‘I am hurting’: Tough week puts preliminary final loss into perspective for Adelaide Crows SANFL coach Heath Younie
The preliminary final loss to Glenelg capped an emotional week for Adelaide SANFL coach Heath Younie, who also endured close colleague Don Pyke’s departure from West Lakes and the death of one of his former North Adelaide stars.
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Adelaide state league coach Heath Younie had faced three challenging days before he walked into Adelaide Oval for the preliminary final battle against Glenelg on Sunday.
Don Pyke, with whom he had a close relationship, quit as senior coach of the Crows on Thursday.
And the following day he got the news Sam De Leonardis, who he coached for two seasons at under-18 level at North Adelaide, had passed away.
De Leonardis played 20 league games for the Roosters and also trained with the Crows state league side under Younie.
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Broadview, where De Leonardis played as a junior and again as an A-grade player this year, said in a statement the 25-year-old died of natural causes in the early hours of Friday morning.
An emotional Younie said winning finals and being in a grand final would have been great, but he said other factors had put “things in perspective”.
“Our coach who I am close to walked away, that was challenging,” Younie said. “Then a guy who I coached lost his life.
“I’m hurting a bit, it has been a tough week for our footy club.”
Whether Pyke’s announcement impacted on the players was difficult to measure, according to Younie.
He said training in the lead-up to the game had been strong and he had seen no signs to indicate it was an issue.
“No doubt it was challenging for all involved,” he said. “The most important thing is Don’s well being and where he is at.
“You would have to ask the players individually if his decision affected them.
“As much as we would love to play next week, the better side won on the day.”
Check out this ridiculous mark from Ben Davis! #howdidhedothat pic.twitter.com/eS8v7vPRNY
— 7SANFL (@7SANFL) September 15, 2019
Despite the loss to the Tigers, Younie described the season as a win for the club.
“I’m proud of the group — there have been a lot of distractions and things going on around our footy club,” he said.
“We can only see the season as a positive and outstanding for the young group to get three finals.
“It is a great opportunity to play on the biggest stage, closest to AFL as they can get.
“Glenelg has been the best team all year and deserve to be in the grand final.”