ADELAIDE has kept the faith. In an era when clubs don't want to commit to longer-term rebuilds, and the AFL hasn't liked them either, the Crows have been steadily adding to their list.

Their 90-point thrashing of Sydney on Saturday night might be the inflection point of the build coming to fruition.

All the pieces are coming together and after a massive off-season that saw them land Isaac Cumming, Alex Neal-Bullen and James Peatling, while retaining pick No.4 to take gun youngster Sid Draper, the Crows are taking the jump.

AFL.com.au has ranked the 10 recruiting hits from list boss Justin Reid and recruiting manager Hamish Ogilvie – either as free agents, trades or through the draft – that have helped get Adelaide in third position on the ladder at the midway point of the season. 

1. Jordan Dawson

Adelaide knew it had picked up a very good player in Dawson at the end of 2021. But he has gone on to exceed everyone's expectations to be one of the competition's best – a big-bodied, long-kicking midfield weapon who can shift forward and make an impact or steady things across half-back. After one season at the Crows, Dawson was named the club's captain and he is super important in their charge up the ladder. The trade cost – a future first-round pick – has ended up being cheap going for the Crows.

2. Izak Rankine

It was a drawn-out trade negotiation for Rankine through the 2022 Trade Period but he was the class and excitement factor that Adelaide had longed for. Four years after being picked by the Suns, Rankine wanted to head back to South Australia and Adelaide was front of the queue. He kicked 36 goals in his first year at Adelaide but since then has become the midfield-forward line game-changer who brings a vital dose of speed to their mix. Some other picks changed hands but the nub of the deal was Gold Coast receiving pick No.6 for Rankine, which it used on young gun Bailey Humphrey.

3. Ben Keays

Ben the bargain. When Keays was delisted by Brisbane, where he had grown up a member of the Lions Academy, the Crows took a chance. He was given a lifeline at the Rookie Draft – and he is one of only two live picks used at that draft still on a list (along with Cat Brad Close). Keays has been a revelation at Adelaide – he has played 118 games in a row, is the Crows' vice-captain, has signed on to the end of 2027 and has become so important to Adelaide with his relentless run and goalkicking.

4. Riley Thilthorpe

Adelaide had narrowed its choice for the top pick in the 2020 national draft to Thilthorpe and Logan McDonald. McDonald arguably had a more consistent draft campaign and kicked plenty of goals, but Thilthorpe had played lots of roles, was the local option and was physically untapped. After placing the bid on Western Bulldogs NGA prospect Jamarra Ugle-Hagan at No.1, the Crows went with Thilthorpe, who has evolved into one of the competition's most fearsome key forwards. In the 2020 draft crop that was so compromised for recruiters and the players themselves, Thilthorpe has absolutely held his status as a top selection.

5. Jake Soligo

Every successful rebuild needs its mid-draft wins. Soligo is one of those. The Crows used pick No.36 on the Eastern Ranges midfielder at the 2021 draft and he has barely missed a beat since. He has played 72 of a possible 80 games since arriving at West Lakes and took big strides in Adelaide's midfield last year when he averaged 22 disposals and nearly four clearances and four tackles a game.

6. Mark Keane

Getting Keane back to the AFL was the first big tick. Keeping him from returning to Collingwood last year was another. Every list revolution needs to look outside the box to find an advantage and grabbing the Irishman as a pre-season supplemental selection period signing after he had gone back to Ireland has been a win. The Pies were keen to get him back at the end of last year but Keane stuck at Adelaide, where his courage and discipline as a defender playing above his height has been crucial this season, never more so than his brave back-with-the-flight grab against Port Adelaide earlier this year.

7. Josh Rachele

The Crows had their eyes on Rachele from a fair way out in his draft season and he has brought an added element of flair and exuberance to the team and whole club. The prized No.6 pick kicked five goals in his AFL debut in round one of his first season and he has rounded his game to be an excellent finisher and playmaker inside 50 and also up the ground. Despite missing some games with broken ribs, Rachele has kicked 20 goals from nine games and is having his best season to date. 

8. James Peatling

The important part about the Peatling trade last year for Adelaide is that it was a contested ball: the Greater Western Sydney midfielder was wanted by his own club and also had six other clubs, including the Western Bulldogs, Melbourne, West Coast, St Kilda and Collingwood, chasing him. That he chose to go to the Crows on a four-year deal as a non-South Australian showed its growing destination status. Peatling has played all bar one game at the Crows this season. 

9. Mitch Hinge

Another discard who has found his place at Adelaide. Hinge played games in two seasons for the Lions as a rookie pick with Brisbane before being cut by the club. Adelaide grabbed him as a delisted free agent and he has become a consistent member of the Crows' defence over the past four seasons under Matthew Nicks.

10. Josh Worrell

Worrell has been more of a slow burn than others. Now into his sixth season, the tall intercepting defender has found his mark and has grown into a critical player for the club's back half. Drafted with the 28th pick in the 2019 intake after getting deeper into the pool than many expected, Worrell, like fellow Crows backmen Nick Murray and Jordon Butts, wasn't an early selection but has become important in Nicks' set-up.