2022 Numbers:
Points Against (Brennan Jakovich Shield): 1986 - 14th
Inside 50's Against Per Goal: 4.12 - 15th
Scarlett Silvagni Medal Votes: 5 - 18th
Defenders:
Keys: James Borlase, Jordon Butts, Tom Doedee, Max Michalanney, Nick Murray, Josh Worrell
General: Jordan Dawson, Will Hamill, Mitchell Hinge, Mark Keane, Chayce Jones, Andrew McPherson, Patrick Parnell, Brodie Smith
In: Mark Keane, Max Michalanney
Out: Luke Brown (retired), Billy Frampton (Collingwood)
Adelaide in 2022 suffered from a lack of experience both with Rory Sloane missing a majority of the season through injury, and a general lack of experience in the team in general.
While the departure of Kyle Hartigan in 2020 led to the discovery of Jordan Butts, the backline lacked a lot of depth outside of Butts and Doedee.
Billy Frampton proved serviceable on occasion, and now even he has departed to Collingwood, while Jordan Dawson brought run and pace to the team.
Arguably their best game of the 2022 season came in round one against eventual finalists Fremantle, and early wins against Richmond and Port proved to be highlights of an eventual disappointing season and another bottom-eight finish, finishing the season with some consolation wins against Carlton, West Coast and North Melbourne.
So what does that mean for 2023? Admittedly, it is hard for a backline to perform well when there is so much pressure coming from the amount of defensive 50 entries, but there is also a resounding lack of star power on paper.
While Tom Doedee has been a great player for the club for a number of years now, and Jordan Butts looks to be a solid defender for years to come, their ability to lock down key players is lacking, with three of the 20 bags of six or more goals in 2022 coming against Adelaide.
Father-Son pick Max Michalanney was Adelaide's first draft pick in 2023, and will hopefully be a star of the future, playing two finals in Norwood's flag-winning side, and starring at the state carnival, with an ability to both lockdown and intercept.
The Crows will want improvement out of 2022 mainstay Nick Murray along with 21-gamer Mitchell Hinge.
As far as expectations go, here at The Back Pocket we don't have particularly high hopes for Adelaide in 2023, but hope to see some votes in the Scarlett-Silvagni Medal from Jordon Butts and Mitchell Hinge.
Back Pocket Rating: D
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