Crows midfielder Anne Hatchard says players have always had faith in their abilities and in each other

Crows AFLW midfielder Anne Hatchard says players always had belief they were good enough to earn another grand final berth.

Adelaide AFLW midfielder Anne Hatchard says the Crows always believed they were good enough to make another grand final. Picture: Tricia Watkinson

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A seven-week minor round means one loss can come close to derailing a club’s AFLW campaign.

But according to Adelaide midfielder Anne Hatchard, the Crows never lost faith after they went down in their season opener to reigning premier Western Bulldogs.

Even after a 13-point win against Carlton in round two, outside the walls of West Lakes the Crows were still not spoken about as strong premiership contenders.

It was not until a 29-point triumph against former favourites Geelong that outsiders began to take notice.

Crows AFLW midfielders (L-R) Ebony Marinoff, Erin Phillips and Anne Hatchard. Picture: Tricia Watkinson

Hatchard said players and coaches always believed they were creating something special and knew they were good enough to bring home another premiership.

“It (the grand final berth) happened in season one and it’s happening again now,” said the midfielder ahead of the grand final against Carlton at Adelaide Oval on Sunday.

“We are really excited to get out on the field and try and get the win.

“In that first game and the nerves were up.

“I think that we just couldn’t finish on the scoreboard but we still brought a lot of pressure and still played really well.

“Each week, we just built on that and became a force to be reckoned with, so it’s really awesome.”

Hatchard, 21, said the Crows had significantly improved since that last encounter with the Blues at Ikon Park on February 10 and were ready to face them again - this time on the big stage.

“I think we’ve just got to play the footy we’ve been playing all year.

Anne Hatchard celebrates a goal during the Crows’ round six AFLW match against Greater Western Sydney Giants at Unley Oval. Picture: Mark Brake/Getty Images

“They (Carlton) are going to being the pressure, they’re going to come at us really hard and going to want to try and knock us off.

“We’ve just got to stay composed, take a breath and just play footy.”

Hatchard knows first hand what it takes to win a flag.

She featured in the Crows’ inaugural AFLW grand final victory against Brisbane when she was just 19 years old.

But Hatchard was even hungrier to claim a premiership with this particular group - which included a few players who were not part of the 2017 grand final triumph.

“It would mean the absolute world to me to be able to get a second premiership.

“I think the bond of this group is just amazing and I think it would be that little bit more special this year to get the win.”