Adelaide will be looking to keep its finals series alive when it meets Hawthorn at Adelaide Oval on Friday night.
The Crows returned to the finals for the first time since 2017 after finishing the 2025 campaign as the minor premier but fell to Collingwood in their qualifying final last weekend.
Finishing as the minor premier has, however, given Adelaide a double chance, with their hopes of securing a third flag still alive.
Hawthorn, meanwhile, ended the minor round in eighth position, but toppled Greater Western Sydney in an elimination final last Saturday.
The Hawks are in their second consecutive finals series and will be eyeing redemption after being knocked out of last year’s major round with a semi-final loss at Adelaide Oval to Port Adelaide.
Adelaide and Hawthorn have faced off 51 times, with the Crows having won 23 games and the Hawks 28.
The winner of the semi-final will play Geelong at the MCG in a preliminary final next week.
Team selection:
Adelaide Senior Coach Matthew Nicks confirmed forward Josh Rachele will return for Friday night’s semi-final against Hawthorn.
The livewire forward has not played since sustaining a posterior capsular tear in his knee against Melbourne in Round 17.
Nicks told the media on Thursday that Rachele had completed his rehab and was fit to play.
“We won’t be rolling the dice, the question is he ready to go, and yeah he’s ready to go,” Nicks said
“10 weeks of hard work and he should get the reward for that, we do because he’s ready and he trained really well.
“He’s feeling confident and that’s the main thing.”
The Crows will name their team on Thursday at 5.50pm (ACST).
Oppo analysis:
Hawthorn has ruled out forward Calsher Dear for the semi-final clash, after the youngster sustained a hamstring injury against GWS.
According to the Hawks’ injury update, scans showed a “low to moderate” hamstring strain, resulting in the 20-year-old being unable to take his place in this weekend’s team.
Mitch Lewis looms as a potential replacement after impressing in the VFL final last week with four goals.
The Hawks will name their team on Thursday at 5.50pm (ACST).
Last time they met:
Adelaide and Hawthorn have played against each other twice in 2025, with the results split.
The most recent meeting was in Round 21, and the Crows defeated the Hawks 15.11 (101) to 13.9 (87) at Adelaide Oval.
Hawthorn started that game strong, kicking the first five goals, before the Crows hit back before quarter-time.
Adelaide then booted six second quarter goals to reclaim control of the match, before the teams traded majors in a pulsating second half.
Crows veteran Taylor Walker booted the last two goals of the clash, helping his side to the victory.
Hawthorn enjoyed a victory in the first meeting this year, beating the Crows by three points at UTAS Stadium in Round 14.
Both teams found it hard to score goals, kicking 13 consecutive behinds between them during the second half. Hawthorn’s Connor Macdonald stemmed the flow kicking a goal with seven minutes remaining, handing the hosts the lead.
Izak Rankine responded quickly for the visitors, before Jai Newcombe slotted a major, with the Hawks holding on for the final six minutes to take the win.
Coach’s final word:
Adelaide Senior Coach Matthew Nicks spoke to the media on Thursday ahead of Friday night’s do-or-die semi-final, and had this to say.
“It’s incredible what you can learn in a week and what being on that stage does,” Nicks said.
“We bring our best, we can beat anyone, if Hawthorn brings their best, they can beat anyone, so let’s see who brings their best Friday night.
“We did a fantastic job in the latter part of this season to just find a way to win.
“We put ourselves in a position to have a double home chance in finals footy, it’s a pretty good effort – but let’s just go and beat Hawthorn.”
Free limited edition Crows cheer banners will be available for fans to collect at Adelaide Oval (all gates) ahead of Friday night’s semi-final.
The semi-final clash is sold out, but the Club is giving fans a chance to win two tickets to the game by simply signing up to watch Crows Live Extra on Thursday night here.
If you missed out on a ticket, there’s plenty of places around Adelaide showing the game, thanks to Coopers watch parties. For a list of venues and their specials, click here.
For all the most up-to-date information on the Crows’ 2025 Toyota Finals Series, head to the Club’s finals hub here.
WHAT: Semi-final Adelaide v Hawthorn
WHERE: Adelaide Oval
WHEN: Friday, September 12
TIME: 7.10pm