Adelaide’s win over Sydney had shades of 1997 about it, writes Chris McDermott
THE Adelaide 22 that beat Sydney had a smell of Malcolm Blight’s 1997 Crows about it and the win could be what reinvigorates the team, writes CHRIS McDERMOTT.
Chris McDermott
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WHAT was old is new again.
The Adelaide 22 that took on Sydney, and won, on Friday night had a smell of Malcolm Blight’s 1997 Crows about it.
That smell, of course, was a very good one.
With some leaders and experienced players missing through injury this Crows team found some character, some unity and some purpose to completely dismantle an in-form Sydney.
It must be the catalyst to a new, reinvigorated Crows for the remainder of this season.
There will be hiccups and there will be losses but they must never be losses like the one against Collingwood a week ago.
They must be losses with character and pride still intact.
Roll the clock back to round 4, 1997, and many will remember the pain and agony of the Crows’ first ever Showdown loss to Port Adelaide at Football Park. The margin was only 11 points but to many if felt much greater.
Certainly to coach Malcolm Blight it did. You can still hear the echoes of his post-match spray, and he could give one.
Twenty-one years on, in this season’s corresponding round, Adelaide suffered another painful loss, again to a black and white (but not teal) team.
Collingwood put them to the sword at Adelaide Oval by a whopping 48 points and the repercussions were just as great.
Coach Don Pyke’s response was not “Blight-esque”, but in his own style the message hit home.
Decisions had to be made and risks, albeit calculated ones, had to be taken.
In ‘97, Shaun Rehn and David Pittman were some of the inclusions for their round-five clash against the Bulldogs at Princes Park and victory was secured against one of the premiership contenders.
A one-point loss to Collingwood would follow, before a run of five successive wins that would instil belief in the group that anything was possible.
Skipper Mark Bickley stood tall with 32 disposals, much in the way Taylor Walker did on Friday night.
Tony Modra led from the front and kicked eight goals. Barry Standfield kicked 5. Mark Ricciuto had 33 possessions and Peter Caven in defence had a triple double — 18 kicks, 10 marks and 10 handballs.
A statement was made.
Fast forward to today and the similarities cannot be ignored.
Changes were made after the dismal loss to Collingwood and a response demanded against another premiership contender on their home soil.
Role players were required and the Crows, to a man, delivered. Walker stood tall, kicking four clutch goals.
Josh Jenkins did his job with and having a hand in two more. Rory Atkins kicked three, Rory Laird had 30 disposals and Tom Doedee in defence had just short of a triple double with 18 kicks, 11 marks and 7 handballs.
Again, a statement made.
There was so much more to this victory.
It included nine players with fewer than 50 games to their names. Three of them with less than 10, and Darcy Fogarty didn’t play.
None let them down.
Tom Doedee was the star of the next generation as Ben Hart had been many years before.
He marked with confidence and without fear. Like Hart.
His decision making was near faultless. Like Hart.
His disposal, likewise. You know the story.
It could be a pivotal moment for Adelaide’s class of 2018.
Individual performances must not be forgotten but they must also not be overstated.
The win was not about one man, but about one team.
The emerging youth of Jordan Gallucci, Myles Poholke, Wayne Milera and Riley Knight must not be taken for granted.
Betts and Sloane must not be rushed back before they can guarantee their injuries are fully healed and there will be no repeat.
It is time for the Crows’ off-field leaders to broaden their on-field vision. To have faith. To believe.
It is what they demand of their players. They must live it and breath it, too.
Second chances rarely pay off for AFL coaches
History suggests strongly that if you miss out on a premiership at your first try as a coach, you should not get another chance — unless you’re Mick Malthouse or Malcolm Blight, writes Chris McDermott.
When two tribes go to war
It was the game that stopped a state — the first Showdown between the Crows and Power on April 20, 1997. Chris McDermott shares his memories for Part 1 of The Greatest Showdowns series.