 Maddi Newman 18 Brooke Smith 20 Grace Kelly		21 Lily Tarlinton 23 Niamh Kelly 25 Teah Charlton 26 Chelsea Randall 28 Brooke Tonon 32 Jess Allan 39 Sarah Allan (c) Grace Egan Chloe Bown Lucy Waye Olivia Gorman Alicia Blizard Ava Stewart				19 Christina Leuzzi 22 Kayleigh Cronin 24 Amy Boyle-Carr		Head coach Ryan Davis Assistant coaches Marijana Randall (defenders) Courtney Cramey (midfielders) Kieran Strachan (rucks) Peter Caven Leah Kaslar Emma Sampson (development and scrimmage) Warwick Raymond Legend: (c) Captain(s) (vc) Vice-captain(s) italics - Inactive player list Long-term injury Updated: 15 December 2025 Source(s): Players, Coaches

Squad changes

Main article: 2025–26 AFL Women's player movement period

The following off-season changes were made to the squad prior to the 2026 season.

Out

No.	Name	Position	New Club	via	Ref.
27	Abbie Ballard	Forward	—	Delisted	[13]
5	Rachelle Martin	Midfielder	—	Delisted	[13]
14	Stevie-Lee Thompson	Midfielder	—	Retirement	[14]
33	Anne Hatchard	Midfielder	Gold Coast	Trade with Gold Coast	[15]
4	Zoe Prowse	Defender	Essendon	Trade with Essendon	[16]
3	Brooke Boileau	Midfielder	Carlton	Trade with Carlton and Brisbane	[17]

In

No.	Name	Position	Previous club	via	Ref.
	Grace Egan	Midfielder	Richmond	Trade with Richmond	[18]
	Chloe Bown	Midfielder	Oakleigh Chargers	No. 5, 2025 national draft	[19]
	Lucy Waye	Forward	West Adelaide	No. 21, 2025 national draft	[19]
	Olivia Gorman	Midfielder	Northern Knights	No. 25, 2025 national draft	[19]
	Alicia Blizard	Forward	East Fremantle	No. 39, 2025 national draft	[19]
	Ava Stewart	Utility	Swan Districts	No. 63, 2025 national draft	[19]

Women's AFLW season

Main article: 2026 AFL Women's season

Pre-season matches

Adelaide's 2025 practice match fixtures

Date and local time	Opponent	Scores			Venue	Ref.
		Home	Away	Result

Regular season

Adelaide's 2026 AFL Women's season fixture

Round	Date and local time	Opponent	Home	Away	Result	Venue	Attendance	Ladder position	Ref.
			Scores

Reserves squad

Adelaide Football Club · SANFL personnel

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Development squad								Coaching staff
2 Ned Atkinson 12 Jay Boyle 14 Hugh Haysman 16 Cameron Taheny 36 Andrew McPherson 37 Blake Drury 43 Saxon Evans 45 Kieran Strachan 47 Jayden Davis 50 Darcy Clifford 51 Jay O'Leary 51 Will Crane 52 Steve Burton		54 Tate Coleman 55 Stephen Tahana 56 Austin McDonald 58 Dylan Whimpress 59 Thomas McCormack 59 Lachlan Thomas 60 Harry Boyle 62 Harry Cook    Tom Bell    Joseph Haines    Reuben Hill    James Richards						Head coach Matthew Wright Assistant coaches Michael Godden (head of development) Andrew McPherson Matthew Panos Chelsea Randall Legend: (c) Captain(s) (vc) Vice-captain(s) (i) Inactive Updated: 15 December 2025 Source(s): Players, Coaches

Reserves SANFL season

Main article: 2026 SANFL season

Pre-season matches

Adelaide's 2025 practice match fixtures

Date and local time	Opponent	Scores			Venue	Ref.
		Home	Away	Result

Regular season

SANFL fixture Crowd numbers

Adelaide's 2026 SANFL season fixture

Round	Date and local time	Opponent	Home	Away	Result	Venue	Attendance	Ladder position	Ref.
			Scores
1	Saturday, 28 March (2:10 pm)	West Adelaide				Richmond Oval
2	Thursday, 2 April (7:40 pm)	Woodville-West Torrens				Woodville Oval
3	Saturday, 18 April (2:10 pm)	Central District				Elizabeth Oval
4	Saturday, 25 April (2:10 pm)	North Adelaide				Prospect Oval
5	Friday, 1 May (4:30 pm)	Port Adelaide				Adelaide Oval
6	Saturday, 9 May (2:10 pm)	Sturt				Unley Oval
7	Saturday, 23 May (2:10 pm)	Glenelg				Glenelg Oval
8	Bye								Bye
9	Saturday, 6 June (2:10 pm)	South Adelaide				Noarlunga Oval
10	Saturday, 6 June (2:10 pm)	North Adelaide				Prospect Oval
11	Sunday, 21 June (2:10 pm)	Norwood				Norwood Oval
12		Port Adelaide				Adelaide Oval
13		Central District				Elizabeth Oval
14		Glenelg				Glenelg Oval
15		West Adelaide				Richmond Oval
16		South Adelaide				Noarlunga Oval
17		Woodville-West Torrens				Woodville Oval
18		Norwood				Norwood Oval
19		Sturt				Unley Oval

References

1. Beveridge, Riley (2 December 2025). "Crows appoint former Sun, Eagle as new AFLW coach". afl.com.au.
2. "Former All-Australian, Crows B&F winner retires due to hip issue". afl.com.au. 26 August 2025. Crows midfielder Matt Crouch has announced his retirement, effective immediately
3. "Crows small forward delisted after 120 games, Irishman also axed". afl.com.au. 16 September 2025.
4. "Crows midfielder, ruck not offered new contracts for 2026". 17 September 2025.
5. "Crows veteran calls time after 15 seasons". afl.com.au. 18 September 2025.
6. "Burgess to depart Crows". afc.com.au. 17 October 2025.
7. "Crows cut father-son forward but promise rookie lifeline". afl.com.au. 31 October 2025.
8. "Cotton a Crow, as Adelaide signs rookie". afc.com.au. 29 August 2025. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
9. "High-flying Roos forward traded to Crows". afl.com.au. 15 October 2025.
10. "Crows select Mitchell Marsh with Pick No. 22". afc.com.au. 19 November 2025.
11. "Crows select Ludowyke with Pick No. 50". afc.com.au. 20 November 2025.
12. "Ah Chee becomes a Crow". afc.com.au. 21 November 2025.
13. "AFLW: Crows thank Ballard and Martin". afc.com.au. 3 December 2025.
14. "AFLW: Premiership Crow calls time". afc.com.au. 5 December 2025.
15. "AFLW: Hatchard traded to Gold Coast". afc.com.au. 7 December 2025.
16. "AFLW: Prowse traded to Essendon". afc.com.au. 10 December 2025.
17. "AFLW: Boileau traded to Carlton". afc.com.au. 10 December 2025.
18. "AFLW: Grace Egan joins Crows". afc.com.au. 8 December 2025.
19. Ben, Cotton; Laughton, Max (15 December 2025). "Tigers' Pick 1 curveball as EIGHT Academy stars join Suns in 'once-in-a-lifetime' AFLW Draft haul". Fox Footy.

External links

• Official Website of the Adelaide Football Club
• Official Website of the Australian Football League