Just like that, AFL footy is back at Adelaide Oval.

The crowd has built slowly but surely for perhaps the biggest match of the round between the undefeated Crows and Western Bulldogs.

The barren patches in the crowd will certainly fill before long, with traffic in and surrounding the CBD crawled to a virtual standstill, with thousands of pundits taking advantage of the glorious sunshine to flock to the final few days of the 2026 Adelaide Fringe Festival, located just two kilometres away in the city’s East End.

Crows superstar Izak Rankine makes his much-publicised return from a four-game suspension following a homophobic comment against Collingwood late last year. It was a moment that tarnished Rankine’s reputation badly.

The Bulldogs couldn’t have been more impressive across the season’s opening fortnight, but their recent record at South Australia’s football headquarters has been poor. They have lost their past five at Adelaide Oval, their last victory here way back in the 2021 preliminary final.