Adelaide Crows deep dive: Alex Neal-Bullen happy with ‘calmness in the chaos’ of win over Suns

The lid is officially off in Adelaide, but Alex Neal-Bullen says it’s firmly on within the four walls of West Lakes. He reveals to Matt Turner how a few simple truths are driving the Crows in 2025.

Off-season recruit Alex Neal-Bullen is confident Adelaide can stay focused on the now as external expectation grows on what the team can achieve in 2025.

A flag winner at Melbourne in 2021, Neal-Bullen praised his new side’s maturity and “calmness in the chaos” to deal with challenges in games as it climbed to third on the ladder.

The hardworking forward said looking no further than its next match for 19 weeks gave him belief the group could handle the build-up to a first finals series in eight years.

“That’s where a footy club is so important to control what’s important to us,” Neal-Bullen told this masthead after the 61-point home victory over Gold Coast.

“That’s the media’s job and fans’ job to look at what’s upcoming. I hope our fans are becoming more confident in what we bring each week.

“I’m so proud of where we’re heading but you’ve got to keep that eye level down. That’s something we’ve been so stringent on this year, that one week at a time motto. That’s not just a cliche, we live that.

“You’ve got to maintain a level of confidence with maturity and a level head.”

Neal-Bullen was peppered with questions about comparisons between Melbourne’s climb from also-ran to premiership winner and what the Crows were trying to build when he secured a trade back to South Australia in October.

James Peatling and Alex Neal-Bullen celebrate a goal. Picture: James Elsby/AFL Photos via Getty Images.

Asked nine months later about the similarities between the Demons’ 2021 campaign and this season, now that September action was all but locked in, he mentioned maturity and having a small gap between best and worst performances.

“I’m not going to say it’s a similarity because this is my new footy club and I’m enjoying where we are,” he said.

“But there’s little lessons I’ve learned from along my journey and that is giving our group the chance to stay level-headed in the calmness and chaos.

“Also understanding that when it’s time to stand up – no matter who you are on the list, you lean into that.”

Neal-Bullen shone brightest against the Suns, registering game-highs in disposals (31, a career-best), score involvements (12) and goals (three).

Alex Neal-Bullen fires off a handball against the Suns. Picture: James Elsby/AFL Photos via Getty Images.

The 29-year-old is one of only six Crows from Sunday’s win with finals experience.

Ex-GWS duo Isaac Cumming and James Peatling, skipper Jordan Dawson, former captain Taylor Walker and veteran defender Rory Laird are the others.

Neal-Bullen said only hindsight would determine whether the team’s lack of experience would matter.

“When we’ve been challenged here or interstate, you’ve seen a group for the majority of the year that can deal with that challenge,” he said.

“There’s going to be more challenges … but what I hope our fans and supporters can see is a group that stays connected and leans into that challenge.

“Calmness in the chaos.”

Neal-Bullen would not be drawn on how far the team, which finished 15th last season and had not played finals since losing the 2017 decider, could go this year.

“We’re building to where we want to get to,” he said.

“For us now though, it’s the Showdown.

“We’ve got to rock up and continue to show who we are.

“As the year goes on, that’s the narrative you can drive if you think we’re where we think we should be.”

Getting added to Adelaide’s leadership group in his first season at the club indicated how highly rated he was at West Lakes.

His back-to-back sprint efforts – to spoil a pass on the eastern wing, then a chase-down, holding-the-ball tackle – exemplified how he had endeared himself to the team and supporters.

“You can’t measure what it is he’s added to our group,” Nicks said.

“As much on-field as off-field … and tonight I thought he was a standout.”

Originally published as Adelaide Crows deep dive: Alex Neal-Bullen happy with ‘calmness in the chaos’ of win over Suns