Who: Adelaide Crows vs Brisbane Lions
Where: Adelaide Oval
When: Friday 6 June at 7:10pm (local)
Gates Open: 5:15pm

Weekly Notices  
Check back later for latest updates and announcements! Information subject to change.

Tickets

Tickets → Tickets are on sale here.

How to get to the Adelaide Oval

Address → War Memorial Dr, North Adelaide SA 5006

Bus → All regular Adelaide Metro services operating to or stopping near the stadium will be available during events at Adelaide Oval. These services will be free for AFL matches with a game day ticket and other events at Adelaide Oval if stated.

Train → Regular train services will operate during events at Adelaide Oval, with the Adelaide Railway Station located 600m from the stadium. Patrons can make their way to the Oval by exiting the Railway Station and crossing the Riverbank Bridge. These services will be free for AFL matches with a game day ticket and other events at Adelaide Oval if stated.

Tram → Regular tram services will operate during events at Adelaide Oval, with all three routes stopping near the stadium. The closest stop to Adelaide Oval is the Festival Plaza Tram Stop, located on King William Road and 500m to the stadium. Other routes will stop at the Adelaide Railway Station Tram Stop, which patrons can walk through the Railway Station and cross to the Riverbank Bridge to reach the stadium. These services will be free for AFL matches with a game day ticket and other events at Adelaide Oval if stated. Selected tram services have designated ‘free zones’, so patrons can ride the tram for free to Adelaide Oval in these specified areas.

Taxi → Taxi ranks are located on the western side of King William Road, the southern side of Pennington Terrace and the eastern side of Montefiore Road

Car → Read parking details here.

Disability drop off and pick up → War Memorial Drive, out the front of Next Gen Health Clubs and Tennis SA, adjacent to Pinky Flat. This drop-off zone must be accessed from the western side via Montefiore Road or Morphett Street Bridge (disability permit holders only). King William Road, adjacent to the East Gate for north-bound traffic. Pennington Terrace (northern end of Adelaide Oval)

Cycling → Bike racks are located outside the North, South and East gates

Road Closures    |    Plan your trip

Broadcast

Watch → Free to air on 7, 7Mate or stream on 7plus, Fox Footy, Kayo, BINGE or AFL Live Official App from 7pm.

The Brisbane Lions will put their standing as the No.1 ‘away’ team in the AFL on the line as they confront a possible record crowd at Adelaide Oval tonight (Friday).

Such is the build-up to the clash between the second-placed Lions and the third-placed Adelaide Crows that local officials are tipping the ground’s record attendance of 53,817 will fall.

Oddly, that figure was set in the Crows’ 2017 preliminary final win over Geelong when now Brisbane tearaway Charlie Cameron kicked five goals in his last home game for his former club.

It’s going to take something special, given the official Adelaide Oval capacity is listed at 53,583 on the website of Austadiums.

Regardless, the Lions can expect a hostile welcome from a home crowd convinced the Crows are on track for their first finals appearance since 2017, when they lost by eight goals to Richmond in the grand final in Cameron’s last game in red and blue.

The Crows have a 6-1 record at Adelaide Oval this year, losing only to Geelong while beating St.Kilda, North, GWS, Carlton, Port Adelaide and West Coast, and are 2-3 away, with wins over Essendon and Sydney and losses to Gold Coast, Collingwood and Fremantle.

They are the highest-scoring team in the League, averaging 103.75 points, and have the best percentage at 139.3%. Brisbane are ranked 7^th in scoring at 88.75 points per game, and are 6^th in percentages at 114.0%.

But a hot reception in Adelaide won’t be anything new for a Brisbane side which, without any sort of recognition across the competition, has built a phenomenal 13-1-1 record on the road since Round 15 last year.

It’s a run that began at Adelaide Oval in Round 15 last year when the Lions beat Port Adelaide by 79 points in Harris Andrews’ 200^th game.

Since then their only away loss was by a solitary point to Collingwood at the MCG in Round 23 last year, when then led by 18 points 12 minutes from full-time.

The loss to the Pies in the 2023 grand final re-match came after Brisbane had beaten West Coast in Perth by 13 points, Gold Coast at Carrara by 28 points and St.Kilda at Marvel Stadium by 85 points, and before three ‘away’ finals wins against GWS by four points in Sydney, Geelong by 10 points at the MCG and Sydney by 60 points at the MCG in the grand final.

This year the Lions’ away record sees a four-point SCG win over Sydney, a 28-point MCG win over Richmond, a 21-point Gather Round win over the Bulldogs at Norwood, a 45-point Marvel win over St.Kilda, a draw with North Melbourne in Hobart and 33-point win over Hawthorn at the MCG.

Brisbane’s 13-1-1 record in their last 15 ‘away’ games is two wins and a draw better than the next best in the League over 15 travel games – Geelong’s 10-5 – and three wins better than Collingwood’s 9-1-5.

Noting that for most Victorian-based clubs, 15 ‘travel’ games stretches back to 2023, Carlton, Gold Coast, GWS and Hawthorn are 8-7, followed by Fremantle, Melbourne, Port Adelaide and Sydney at 7-8, Essendon and the Western Bulldogs at 6-9, Adelaide and St.Kilda at 5-10, Richmond at 4-11 and North Melbourne 2-1-12.

After the Lions started 2-9 and 3-8 away under Fagan in 2017-18, they’ve gone 6-5, 5-3, 6-7, 7-6, 6-7, 10-1-4 and 5-1-0 from 2019-25 in what has been a huge part of the club’s resurrection under the veteran coach.

More definitively, after a 5-17 start (22.7%) under Fagan the Lions have gone 45-1-32 (58.3%).

A scouting report on the Crows says they have six players who will play tonight averaging more than 20 possessions a game – Rory Laird and captain Jordan Dawson (24.2), Izak Rankine (22.5), Jake Soligo (21.5), James Peatling (20.4) and Josh Worrell (20.3).

Plus, they have six players averaging better than a goal a game through 12 games – Darcy Fogarty (28), Riley Thilthorpe (27), ex-Lion Ben Keays and Josh Rachele (20), Taylor Walker (19) and Rankine (15).

Dawson is third in voting for the Coaches Association Player of the Year Award with 54 votes, behind only Geelong’s Bailey Smith (59) and Gold Coast’s Noah Anderson (55), and ahead of Brisbane’s Hugh McCluggage and North’s Tristan Xerri (49), Melbourne’s Max Gawn (47, Collingwood’s Nick Daicos and Fremantle’s Caleb Serong (45), Collingwood’s Steele Sidebottom (43), Bulldogs’ Ed Richards (41), Essendon’s Zach Merrett and Brisbane’s Lachie Neale (40).

Brisbane have gone 4-1-5 at Adelaide Oval under Fagan, and are 3-1-6 against the Crows through the same period. But after taking the points in their only meetings in 2017-18 at the Gabba they’ve gone LLLLWLDL in their last eight meetings.

Lachie Neale, set for his 150^th game in Brisbane colours, holds not only the Brisbane possession record at Adelaide Oval but also the ground record for his 46 in a 2021 qualifying loss to Melbourne.

Eric Hipwood and Charlie Cameron share the club goals record at the ground with five - Hipwood against Port Adelaide there last year after Cameron in the final against Melbourne.

Dayne Zorko heads the club Brownlow Medal votes at Adelaide Oval, having polled five times for nine votes, while Darwin-born Zac Bailey, who finished in schooling in Adelaide and played for SANFL club Norwood, has polled twice for five votes.

Jarryd Lyons, ranked #7 in possession and #4 in clearances in the SANFL this year playing at Glenelg with younger brother and fellow ex-Lion Corey, also has five votes for Brisbane at Adelaide Oval, while Neale (3), Stefan Martin (3), Oscar McInerney (2), Cameron (1), Lincoln McCarthy (1), Hipwood (1), McCluggage (1) and Mitch Robinson (1) have each polled there once.

Tonight’s game will be a special one for Zorko and brother-in-law Ryan Lester. It will be Zorko’s 290^th game, Lester’s 220^th and the 200^th in which they have played together.

Levi Ashcroft will play his first AFL game at Adelaide Oval, and brother Will be looking for his first win there, having started 0-2 in the City of Churches.

Adelaide has pulled off a huge come-from-behind victory against reigning premier Brisbane in a Friday night thriller, defeating the Lions by five points in wet and slippery conditions at Adelaide Oval.

In a low-scoring, high-pressure affair, the Crows kicked five unanswered goals in the final quarter to win 10.8 (68) to 8.15 (63).

CROWS v LIONS Full match coverage and stats

A huge mark and goal in the final term to Crows skipper Jordan Dawson, as well as goals to small forwards Ben Keays and Josh Rachele, sparked their side to victory, which was Adelaide's third straight.

Brisbane had its opportunities late, but Crows defenders Rory Laird, Mark Keane and Josh Worrell had some important moments late.

The damp conditions created a tight, physical contest with a number of players pulling up sore from big hits and tackles. 

A dangerous tackle from new Crow James Peatling on Brisbane's Lachie Neale saw the Brownlow medallist taken from the ground after he hit his head on the turf. The incident will no doubt be looked at by the Match Review Officer with the Brisbane co-captain leaving the ground for a period of time, only to return later in the quarter.

Scoring was initially difficult, with the intense tackle pressure and wet conditions contributing to missed opportunities in front of goal.

Finally, after a 20-minute armwrestle, former No.1 draft pick Cam Rayner broke the stalemate when he kicked the game's first, a running goal from 40 metres out. Shortly after, the in-form Callum Ah Chee followed with a goal of his own, making it two for the Lions in the quarter, while Adelaide went into quarter-time goalless.

After the break, the Crows finally got their first when a breakdown by Brisbane defenders saw dangerous forward Keays left standing all on his own at a stoppage inside 50.

But Brisbane had the answers, kicking the next three goals, when Rayner kicked his second and mids Zac Bailey and Hugh McCluggage converted, extending Brisbane's lead to a game-high 21 points. 

Rachele, who only had the one disposal in the first term, got involved in the second quarter when he applied some forward pressure of his own. The sharpshooter caught Noah Answerth holding the ball, and converted the set shot from long range right on the boundary, lifting the home crowd.

Crows veteran Taylor Walker, who was the most dangerous of the Crows key forwards, then kicked the next, reducing the margin to eight points at the main break, keeping the match well and truly alive.

The rain started to fall to start the second half, making the already difficult conditions even more so. But you'd never know the rain was pelting down when Rachele gathered from a boundary stoppage and snapped with ease for his second.

Charlie Cameron saw Rachele's goal and decided to kick a copy-cat effort shortly after, much to the frustration of the Adelaide home crowd

But the Crows didn't give in, when a fast break goal out the back to Luke Pedlar put the Crows within four points, but again Cameron had the answers, when he and Rayner combined for the quick reply, with Cameron kicking his second. 

The game was set up for a huge final term. Adelaide had the perfect start, kicking the first two quickly through big man Riley Thilthorpe, who had been threatening all night, and Keays got his second. 

Enter Dawson. In a huge moment in the game, a flying pack mark by Dawson and a subsequent goal got the Crows crowd to their feet, putting his side in front for the first time. The Crows extended their lead when Rachele and Keays both kicked their third goals.

Brisbane had its opportunities, but misses from Bailey and Neale saw the Crows hold on for a memorable come-from-behind win.

More to come

ADELAIDE          0.6     3.7     5.8     10.8 (68)  
BRISBANE          2.3     5.3     8.7     8.15 (63)  

GOALS
Adelaide: Rachele 3, Keays 3, Walker, Thilthorpe, Pedlar, Dawson
Brisbane: Rayner 2, Cameron 2, McCluggage, Lohmann, Bailey, Ah Chee

BEST
Adelaide: Rachele, Keays, Walker, Dawson, Laird
Brisbane: W.Ashcroft, Berry, Rayner, McCluggage, Cameron, Bailey

INJURIES
Adelaide: Nil
Brisbane: Nil

SUBSTITUTES
Adelaide: Brodie Smith (replaced Jordon Butts at three-quarter time)
Brisbane: Deven Robertson (replaced Ty Gallop in the fourth quarter) 

Crowd: TBC at Adelaide Oval