Adelaide did have the tendency to overburden Burns and Djite when they were playing, treating them as the ‘go-to’ options when they needed goals despite the rest of the squad possessing the ability to do the same (apart from Salley). I agree with the comments re depth in midfield, and up front. While Costanzo can play there, his knee(s) won’t hold up. Having another player that is able to keep the short passes going and make up for Salley’s deficiencies would be desirable… I just wonder at how wise releasing Ontong was, despite his desire for playing time. I’m not sure Fabian Barbiero can step up, he looked half a second off the pace last year. Dodd up front wasn’t the greatest option, either, despite his hattrick against Vietnamese opposition in the ACL.

Adelaide were also talking about a 2-year plan at the start of last season, so I wonder how long these signings were in the works – and whether they expected Burns and Djite to move on (I think they did).