Eddie Betts moving back to Carlton is Adelaide Crows’ biggest mistake in their 29-year history
Forget Tippett, Dangerfield and Lever, letting Eddie Betts leave West Lakes for Carlton in 2020 was the worst playing list error in the Adelaide Crows’ history, writes Kane Cornes. SEE THIS WEEK’S WINNERS AND LOSERS
Kane Cornes
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The individual is never bigger than the team. It’s an old footy cliche, that usually rings true, except when it doesn’t.
In the course of a club’s history, there’s the rare player who becomes the exception to the rule.
Eddie Betts is one of those individuals.
Of all the players the Crows have lost in recent years, Betts is the most significant.
Betts’ exit from Adelaide last year was messy. He broke his contract and returned to Carlton, the club where he started his career in 2005.
The Crows, according to football director Mark Ricciuto, cited Betts’ age (33) as the reason why they were comfortable in letting him go.
That view was shortsighted and another major own goal kicked by the imploding club. Adelaide should have done everything in its power to appease the aggrieved Betts in an effort to convince him to stay.
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However, Riccuito and Adelaide’s leadership team couldn’t see beyond the immediate future and failed to predict the significant impact Betts would have on the club.
Betts had the potential to positively influence the struggling side’s developing playing group.
Off-field, his wide-appeal would have helped to bolster the morale of the club’s huge supporter base.
Commercially, Betts is one of the most attractive players to sponsors which is invaluable while organisations navigate the financial fallout of COVID-19.
Betts should have been an Adelaide employee for life.
His skills could have been leveraged across a number of portfolios including growing Adelaide’s indigenous programs which he has spoken passionately about, skills coaching and also in various ambassador roles not dissimilar to the way the Crows deploy former great Tony Modra today.
At Crows home games, Modra visits the various corporate suites around Adelaide Oval to mingle and share drinks with the club’s commercial partners.
Even though he was traded by the Crows at the end of the 1998 season to Fremantle, he is still a major drawcard for sponsors and fans alike.
Betts played 132 games for the Crows and kicked 310 goals, most of them freakish. But his value to a club is measured far beyond just his on-field feats
He was Adelaide’s most popular player since Modra. The Crows faithful named a pocket at Adelaide Oval after him and whenever he went within 10 metres of the ball the crowd were audibly anticipating his next move.
Unfortunately for Adelaide and the thousands of fans who adored him, he will now forever be remembered as a Carlton player.
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It’s no coincidence that Betts’ return to Carlton coincides with them being in the top eight for the first time since 2013, while Adelaide is at its lowest point in its 29-year history.
At 33, Betts is still delivering in front of goal, his four goals in the win against the Western Bulldogs takes his season tally to nine, Adelaide’s leading goalkicker this season is Billy Frampton with just four majors.
It’s no luck Blues new recruit Jack Martin is in career-best form.
Having struggled through the first six years of his career at Gold Coast, Martin crossed to Carlton via the pre-season draft and is thriving playing alongside Betts in attack.
It’s a missed opportunity that Betts isn’t providing that same leadership and mentoring for Shane McAdam and Tyson Stengle.
The long-suffering Carlton fans have welcomed him back like he never left. In a year where so many are doing it tough, watching Betts is a genuine distraction from everyday life.
There isn’t much to look forward for the 25,000 Crows fans that will attend the Adelaide Oval to witness their side take on St Kilda on Monday night.
It would have been a different story if Betts was still running around in the tricolours.
Betts will be a Carlton employee and a Blue for life.
The Carlton hierarchy won’t repeat the same mistake they did when they let him leave to join the Crows as a free agent in 2013.
Betts has captured the collective imagination and has become admired beyond the game. Carlton will be the beneficiaries of his broad appeal and it should have been Adelaide.
ROUND 6 WINNERS AND LOSERS
Winners
Hinkley’s high notes
The scenes of Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley signing the team song in the middle of the playing group is further evidence of how much the Power players love him. Hinkley’s coaching has been near faultless so far in 2020.
Electric blues
Carlton’s victory against the Western Bulldogs was the performance all Blues fans had been waiting years for. It was built from elite pressure, sure ball handling and an attacking game style. They take on Port Adelaide on Sunday, which poses to be a significant danger game for the Power.
Baby Hawk
There was little to smile about for Hawthorn fans as they scored only 27 points in the loss to Collingwood. One positive was South Australian debutant Will Day, who collected 16 disposals across halfback and looks every bit like a 200-gamer.
Sign us up
Part of the agreement for players to move to the Queensland hub and condense the season was the AFL removing the contract freeze that stipulated no playing contracts could be signed beyond this year. It is only fair considering players will be risking their significant injuries by playing games off only four-day breaks.
Nic Nat for PM
West Coast ruckman Nic Naitanui is destined for even bigger things when his brilliant playing career comes to an end. The way he handled Riley O’Brien’s game notes being leaked in the lead up to Saturday’s game was all class.
Losers
SA’s massive miss
The Queensland government has stepped and agreed to host all Victorian teams for the remainder of the AFL home and away season. What a shame the ultra-conservative South Australian government didn’t have the same foresight and innovation to do the same. The benefits of doing so for this state would’ve been astronomical.
Nicks’ backflip
Prior to the Showdown, Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks quashed an article written in The Advertiser which suggested he needs more support in the coaching box. Nicks has since done a major backflip admitting last week that he will look to bolster his coaching ranks at the end of the season. Smart move.
Wipe out
Last week Fremantle captain Nat Fyfe was spotted surfing on the Gold Coast only one week after tearing a hamstring. He returned to the line-up against St Kilda but was clearly hampered and recorded only three disposals in the second half. His coached Justin Longmuir now admits he is unlikely to play against West Coast on Sunday after suffering a relapse of the injury. There’s plenty of time for surfing in your holidays, Nat.
Laird’s lapsed
In the past three seasons Adelaide’s Rory Laird averaged a remarkable 29.9 disposals per game and became one of the AFL’s premium running defenders. This year that disposal count has dropped to just 20 and he isn’t positively influencing the outcome on games. It’s been a stunning drop-off in form.
Brad’s bad bump
Port Adelaide’s Brad Ebert was incredibly lucky to receive only one week for his head high bump on Giant Harry Perryman. Ebert chose not to take possession of the ball and instead chose to bump in what was a violent clash. Ebert has always been a ball player and the incident was definitely out of character.