Adelaide Crows 2026 Season Preview & Outlook – Redemption After Straight Sets?

That stat will follow them all year. First minor premier since 1983 to go out without winning a final. It’s brutal. But it also risks overshadowing what was, for 23 rounds, one of the most impressive seasons in the league.

This was a side that jumped from 15th the year prior to top of the ladder. Riley Thilthorpe imposed himself on the competition. Jordan Dawson elevated his leadership to elite status. The forward line was feared.

So which version of Adelaide turns up in 2026. The dominant home-and-away machine, or the finals side that got bullied around stoppage?

The losses to Hawthorn and Collingwood weren’t flukes. The Crows were beaten around the contest. Nick Daicos, Jai Newcombe, Jordan De Goey and Conor Nash got on top. Adelaide’s midfield mix of Dawson, Sam Berry, Jake Soligo, Rory Laird and Zac Taylor simply didn’t have enough burst once Izak Rankine was suspended and Josh Rachele was underdone. That’s the uncomfortable truth.

The big forwards Taylor Walker, Darcy Fogarty and Riley Thilthorpe were starved of clean delivery. When the ball did come in, it was often rushed, high and predictable.

So the question for 2026 isn’t whether the forward trio works. It’s whether the midfield can deliver under pressure.

If Rankine rotates through the centre square more consistently, and if Rachele is fully fit, the entire dynamic changes. Suddenly there’s speed at stoppage. Suddenly the opposition can’t just sit on Dawson.

Adelaide don’t need a reinvention. They need marginal improvement in the area that failed them most.

If you listen to supporters, there are two clear names dominating predictions for 2026.

Jordan Dawson and Izak Rankine.

Dawson is chasing a fourth Club Champion award. He’s become the heartbeat of this team with elitee ball use, leadership, and the ability to steady momentum when games wobble.

But Rankine is the wildcard. Multiple fans are tipping him not just for Club Champion, but for Goal of the Year, and potentially as Adelaide’s most influential player if he spends more time in the midfield.

When Rankine is involved around stoppage, Adelaide look different. Quicker. More unpredictable. The finals showed just how much they missed that dynamic presence.

If he gets a full season uninterrupted, he may well be the player who lifts this group from contender to genuine threat.

Year two is enormous for Sid Draper. In 2025, he was subbed on or off in eight of his ten AFL appearances. In Round 24 against North Melbourne, he had five disposals and was subbed out after half a game. It was a reminder that junior dominance doesn’t immediately translate to AFL midfield success.

There’s talent there, no question but AFL footy exposed the gap in tank and positioning.

The concern heading into 2026 is match conditioning. Track watchers have noted Draper spending more time in the gym than on the track earlier in the pre-season. If he can’t run games out, he won’t play full games. It’s that simple.

If he can build the tank and provide genuine pace around the contest, he becomes the internal solution to Adelaide’s midfield speed problem.

If not, 2026 might look frustratingly similar to his rookie campaign.

Dan Curtin might be Adelaide’s most fascinating structural piece.

At 197cm, he doesn’t look like a traditional wingman. But what he offers is something unique, a genuine aerial outlet between the arcs. When Adelaide are exiting defensive 50 and need a bailout option, Curtin is the “kick it to his advantage” player.

Opposition wingmen like Massimo D’Ambrosio or Ed Langdon simply can’t compete with him overhead. There will be temptation to throw him inside. He has the size to play midfield. He could drift forward. He could solve multiple problems.

But there’s a real argument that persisting with him on the wing gives Adelaide a structural advantage other teams can’t replicate. Sometimes the move isn’t to change a weapon it’s to sharpen it.

Kane Cornes enjoyed pointing out that Adelaide’s three big forwards underperformed in finals. But the deeper story was service.

Thilthorpe, Fogarty and Walker weren’t losing one-on-one contests repeatedly, they were dealing with dirty entries, hacked clearances and clogged forward lines. The midfield lost territory. The forwards paid for it.

Running it back with the trio in 2026 makes sense, particularly if Rankine and Rachele bring speed back into the middle. Thilthorpe looks primed to lead the goalkicking, but Fogarty and Walker remain critical to structure.

The formula isn’t broken. It just needs cleaner delivery.

James Peatling, Alex Neal-Bullen and Isaac Cumming were solid during the home-and-away season. In finals? Not so much. Peatling averaged 18.6 disposals and 4.5 clearances in 2025, both numbers dropped significantly in September. Cumming’s output dipped. Neal-Bullen held steady statistically but lacked visible impact.

Across two finals, the trio combined for one goal and 21 score involvements. That’s not enough.

Add Callum Ah Chee into the 2026 mix and Adelaide have plenty of experienced role players. But experience only matters if it holds up in finals.

Fair or not, these players will be judged on what they do in September.

There are clubs trying to climb into contention. Adelaide are already there. They finished top. They beat quality teams. They were widely considered a flag chance. But windows don’t stay open forever.

If Adelaide rebound, finish top four again and look hardened by last year’s pain, 2025 becomes the lesson that sharpened them. If they slide significantly, the narrative changes quickly.

The most likely scenario? They’re right there again. Competitive. Dangerous. Capable of beating anyone.

The difference between heartbreak and glory in 2026 probably won’t be talent.It’ll be composure when the heat rises.