IN the Showdown LVIII (#58) clash at the Adelaide Oval, between the Crows and Port, the second one of these encounters that Isaac Cumming plays in, has a special significance for this North Broken Hill junior.
In his first year at the West Lakes based cup, Cumming will play his milestone 100th AFL match in this blockbuster game.
After 81 games across seven years on the GWS Giants list, Cumming moved across to the Crows at the start of the ‘25 campaign, with the decision proving very fruitful so far for both parties.
Since debuting for the Crows in the round two win over Essendon, Cumming has been a constant member of the team, having played 18 consecutive games going into this clash.
Cummings’ recruitment, along with another former Giant James Peatling and premiership player from Melbourne Alex Neal-Bullen, has added a steeliness to the Adelaide Football Club in 2025, which has seen them rise up the ladder.
This is a pivotal match, as a “Showdown” victory (and these are always 50-50 games despite where the teams are on the ladder) will help the Crows chances of a top four finish on the premiership table.
Adelaide are certainly also in the mix for a top two finish, which will mean a pair of home finals at Adelaide Oval, which will further enhance their chances of a first grand final berth since 2017 and to break their premiership dry spell, which harks back to 1998.
A junior who played with the Allies (a combination of New South Wales, Queensland, Northern Territory and Tasmania) in the National Division One championships, Cumming was original collected in the 2016 draft at pick number 20 overall by expansion team, the Giants.
He spent the 2017 campaign playing in the GWS Giants NEAFL side, winning the club best and fairest in that competition, before making his AFL debut in the round eight clash on May 12, 2018 against the West Coast Eagles at the Sydney Showgrounds.
He played his 50th AFL game in the round 18 clash of the 2022 season against the Brisbane Lions at Manuka Oval in Canberra.
At 188 cms (6’2”) and 80 kgs Cumming plays predominately wing roles but is equally effective across half back or up forward.
Naturally his Crows teammate and another North Broken Hill Bulldog, Taylor Walker, is the longest serving AFL footballer to come out of the Silver City, currently sitting on 295 games.
Other players that have registered 100 or more AFL/VFL games include Dean Solomon with 209 games at Essendon and Fremantle, including the 2000 AFL Bombers Premiership and Brent Staker with West Coast/Brisbane with 160 games.
