Crows must back Sando in and hand him a long-term deal

ADELAIDE should tear up Brenton Sanderson's old contract and hand him a new three-year deal.

ADELAIDE should tear up Brenton Sanderson's old contract and hand him a new three-year deal.

He is the right man to build the Crows' next premiership team.

While this has been a horror year for Adelaide, with off-field controversy followed by on-field underachievement when the club was supposed to mount a genuine premiership challenge,

Sanderson has held firm against the odds.

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He has one year remaining on his contract but the time is right for the Crows to show faith and back him in for the long haul.

They should give him a two-year contract extension which would tie him to the club until the end of the 2016 season.

Last year - Sanderson's first at West Lakes - he miraculously took the club to within five points of a shock grand final appearance.

Since then not much has gone right for the Crows.

But it hasn't been Sanderson's fault.

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With the Kurt Tippett salary cap scandal and resulting penalties ripping the heart out of the club, Sanderson has largely been the public face of the fallout, trying to right a sinking ship.

He has had to perform his duties while chief executive Steven Trigg and football manager Phil Harper served AFL suspensions and his right-hand man Dean Bailey was kept out of the coaching box for the first 16 rounds because of his role in the Melbourne tanking saga.

Sanderson also lost Tippett for nothing, key draft picks and longtime head of fitness Stephen Schwerdt, who joined the Suns.

Losing first and second-round draft picks last season and this year will leave massive holes in the Adelaide playing list.

If the Crows had shipped Tippett out earlier - before the salary cap controversy erupted - they could have gleaned another couple of high draft picks for their coach to use.

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Instead they played the Tippett card too long and paid a heavy penalty for it.

If they'd been smarter, Sanderson could have another six top draft picks with which to weave his magic.

If you put that into context, that's another six players like Patrick Dangerfield, who was taken at pick 10, and Rory Sloane (pick 44), who should be developing on Adelaide's list.

Sanderson has been let down badly by his club's desperation to re-sign Tippett.

And it's left him fighting the on-field battle with one arm tied behind his back.

Throw in the fact that gun forward Taylor Walker has missed most of the year with a knee injury and it's no wonder the Crows will miss the finals.

Given the circumstances and the fact Adelaide still has plenty of young, talented players to build around then financial backing and contract security is the least Sanderson deserves.

Some argue Adelaide will be able to trade out of the mire.

I disagree. It will be nearly impossible, given the club only has players to trade out, not quality draft picks.

The AFL silly-season is ruthless. You have to give up something good to get something potentially better.

Adelaide's best kids are too good to trade away. Dangerfield, Walker, Daniel Talia and Sloane are 10-year superstars. Entertaining trading them would be idiotic.

And with the free agency player market's quality rapidly drying up, the chance of snaring a gem this off-season is remote.

I can't help but worry what effect Tippett-gate will have on the look of the Crows in five years.

That's why stability in the coaching box is a must.

While I have several times publicly questioned Adelaide's selection and matchday tactics this year, I can't help but wonder what effect the stresses of 2012 and the off-season have had on Sanderson's coaching in 2013.

He has had to try to conjure results while having an unbelievably big handbrake applied to his team ambitions.

To deny Sanderson a new contract now is more or less saying you should have done better with the hand you have been dealt.

Even the highest-profile coaches would have struggled to cover the losses Sanderson has had to deal with.

Make no mistake, it will take some time - with list manager David Noble playing an integral role - for the Crows to right the wrongs of last year.

Part of righting the wrongs is to back the coach in.

With so much work to do, Sanderson needs the board's unwavering support - not questions over his future next year.

He must be given the opportunity of starting his planning all over again.

Warren Tredrea can be heard on 104.7FM Triple M's "Hot Breakfast" weekdays from 7-9am, "Deadset Legends" from 9am-noon on Saturdays and Triple M Footy. Twitter - @warrentredrea

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