Brownlow Medallist Shane Crawford warns Aldinga Sharks — don’t expect miracles in my comeback

HE’S won a Brownlow Medal and an AFL premiership but Shane Crawford has warned his new Aldinga Sharks teammates not to expect miracles.

HE’S won a Brownlow Medal, an AFL premiership and played 305 games at the top level but Shane Crawford has warned his new Aldinga Sharks teammates not to expect miracles when he joins them for training on Thursday night.

The retired Hawthorn star flies into Adelaide on Thursday ahead of his comeback with the struggling Southern Football League club on Saturday.

It will be Crawford’s first match since the 2008 AFL Grand Final win over Geelong.

The comeback follows the Spark the Sharks campaign launched last month by The Advertiser, Sunday Mail and Messenger to support the embattled club.

The 39-year-old will be joined in Aldinga by fellow panellists from Channel Nine’s The Footy Show including Bill Brownless and Sam Newman, who will sing the national anthem before the match.

“I retired because it was a perfect time to move on, I had a lot of offers to play (amateur or country level) but it was something I didn’t want to do,” Crawford said.

“But when we spoke about it (playing for Aldinga) I thought why not get involved with this team and try to help them out.

Their last win was almost exactly 12 months ago against the same opponent – O’Sullivan Beach-Lonsdale – and at the same venue, Aldinga Oval.

Crawford will join his new teammates at training on Thursday night.

He will run a junior clinic in Aldinga on Friday.

Crawford was renowned as one of the fittest midfielders in the competition during his career and that hasn’t stopped in retirement, running from Adelaide to Melbourne and riding his bike across the country to raise money for breast cancer.

But he expects to be a bit rusty when he chases after a footy for the first time in six years on Saturday.

“Going by some of the training I’ve been doing, I’ve definitely lost it so I suppose I’m going to have to really work to gather it back in the next few days,” he said.

Excitement in Aldinga has been building all week and Sharks coach Steve Flintham said Crawford would give his side a much-needed boost.

“It’s going to be massive - and massive for the community,” Flintham said.

“There’s Hawthorn supporters coming from the other side of town, some from interstate and it’s going to be a huge crowd.

“Shane will lift the players on the day. He will be huge with his experience, passing on his knowledge.”