Closing the doors on training sessions in 2019 will be a big problem at West Lakes

THE Adelaide Football Club will face a dilemma next season when it comes to closing its training sessions from opposition spies with the old Footy Park wide open for everybody to see.

AS the walls come tumbling down at Football Park, starting at the northern end, there is the question of how will the Crows next season arrange “closed” training sessions?

There is Thebarton Oval, a venue controlled by the Adelaide Footy League.

But ultimately, regardless of that long-term lease at West Lakes, the prospect of the Adelaide Football Club finally having a training base and administration-social facility in the city centre draws much debate as to where the Crows will set up nest.

Park 25 - Karen Rolton Oval - on the western edge of the CBD (with the Newmarket Hotel on one corner and the new Royal Adelaide Hospital) would have been a superb complex, particularly with the tram line offering aconnection to Adelaide Oval ... but this superbly redeveloped site is now a SACA stronghold.

Park 12 - the Adelaide University grounds on the eastern side of Adelaide Oval - has become firmly out of reach as the Adelaide City Council stands firm on the demands of parklands statutes. A major building to accommodate the Crows’ training services, gym and front office never would get past planning stages.

Park 2 - at Barton Terrace, North Adelaide adjacent to the Adelaide Aquatic Centre - is often mentioned as a potential Crows home, but it is highly questionable that the North Adelaide residents would allow their corner of the parklands to be taken over by a professional sporting group.

Park 10 - also known as “Warnpangga” between War Memorial Drive and MacKinnon Parade at North Adelaide - is now the interesting option, more so if the Crows can negotiate to buy a parcel of land on the edge of the oval and War Memorial Drive that is controlled by the city council and used as its nursery.

Or perhaps, if it just becomes too difficult to put a footprint in the city centre, the Crows will just have to consider a long-term partnership in suburbia with the Adelaide Footy League at Thebarton or with West Adelaide at Richmond Oval.

HIT AND MISS

ALL credit to Channel Seven for the presentation of the SA Football Hall of Fame and Magarey Medal last week. The now traditional concept of adding some fun to the telecast brought on “club song karaoke” with Magarey Medallists and club greats in a van driving around Adelaide Oval or the city while singing their club song.

North Adelaide premiership hero - and Norwood Magarey Medallist - ANDREW JARMAN was a hit either in the front seat driving as a Rooster or in the back seat as a Redleg.

But the miss was the missed opportunity from the Channel Seven scriptwriters. It was grand to have NEIL KERLEY in the Glenelg van with Graham Cornes and Peter Carey, two of his premiership players from that famous 1973 SANFL grand final at Adelaide Oval. And adding Kerley to the South Adelaide drive - in recognition of his phenomenal work in lifting the Panthers from last to the flag in 1964 - was perfect. But why did the script not call for “Kerls” to appear in the West Adelaide, Eagles and Central District van too? Remembering just how many clubs were blessed with the Kerley touch would have a grand touch.

STANDING FIRM

DESPITE high-ranking staff at the Adelaide Football Club having their ears glued to FIVEaa on Friday afternoon expecting Port Adelaide premiership coach MARK WILLIAMS to retract and apologise for his remarks on the Crows pre-season camp, “Choco” stood firm - and announced he is making his own investigation into what happened on the Gold Coast in late January.

Williams added: “I continually hear that things from the Crows camp need to be addressed. I’m concerned about the players welfare - and that’s No. 1 and paramount.”

HOTLINE

BROWNLOW Medallist and Crows board member MARK RICCIUTO would have an interesting telephone bill this month.

COLDER ELSEWHERE

CHANNEL Nine sports reporter VICKI SCHWARZ - who famously put a microphone before Adelaide Football Club chief executive ANDREW FAGAN outside the club’s offices at West Lakes - has not heard from the Crows boss who has been widely criticised for not answering Schwarz’s questions on the future of contracted forward Mitch McGovern.

Schwarz tells the Roast: “Curiously, the answer to my question whether he’d met with Mitch McGovern was answered with a Crows media release at 7pm that day ... the minute we were off air.”

Most curious.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"WE communicate an enormous amount with the media and fans. I think the thing is some people aren't happy with the answers they get. Then it becomes a communication issue."

CROWS chief executive ANDREW FAGAN to Andrew Jarman on TripleM to the question on how the Adelaide Football Club stands with its credibility. If the question has to be asked ....

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

NO appointment at a football club is more telling than being the captain of the reserves. It is hardly a vote of faith in the player’s ability to rise to the seniors. Port Adelaide, since the “One Club” concept was followed up by the Magpies becoming the Power reserves, was blessed with STEVE SUMMERTON being the obvious captain of Port Adelaide’s SANFL team while he was not on the Power’s AFL list. Summerton would be the sure selection for the Magpies every week (unless the selection whiteboard had too many Power players who were compelled by SANFL rules to play league when missing AFL selection). But now that Summerton has retired, who will captain the Magpies? Will it be an AFL-listed player, say former Melbourne captain Jack Trengove, who could take the honour as a hint on his AFL prospects ... or will it be a hand-picked SANFL recruit with no AFL agenda?

HIT OF THE WEEK

FROM AFL chief executive GILLON McLACHLAN when asked if he would play against his brother, Channel Seven commentator and host HAMISH, in the Ted Whitten Legends Game: “There is not an oval wide enough on the wings for Hamish ...”