Adelaide’s list rejuvenation is rapidly taking shape, with the Crows transitioning from the third-oldest playing group to being in the bottom third of the competition when the 2020 season gets underway.

The Crows' average age of 23.87 years ranks 12th in the AFL, with Collingwood (24.88) having the oldest list and Gold Coast (23.41) the youngest.

OLDEST, YOUNGEST, MOST EXPERIENCED: See the full list breakdown of each club

Going into Round One, 2019, the Crows had 16 players aged 27 or older.

This included six players in the 30-plus bracket, including the now departed quartet of Eddie Betts, Richard Douglas (both 32), Sam Jacobs and Josh Jenkins (both 30).

Looking ahead, the Crows will take just three players over the age of 30 into Round One next March.

David Mackay and Bryce Gibbs will both be 31 for the season opener at Adelaide Oval, while captain Rory Sloane will celebrate his 30th birthday four days before what is set to be his 200th AFL game.

Adelaide’s age breakdown at Round One – 2019 v 2020

Season Average Age AFL Rank 18-21yo 22-26yo 27-29yo 30+ 2019 24.76 3rd 14 14 10 6 2020 23.87 12th 17 16 7 3

Adelaide lost 1,139 games of experience over the off-season, going from the third most experienced list in the AFL to the 13th in 2020.

While Betts (316 AFL games), Douglas (246) and Jacobs (201) are no longer at West Lakes, the Crows retain a solid core of experienced players heading into next season.

Gibbs (265), Mackay (220) and Sloane (199) also headline the list of games played, with Taylor Walker (189) and Daniel Talia (186) likely to also join the 200-game club in 2020.

Adelaide’s matches breakdown – 2019 v 2020

Season Matches AFL Rank <20 21-50 51-100 101-150 151+ 2019 71.4 3rd 20 4 6 6 8 2020 59.19 13th 21 5 5 6 6

Brodie Smith (167 games) and Luke Brown (150) played milestone games last season, while Adelaide also has five players in Rory Laird, Tom Lynch, Matt Crouch, Paul Seedsman and Kyle Hartigan who have all raised the bat to celebrate 100 games.

The Crows still have one list spot open for 2020, with the option to fill it during the pre-season supplemental selection period (SSP) before its closure in March or the mid-season rookie draft.