Adelaide coach Neil Craig is adamant he has the nucleus of an AFL premiership team at West Lakes, defying the popular view that the Crows are headed for years of mediocrity.

Numerous members of the football commentariat, notably Nathan Buckley and Tim Watson, have contended that by continually pressing for finals, the Crows are ruling themselves out of premiership contention by foregoing the top tier talent available through the draft.

Watson has gone so far as predicting current struggler West Coast will win their next flag before Adelaide.

However Craig said he had enormous faith in the younger players presently on the Crows list to bloom into the core of a premiership side beyond the retirements of star quartet Simon Goodwin, Tyson Edwards, Andrew McLeod and Brett Burton.

Craig also expressed his disgust for the concept of "bottoming out", the rationalisation of burning one or two seasons in the hope there will be better ones in future.

"I think, to the best of my knowledge at the moment, that Jon Griffin, Ivan Maric and Kurt Tippett are going to be outstanding AFL players - I think they can be premiership players," Craig said.

"I think (midfielders) Bernie Vince, Jason Porplyzia, Richard Douglas, Chris Knights and Nathan van Berlo can be premiership players.

"My prediction is that I think Dave Mackay can be a premiership player, and Andy Otten, from what I've seen on the track.

"Andy is 18 years of age and our supporters and people making comment wouldn't have seen him yet, so I have great faith in the talent that we have at the moment.

"Are they top-four draft picks? No, they're not, but from my assessment, they've got enough talent to develop into that.

"In the end only time will tell and that's the way we are going, that's the way the club is comfortable to go, I am very comfortable to go that way ... I don't like bottoming out."

On Saturday at the MCG, inclusion Bryce Campbell will be seeking to elicit a similar level of trust from Craig and his match committee, following a series of low-profile displays in earlier appearances.

In the side to replace the injured Brent Reilly (knee), Campbell must, according to Craig, look to impose himself on proceedings and earn the right to spend more time on the field.

"He does (need to impose himself more), he was a little unlucky against Hawthorn, he injured his ankle early in that game (in round four), but he does," Craig said.

"He gets an opportunity now, his form's been good in the SANFL, better than good last week, so that's why we've brought him in, because it gives him an opportunity to perform and us another opportunity to look at that type of player who we will be assessing at the end of the year, so it's an important game for him.

"He's just got to take his opportunity when he gets onto the ground to do some good things."

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