‘A fixed irrational belief that others are plotting against them’: Graham Cornes talks tough times for the Adelaide Crows
Adelaide Crows fans have been up in arms about calls against them as of late, but Graham Cornes explains it goes further back than just recently.
Opinion
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PERSECUTION COMPLEX: “a fixed irrational belief that others are plotting against them.”
In the wake of the Izak Rankine travesty when he was penalised for running too far without bouncing the ball, even though he did run too far without bouncing the ball, there has been an outpouring of angry outbursts by Crows fans.
It’s one of the symptoms. A persecution complex is “characterised by an increase in angry outbursts.”
That Rankine did run too far without bouncing the ball is not the point.
I have a friend, a man of substantial intellect who is also a passionate Crows fan.
As a conscript he served his country, attaining significant rank and responsibility and subsequent to his military service had a successful professional career.
To avoid any ridicule from those not of the same football faith who might otherwise recognise him and question his professional rationale, he wishes to remain anonymous. We’ll just call him “Dave”.
His anger at the Rankine decision is incandescent, an emotion shared by many Crows fans who once again feel they have been on the wrong end of football officiating.
The words in his email to me seared the page: “When I first saw Rankine’s heroic run in real time it never occurred to me (or the TV commentators) that a free would be awarded against him for running too far (which it turns out he did). A free in these circumstances never would have been awarded against the Daicos brothers or Pendlebury - or Dangerfield, Dustin Martin, Cripps or Bontempelli for that matter. I’ve seen AFL players run as far as Rankine did thousands of times without penalty.”
An assiduous researcher, he further tells me that the AFL record for running without bouncing and no penalty is 33 metres, held by Patrick Cripps. Ironically it was against Adelaide in June 2021! Fox football experts calculated Rankine ran 24.2 metres without bouncing.
But his anger is reflected from greater depths and is shared by many battle-weary Crows fans. “From the day of Port’s shameful, opportunistic attempt to enter the AFL until now, the Crows have been shafted by state governments, local councils, the AFL, the SANFL, the SACA, the SMA and some of the media.”
He’s right. From day one the Crows endured greater restrictions and obstructions than any of the other new teams entering the competition.
The draft and list management restrictions were particularly galling. We were supposed to have the pick of the South Australian players but could only select 10 players that had previously been drafted by other interstate clubs. And they could never explain why Gavin Wanganeen, Darren Jarman, Matthew Robran, David Hynes, Justin Staritski and Richard Champion ended up at other interstate clubs in 1991. “You’re in the big league now”, sneered Hawthorn chief executive John Lauritz, when Adelaide’s first football manager, Neil Kerley protested.
Adelaide was not allowed to enter the national draft until the end of its second season and the father/son restrictions imposed on the club compared to those in Victoria were discriminatory.
There was no sympathy from the Victorian-centric AFL.
Initially we had to travel on the morning of the match. Getting to grounds like Waverley and Moorabbin on time proved a little difficult. The AFL forced the SANFL to upgrade facilities at Football Park for visiting Victorian teams but the change-rooms, coaches’ boxes and medical facilities at those suburban Melbourne clubs were appalling.
But the bias was most evident on-field.
As Dave writes: “The clear, probably unconscious bias of the mainly Victorian umpires against the Crows: eg the second half of the 1993 preliminary final and the Mother’s Day Massacre over 20 year ago when North Melbourne narrowly beat the Crows after the umpires had paid 8 holding the ball decisions against Adelaide in the last quarter – and recent decisions involving Dawson (against Collingwood at the MCG in 2023) and Draper (this year against Essendon) which the AFL admitted were wrong but said the umpires were unsighted - both non-decisions almost certainly cost the Crows a win.”
He further references the goal umpiring decision in that fateful Swans game last year.
“Dave’s” memory is good: “The grossly unfair AFL penalty and the media vilification Taylor Walker got for a single act of racial abuse not even heard by the subject”, he goes on.
He could also have referenced the outrageous penalties impacted on the club over the very minor Kurt Tippett infraction which helped destine the club to a wooden spoon and several years of mediocrity.
The Victorian media attacks on the Crows over the 2018 camp – “the biggest storm in a teacup and beat-up in VFL/AFL history.”
Dave can be prone to exaggeration however he does make a good point that the Crows were never penalised over the camp and no player has brought a damages claim (yet).
He remembers that the Crows spent $20 million on updating their admin and training facilities at Football Park only to discover they had been blindsided by the state government, the AFL, the SACA and Port Adelaide. Surely the AFL knew of those plans to move to Adelaide Oval before the money was wasted at Football Park.
Now there is the continuing saga of new premises with continued obstruction from local councils and apart from the most welcome pledge of a financial contribution from the Malinauskus government, there has been no other assistance from the previous and current governments to expedite the progress of the development.
At every turn there appears to be resistance and irrational objection. Meanwhile, the Crows train in an environment that in no way can inspire or stimulate elite performance.
We could also mention the draw.
At the behest of Victorian clubs who sell home games for financial reward, the Crows have played in the all of the country’s remote football locations. Have they ever had an Anzac Day fixture at home? Plus, they are regularly scheduled to play on Mother’s Day. It’s small mercy that only this year, after the Swans’ goal umpiring blunder, has the club been given a marqué timeslot.
There are other disadvantages. The Crows pay a whopping $400,000 per year to participate in the SANFL. Port Adelaide, who are not even the Magpies these days, pays nothing and are desperate to leave.
Because of all this negativity and pessimism, I’ve been publicly vocal this week about having to move on and stop blaming umpires, the system, the draw, the full moon, etc, for all the Crows woes.
Not to do so increases the risk of developing that persecution complex.
The official definition also describes a persecution complex as a type of delusion. However, there is nothing delusional about “Dave’s” rant.
He presents more than valid arguments that the Crows have been conspired against
Is it any wonder we Crows fans need psychoanalysis?
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