Why Adelaide Crows and Brisbane Lions AFLW preliminary final should be must-watch for every player in league

Fremantle’s AFLW season is over and while the players will be disappointed, nobody should feel too surprised that they didn’t beat Adelaide on Saturday because this weekend will be the Crows’ fifth preliminary final in a row.

Their opponents, Brisbane, will also be playing their fifth preliminary final in a row. When it comes to the AFLW, the Crows and Lions are the benchmarks and everyone else is still searching for the secret herbs and spices.

That’s why Saturday evening’s game should be must-watch viewing for every player, coach and official throughout the league.

Throughout their nine seasons in the competition, the Crows have won 74 per cent of their games, claimed three premierships and lost one grand final.

The Lions have won 71 per cent of their games, celebrated two flags and lost three grand finals.. The AFLW is yet to stage a grand final where either Adelaide or Brisbane aren’t involved. That streak is set to continue given the winner will advance for the chance to win the flag.

Being an elite team in any sport is hard. But the Crows and Lions have been elite clubs for a decade. They dominated when the league was in its infancy. They dominated when new clubs came in and competition for signatures soared. They’re still dominating after AFLW has grown to 18 teams.

Both clubs have been stable. Brisbane coach Craig Starcevich was in charge from the moment the team was formed. Adelaide have had two coaches and Matthew Clarke has led the group for the last seven seasons.

The Crows had the competition’s biggest name from the moment the league started. Erin Phillips was a superstar. But they remained the benchmark when she left to join Port Adelaide.

Emily Bates was a star for the Lions with four club best and fairests, plus an AFLW best and fairest. She moved to Hawthorn and the Lions maintained their winning ways.

It’s not like the Lions and Crows have been dominant in the men’s competition for all of this time. Adelaide haven’t played a men’s final since 2017. Brisbane finished 17th in the men’s just months before AFLW was launched and then went home with the wooden spoon the next season.

Clubs can’t just implement one program across both leagues. We know that because North Melbourne’s women won 10 home-and-away games this season. The men have won only eight matches in three years.

The Lions and Crows have set the standard and everyone else aspires to match them. From coaching to recruiting to fitness to skill to development, other teams wish they could produce the same elite performances every year.

Saturday’s match should be close. When they played earlier in the season, the Lions won a thriller by two points.

Last year, the Lions won by three points during the home-and-away season and two points during the finals. They’re clearly well matched.

But if you’re a player, this game shoudn’t be about entertainment. It should be a study session about what it takes to be part of incredible sustained success.