Pre-season camp haunts Adelaide Crows on eve of game against Grand Final nemesis Richmond
ACCUSATIONS have flown thick and fast at the Adelaide Crows this week, following bizarre reports about exactly what went on at the club’s pre-season camp. MARK ROBINSON goes inside the mess.
Mark Robinson
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CLUBS try to ignore the outside noise.
For the Adelaide Crows this week, however, it’s been like trying sleep next door to an AC/DC concert.
The incessant reporting of events at their Gold Coast camp in early February, including claims the camp it was “cult-like’’ and that players were distressed and mentally disturbed, that there were fractures within the playing group and some were even weighing their futures at the club, finally had coach Don Pyke address the issue.
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Which isn’t ideal a day before they play their Grand Final opponents of last year in Richmond.
But it needed to happen.
And Pyke didn’t totally shoot down the claims.
In one sentence, he said: “There was a fair degree of inaccuracy in the reports ...
In another, he said: “The reality in our world is that training, whether it be physical or mental, there’s components within the program which are challenging. The reality is, you don’t keep 100 per cent of the people happy, 100 per cent of the time.’’
There’s smoke, but we’re not sure how big the fire is and was.
The Crows say there wasn’t a fire at all.
But the fact captain Taylor Walker sent a text message to the playing group, which the Herald Sun has obtained, tells us the noise was substantial enough for the skipper to react.
The text message read something like this: “Boys, there’s some rumblings around the camp. Don’t talk to anyone, let’s discuss it in the morning. Disappointing Tex..’’
It was reported as being terse and aggressive.
But Crows people disagree..
They say it was strong leadership from the skipper and that he was, like others at the club, disappointed the media were made aware of the camp, which was first reported last Friday.
The Crows are curious about how their camp eight weeks ago has suddenly made headlines.
Clearly, some players had issues with it, but how deep and disturbing those issues are haven’t yet been clearly documented or really materialised.
The AFLPA has not had a complaint, and if they did, and in the sort of headspace they are in after the Melbourne situation, we’d know its position.
The Crows said on Tuesday no player sought or required psychological help.
Pyke confirmed again the club hadn’t received any negative feedback from the PA.
So, what have we got?
We’ve had a camp which set out to challenge players mentally, which some players did not like and while others, such as Walker, Eddie Betts, Sam Jacobs and Rory Sloane who have spoken publicly, thrived in the environment.
It’s been reported they are fractures, but Pyke says there’s not.
There’s text messages and denials and still the finger is being pointed.
It’s difficult to ascertain the validity of the potentially devastating accusation players are considering their futures at the club. Time will tell when or if players do leave and they’re honest in their reason why.
True, questions are plenty, and not only about what happened at the camp.
Are the Crows, in fact, too serious with their program, what with mentality camps and Power Ranger stances? Are they too highly strung, which can create angst and pressures of their own? Is Pyke too serious about his footy?
Amid all the negative headlines, the Crows this week have had to prepare for the Tigers.
The premiers would be loving this: The Crows are besieged by accusation, have key injuries. and were beaten by Essendon in Round 1.
They can deny everything they like about the camp, but the one stage which can kill suggestions of fractures is on the field.
A win and the noise will virtually disappear.
Originally published as Pre-season camp haunts Adelaide Crows on eve of game against Grand Final nemesis Richmond
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