Recruit named Crows vice-captain
The Adelaide Crows have named recruit Alex Neal-Bullen as one of four vice-captains ahead of the 2025 AFL season.
Recruit Alex Neal-Bullen has been appointed as an Adelaide vice-captain before he makes his official debut for his new AFL club.
Neal-Bullen joined the Crows from Melbourne and is among four deputies to captain Jordan Dawson.
The 29-year-old Neal-Bullen, Ben Keays, Darcy Fogarty and Reilly O’Brien have all been named vice-captains.
Neal-Bullen, a premiership player with the Demons in 2021, has made an instant impact on coaches and teammates during his first pre-season with the Crows.
“We had a focus in the off-season to add more leadership and experience to our team, and we were fully aware of his ability to impact in this space,” Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks said in a statement on Tuesday.
“He has embraced the club and his new teammates from day one and he will be a great addition to our leadership group.”
Nicks said re-appointing Dawson, who joined the Crows from Sydney at the end of the 2021 season, was an “obvious choice”.
“He sets the tone, leads by example and his on-field direction had been outstanding over the past two years,” the coach said.
“He’s super-competitive, driven and brings others with him, so we look forward to that continuing.
“Ben and Reilly have also been part of the leadership group for a number of years now and demonstrate an elite level of professionalism, combined with a genuine care for others.
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“Darcy stepped up into a leadership role for the first time last year, was our leading goalkicker and finished top-five in our best-and-fairest.
“He has built strong connections within the playing group and committed his future to the club until 2031, which is a real positive for us.”
It comes as the Club announced new additions to their board earlier this month.
Neil Balme and former Crows player James Gallagher will fill board places vacated by former federal sports minister Kate Ellis, who stepped down late last year, and club legend Mark Ricciuto.
