Adelaide will kick off its first finals campaign since 2017 with a blockbuster home qualifying final against Collingwood on Thursday night.
Collingwood, meanwhile, secured a finals berth with a 16-7 win/loss record and claimed fourth-place on the ladder.
Thursday night’s game will mark the 51st time the two clubs have played against each other.
The Crows have won on 16 of those occasions, while the Magpies have triumphed 35 times.
Last time they met:
The Crows and the Magpies played against each other twice during the minor round, with the most recent being in Round 23 at Adelaide Oval.
Adelaide defeated Collingwood 9.5 (59) to 8.8 (56) in front of a capacity crowd, snapping a 10-game losing streak against the Magpies.
The Magpies burst out of the blocks to take a 25-point lead into the first break, before the Crows surged back with five-goals-to-none in the second term.
Josh Worrell (27 disposals, 11 intercept possessions) and Mark Keane (23 possessions, 14 intercept possessions), were solid in defence, while James Peatling and Riley Thilthorpe booted crucial final-quarter goals.
Collingwood star Nick Daicos kicked a goal in the dying seconds to give the Magpies a chance, but Adelaide held on for the thrilling victory.
The two sides also met in Round 10 this year, with Collingwood taking the spoils 11.12 (78) to 10.8 (68) at the MCG.
Collingwood broke the game open with four straight goals either side of the last change, before Adelaide surged with Darcy Fogarty’s fourth goal and one to Captain Jordan Dawson, but the hosts held on.
Team selection:
Adelaide will release its team for the qualifying final on Thursday at 5.50pm, but Senior Coach Matthew Nicks made an early selection call, confirming the return of defender Max Michalanney.
Michalanney will be a welcomed addition to the side, after being on the sidelines since straining his hamstring in Round 20.
Forward Luke Pedlar is also poised to make his return to the AFL side, after overcoming a hamstring injury.
Oppo analysis:
Collingwood will enter the game with finals experience under its belt, having featured in the major round in 2023, before going on to claim the premiership that same year.
For this Thursday night’s qualifying final, the Magpies are likely to have 2023 premiership player and South Australian Beau McCreery return to their side.
McCreery sustained a foot injury in Round 24, but according to Collingwood’s injury report, has been cleared to play.
The Magpies will, however, be without veteran and fellow 2023 premiership star Jeremy Howe, who will miss the game due to an adductor injury.
Collingwood could also look at recalling ruckman Mason Cox for the clash.
The Magpies’ team will be released at 5.50pm ACST.
Coach’s final word:
Adelaide Senior Coach Matthew Nicks addressed the media on Wednesday, and said the Club was looking forward to the occasion.
“We are in a unique position, so is our opponent, in that we played each other recently.
“There’s a lot of respect there for the way that last game played out and probably the 10 games before that.
“The challenge with Collingwood is they have so many talented individuals that impact the game… We’ve got our work cut out, and we are very mindful of being pulled apart when it comes to our opposition.
“We focus on what we do well, and we’ve been preparing all season to play finals footy… and now we’ve got a chance to test ourselves on the real stage.”
If you missed out on a ticket to the Crows’ qualifying final against Collingwood, there’s plenty of Adelaide watch parties happening around town on Thursday night, thanks to Coopers.
To see a list of venues and their specials, click here.
The winner of the match will feature in a home preliminary final in a fortnight.
For all the most up-to-date information on the Crows’ 2025 Toyota Finals Series, head to the Club’s finals hub here.
WHAT: Qualifying final Adelaide v Collingwood
WHERE: Adelaide Oval
WHEN: Thursday, September 4
TIME: 7.10PM