Key events
Q3: 13 mins remaining: Adelaide 5.3.33 – Collingwood 8.7.55
Taylor Walker unusually misses from a set shot directly in front. Walker outmuscles Quaynor and the Moore in the one marking contest but is unable to convert. The Crows desperately needed that!
Q3: 15 mins remaining: Adelaide 5.2.32 – Collingwood 8.7.55
Ben Keays has barely been sighted tonight and with just his third touch wastes an opportunity to boot a critical goal for the Crows.
Q3: 17 mins remaining: Adelaide 5.1.31 – Collingwood 8.7.55
Sidebottom agaaaaain! The Crows are unable to clear from the centre bounce as Darcy Cameron sweeps the ball forward from the free kick. Mason Cox brings the ball to ground in a marking contest and Sidebottom is front and centre to tidy up.
Q3: 18 mins remaining: Adelaide 5.1.31 – Collingwood 7.7.49
Jordan De Goey snaps off his left boot to give the Pies a handy lead. Intense pressure from the Collingwood forwards stops Adelaide running the ball out of defence as the scramble ends up with De Goey directly in front. A lengthy review to check if the ball touched the post comes back all clear.
Q3: 19 mins remaining: Adelaide 5.1.31 – Collingwood 6.7.43
The Pies make a fast start for third quarter in a row and this time it is Steele Sidebottom with the early goal. The Pies veteran earns a free kick for holding the ball inside the forward arc and splits the middle.
Little separates the Crows and Magpies – once again! Clearances are even at 19-19, Adelaide are edging inside-50s 25-24, while Collingwood have had more of the ball (disposals: 182-145). But the biggest difference has arguably been the Crows’ inability to make the most of their periods on top, with a score from less than a third of their forward 50 entries, while the Pies defence has stood tall.
HT: Adelaide 5.1.31 – Collingwood 5.7.37
A half of swinging momentum ends with the Magpies in front by a goal. Brody Mihocek has an opportunity to grow the lead but hooks his set shot for a behind. Tensions spill over after the siren sounds as every player on the park comes together for a bit of push n shove.
Not sure who took the points in the melee but Collingwood’s defence would be leading on any judge’s card after an industrious half of football largely kept the Crows away from their goal. Pies skipper Darcy Moore has taken six marks, while Isaac Quaynor and Harry Perryman have five each. Milestone man Taylor Walker has made the most of his opportunities to boot a couple of goals, while Jamie Elliott has just as many at the other end.
Q2: 1 min remaining: Adelaide 5.1.31 – Collingwood 5.6.36
Darcy Cameron the 204cm goalsneak soccers through a goal off a bouncing ball. Isaac Quaynor collects the turnover at half-back and quickly turns defence into attack. A barrel from Lachie Schultz from the wrong side of the centre circle clears the last line and the Pies ruck leads the race back toward goal to give his side the lead on the cusp of half-time.
Q2: 3 mins remaining: Adelaide 5.1.31 – Collingwood 4.5.29
Mark Keane takes out former teammate Steele Sidebottom with an awkward attempt at a bump. Moments later Jack Crisp finds space inside the forward 50 but is unable to make the distance from 40m as he slices the kick.
Q2: 5 mins remaining: Adelaide 5.1.31 – Collingwood 4.5.29
Darcy Moore is patrolling the centre of Adelaide Oval as the Pies set up their lines of defence. Both sides have found it hard to work their way from back to front.
Q2: 7 mins remaining: Adelaide 5.1.31 – Collingwood 4.4.28
Steele Sidebottom drags the Pies back on a second attempt. A risky Crows kick across half-back turns the ball over and sets up Pies’ veteran for a shot on goal. The kick falls short and is rushed through for a behind but another turnover gives Sidebottom a second chance that he always unlikely to waste. A reminder that the past six matches between these sides have been decided by a combined total of 25 points!
Q2: 9 mins remaining: Adelaide 5.1.31 – Collingwood 3.3.21
Luke Pedlar puts the Crows in front on his return from a hamstring injury before Riley Thilthorpe extends their lead. A sublime 50m pass from Neal-Bullen off the wing to a leading Pedlar opens up the play. Pedlar gets an arc on the ball to nail the shot, then Thilthorpe earns a free kick at the following centre bounce. The Crows forward-ruck tries to win the clearance with one arm held by Mason Cox, with the big Pies ruck too slow to give the ball back and giving away 50m penalty. This game has turned!
Q2: 11 mins remaining: Adelaide 3.1.19 – Collingwood 3.3.21
The Crows get their reward with another goal to Taylor Walker. A hurried and hopeful kick from the wing picks out the leading forward who was quickest to move at the first sign that the ball was heading his way. The shot from a tricky angle swings back to the right and sneaks in to tighten up the score.
Q2: 13 mins remaining: Adelaide 2.1.13 – Collingwood 3.3.21
The Crows are taking their turn to lock the ball in their forward half. But the Pies defence continue to stand firm as Maynard hammers the ball out of Fogarty’s hands as the Adelaide forward leaps for a mark. The Crows have had 13 inside-50s without a score.
Q2: 15 mins remaining: Adelaide 2.1.13 – Collingwood 3.3.21
Collingwood turn the ball over on the wing while trying to rush out of defence and it ends up in Reilly O’Brien’s hands within sight of goal. Taylor Walker wraps around trying to get an easy handball but the Pies defence is awake to the plot and the Crows ruck has to take his shot. He hooks it and fails to score.
Q2: 17 mins remaining: Adelaide 2.1.13 – Collingwood 3.3.21
For all the talk of the threat that Adelaide’s forward group pose, Collingwood’s defence has been immense. The Crows target Riley Thilthorpe with a long bomb but Billy Frampton picks it off.
Q2: 19 mins remaining: Adelaide 2.1.13 – Collingwood 3.3.21
Just as he did in the first term, Jamie Elliott boots the first goal of the second quarter. A scramble around the half-forward line ends up with the ball in Elliott’s hands and he nails another set shot. The Pies’ class and composure separates the teams so far.
QT: Adelaide 2.1.13 – Collingwood 2.3.15
The Magpies have their noses in front on the scoreboard but feel further in front of the Crows in general play. The inside 50s are relatively even (13-12 to the Crows) but the Magpies defence are controlling the airways with 12 intercept marks.
Nick Daicos has eight disposals and a goal to the first change, while most of the other leading possession-winners are lining up in the Magpies back half. Crows skipper Jordan Dawson has had six touches and dribbled through a goal but his side need more from their midfield, especially when trying to transition from defence to attack, to get the game on their terms.
Q1: 1 min remaining: Adelaide 2.1.13 – Collingwood 2.3.15
The pulsating contest finally tightens up with a run of stoppages around the wings. Collingwood are prepared to keep bundling the ball forward at all costs, while Adelaide are searching for a bit more control.
Q1: 3 mins remaining: Adelaide 2.1.13 – Collingwood 2.3.15
Brody Mihocek misses a dolly from 20m out. Wil Parker marks inside the arc and picks out the Pies forward in between three Crows defenders. Mihocek flies high and gets both hands to the ball but can’t bring it to ground. But he is taken high from both sides and earns a free kick that he fails to convert.
Q1: 5 mins remaining: Adelaide 2.1.13 – Collingwood 2.1.13
Isaac Quaynor sets sail with a set shot from outside 50m but it isn’t long enough to clear the Crows defenders standing on the line. The Pies are well set up around the ground as the Crows look to find a way forward.
Q1: 7 mins remaining: Adelaide 2.1.13 – Collingwood 2.0.12
Jamie Elliott lines up a set shot from the boundary line on the sort of angle he usually laps up. But this time he dabs it to the top of the goal square where Jordan De Goey is surrounded by Crows defenders.
Q1: 9 mins remaining: Adelaide 2.1.13 – Collingwood 2.0.12
The Magpies slow the game down with the Crows finding some momentum. The ball bounces between the arcs but the intensity has certainly lifted.
Q1: 11 mins remaining: Adelaide 2.1.13 – Collingwood 2.0.12
Darcy Moore has had an ordinary few months especially as the Magpies defence has been under increasing pressure. The Pies skipper has been solid tonight until a messy error turns the ball over as he’s coming out of defence. Crows captain Jordan Dawson pounces and dribbles the ball through from the 50m arc. Adelaide players let Moore know all about it, and the pressure is mounting on both sides.
Q1: 13 mins remaining: Adelaide 1.1.7 – Collingwood 2.0.12
Taylor Walker gets the Crows on the board in his 300th game. Dan Curtin drops a kick to the top of the goalsquare and Riley Thilthorpe creates some space for his teammate to run into for an uncontested mark.
Q1: 13 mins remaining: Adelaide 0.1.1 – Collingwood 2.0.12
Nick Daicos adds another for the Magpies with a delightful kick on the outside of his right boot. The Pies star was running away from goal toward his left side but used all his class and creativity to extend the lead. Collingwood have settled much better.
Q1: 15 mins remaining: Adelaide 0.1.1 – Collingwood 1.0.6
Jamie Elliott is a livewire early and almost pulls down another mark on the 50m arc. The Crows clear but just as was the case when these sides met a few weeks ago, they are finding it difficult to pick a way through the Magpies full-field press.
Q1: 17 mins remaining: Adelaide 0.1.1 – Collingwood 1.0.6
Who would have thought there would be early controversy between these two sides? Adelaide almost respond immediately as Alex Neal-Bullen throws a boot out at a tumbling ball but is millimetres away from making contact with his studs just before it crosses the goal line.
Q1: 18 mins remaining: Adelaide 0.0.0 – Collingwood 1.0.6
Jamie Elliott boots the opener. Nick Daicos opens up the Crows through the midfield with a left-foot dart to Lachie Schultz. The Magpies goalsneak bombs the ball long to a pack where Elliott reads it better than everyone else to take a mark out the back. Still a bit of work to do to silence this crowd though.
Q1: 19 mins remaining: Adelaide 0.0.0 – Collingwood 0.0.0
Adelaide get the first clearance through Sam Berry but Brayden Maynard cleans up in defence. A 50m penalty to the Magpies defender unsurprisingly brings a chorus of boos from the sold out crowd.
First bounce
Adelaide’s Reilly O’Brien and Collingwood’s Darcy Cameron stand opposite each other before both leap high toward a perfectly bounced ball as the 2025 AFL final series gets under way at Adelaide Oval.
Both sides line up for the Welcome to Country and national anthem with no sign of Adelaide’s infamous power stance. Feels like a missed opportunity to double down, a mere eight years later.
The city of churches has turned into a circus, according to our reporter Jonathan Horn at Adelaide Oval, as the Crows return to finals for the first time in eight years. But, as always, there are plenty of Magpies fans in the stands as well.
Taylor Walker has enjoyed a rollercoaster career with Adelaide since making his debut against Collingwood at the MCG in round one of the 2009 season. Tonight at Adelaide Oval, Walker will run out to face the same opponent in his 300th AFL match.
A key forward with sublime kicking skills on both sides of his body, and one of the most reliable set shots in the game, Walker has booted 678 goals in his 17 seasons. He had a breakout year in 2011 with 63 majors, though hit career-best form just two years ago with 76 goals that helped him earn a first All-Australian blazer. A lowlight is a six-match suspension for making a racist comment about North Adelaide player Robbie Young at a SANFL game in 2021.
Walker led Adelaide from 2015 to 2019, including in the 2017 grand final defeat to Richmond, and like his club returns to the pointy end of the season for the first time since that decider in what is his 11th final. Another 37 goals this season has been a valuable return from the 35-year-old as he is a key part of a formidable Crows attack alongside Riley Thilthorpe and Darcy Fogarty.
Last time they met: Adelaide finally snapped an 11-match winless streak against Collingwood that began with a draw in 2017 and included 10 defeats since then. The Magpies were well on the way to extending their dominance over the Crows as they jumped out to a 25-point lead at the first change. But the Crows turned the tables in the second term and had edged in front by the main break. The ball was largely camped in the Pies’ forward half from there, but the Crows made the most of their opportunities on a soggy night to hold a narrow lead heading into time-on in the final term. A Nick Daicos goal pulled the Pies back to within three points but that was the end of the scoring as the Crows hung on to seal a top-two finish.
The cliff-hanger was soon overshadowed by news that Crows star Izak Rankine was being investigated for directing a homophobic slur at a Magpies player. Rankine was suspended for four matches, meaning his only route to this year’s grand final will be if the Crows lose tonight, but then bounce back with a couple of finals victories. The 25-year-old stepped out of the spotlight and spent time overseas in the aftermath of the ban being handed down, before returning to the country on Tuesday and speaking publicly about the incident for the first time.
Adelaide and Collingwood have had a rivalry brewing for years. With a recent history of tight and contentious finishes, and extra spice added to the pot over the past few weeks, it will be no surprise if the tension spills over from the first bounce.
Here is a reminder of how the rivalry has evolved, and what to expect from a clash of styles that somehow brings the sides closer together:
The winner of this clash between Adelaide and Collingwood, and the qualifying final between Geelong and Brisbane tomorrow night, will be in the driver’s seat to clinch a spot in the grand final. But little has separated these four sides – as well as the teams that finished in the lower half of the top eight – this year.
Only three wins separated minor premiers Adelaide from Hawthorn in eighth place – just the second time the gap has been so narrow since the top eight was introduced 31 years ago. With nine games still to play this year, here is why every finalist can – and can’t – win the 2025 premiership:
Here are the two lineups.
ADELAIDE
B: Josh Worrell, Mark Keane, Rory Laird
HB: Wayne Milera, Nick Murray, Max Michalanney
C: Isaac Cumming, Jordan Dawson, Daniel Curtin
HF: Ben Keays, Riley Thilthorpe, Alex Neal-Bullen
F: Zac Taylor, Taylor Walker, Darcy Fogarty
FOLL: Reilly O’Brien, Sam Berry, Jake Soligo
I/C: Luke Pedlar, James Peatling, Mitchell Hinge, Hugh Bond; Sub: Brodie Smith
COLLINGWOOD
B: Billy Frampton, Darcy Moore, Brayden Maynard
HB: Harry Perryman, Josh Daicos, Wil Parker
C: Jack Crisp, Ned Long, Steele Sidebottom
HF: Jordan De Goey, Tim Membrey, Beau McCreery
F: Jamie Elliott, Brody Mihocek, Lachie Schultz
FOLL: Darcy Cameron, Scott Pendlebury, Nick Daicos
I/C: Patrick Lipinski, Isaac Quaynor, Dan Houston, Mason Cox; Sub: Roan Steele
Final teams are in with no late changes as Beau McCreery is cleared to play for Collingwood. The speedy forward made the most of the pre-finals bye to recover from a foot issue that he picked up when it was stepped on during the final round.
Adelaide name veteran Brodie Smith as sub in their first final since 2017. Mid-season draftee Roan Steele is Collingwood’s 23rd player.
The Crows are boosted by the return of young defender Max Michalanney as he recovers from a hamstring strain, while Luke Pedlar had the same issue but will slot straight back into the forward line. Sid Draper and Billy Dowling are dropped from the side that edged North Melbourne in round 24, though the most notable absence is of course the suspended forward Izak Rankine.
The Magpies are backing youngster Wil Parker to play just his ninth game in place of the injured Jeremy Howe. Mason Cox has been recalled for his ninth game this season at the expense of the out-of-sorts Dan McStay, as the Pies shake up their options in an attack that could only find eight goals from 71 inside 50s when these sides met a few weeks ago.
Preamble
Martin Pegan
Hello and welcome to live coverage of the qualifying final between Adelaide and Collingwood at Adelaide Oval. It is fewer than three weeks since these same sides played out a thriller that the Crows won by three points to lock in a top-two finish as they return to finals for the first time in eight years.
The Magpies were the early pacesetters this season as they opened up a 14-2 record and sat on top of the ladder for 13 weeks before the Crows surged past them on the run home to claim the minor premiership. The Crows’ round 23 victory was their first over the Pies since 2017 and snapped an 11-game winless streak, though that horror run hides the recent history between these evenly-matched sides. While the Pies built up a dominant record over the Crows across seven seasons, the last six matches have been decided by a combined 25 points.
The Crows head into the final in red-hot form after winning their past nine matches, while the Magpies will have appreciated the week off with the pre-finals bye after losing five of their past seven. The Pies can at least turn to wealth of experience, especially in finals, while only seven of the Crows’ named 23 have been to this stage before.
The winner tonight will head straight to a preliminary final along with hosting rights, while the loser will need to bounce back in a semi-final against GWS Giants or Hawthorn.
First bounce will be at 7.10pm local time in Adelaide / 7.40pm AEST. I’ll drop in the team news shortly. Meanwhile, let us know your thoughts and predictions – shoot me an email or find me @martinpegan on Bluesky or X. Let’s get into it!
