The Reds hold the longest winless streak in top-flight Australian football, which spanned 34 games between 2008 and 2011.
In 2023-24, they collected their sixth wooden spoon.
But after 17 years, the perennial underachievers have cemented their second finals appearance and emerged as potent A-League threats.
For 12-year club veteran Emily Condon, the realisation that her team could soon be champions is still sinking in.
"It would just be so special to do it with Adelaide," she told AAP.
"If I was at another team that had won premierships in the past, it wouldn't have the same emotion to it.
"The last season we had was devastating, and we couldn't accept it. We all came into this year with that fire to prove that we're better than the results.
"The whole team is super excited. It's just a really great position to be in."
United have similar players, the same coach and captain as the previous season, yet the third-placed team have upgraded from four wins to twelve.
Condon said the return of former Adelaide guns Fiona Worts and Matilda McNamara has unlocked their aggressive high-press style of football.
"I've grown up playing with McNamara, and there's a real core group of us girls who have been at the club for quite some time. We've filled those gaps that were missing," Condon said.
Worts and Chelsie Dawber, the most prolific players in club history, have combined for 17 goals this season.
Emily Hodgson, in her ninth season with the club, believes the Reds had previously lacked individual spark.
"We've missed players with flair that bring other people into the game. In the past, there's not been those specific players with heaps of flair that are willing to take a risk," the defender said.
"Having lots of South Australians who have played together before, it really helps build the core.
"All the girls that have been brought in this year have fit in so well, which is amazing, and grows the culture."
United also notably secured most of their points without captain Isabel Hodgson.
The defender sustained a foot injury and didn't return until mid-March.
"This season has been extremely difficult for her, getting injured just prior to pre-season," Condon said.
"She's still been a major part of this team, she shows up in training all the time."
Adelaide host Sydney FC in their last match of the home-and-away season on Friday.
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