Adelaide must mend fences with supporters then players and stop paying ‘unders’ to retain stars
Adelaide’s on and off-field issues means it must connect with fans and can no longer pay ‘unders’ to its required stars.
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As Adelaide mounts a charm offensive with estranged fans it’s also under pressure to abandon paying ‘unders’ for stars including club champion favourite Brad Crouch.
Adelaide is in a weakened position enduring internal leaks, football department issues and no carrot of a flag in the immediate future to secure signatures.
Charlie Cameron and Jake Lever walked away from Adelaide’s 2017 grand final unit citing disenchantment and a ‘low-ball’ offer as respective factors.
Adelaide can’t afford to lose midfield gun Crouch — off contract next year and central to its long-term quest for a third flag. A dozen clubs are armed with the will and war chests to prise Crouch, 25, given the chance.
Complicating matters for list manager Justin Reid as Adelaide bottoms out, players don’t know who the next senior coach will be, his philosophy and associated implications for their careers. Adelaide’s upheaval has opened contracted Brodie Smith, a 2014 All-Australian, to emerging power Brisbane’s radar.
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Crouch wants to remain at West Lakes after a career-best season and repay Adelaide for its faith through an injury plagued, six-year, 83-game career. However Crouch has to ink a deal that sets him up for life and will want a minimum four-year deal with a trigger for a fifth.
The Crows were set to lock down Crouch but that was put on hold following head coach Don Pyke’s resignation. Adelaide’s five-year commitment to forward-ruckman Josh Jenkins has developed into an uncomfortable arrangement for both parties but the club is short of elite midfielders.
Players who committed for under market worth in the hope of keeping the band together will now watch up to seven to eight players cleared from Adelaide’s list this off-season. Veteran ruckman Sam Jacobs on Friday informed the Crows of his intention to explore free agency with GWS. Gun defender Alex Keath will pursue financial security in Melbourne while Eddie Betts is juggling interest from Gold Coast and Carlton.
There is the cautionary tale for Crouch of a stalwart teammate who took one for the team, resisting better money interstate, to sign last year believing Adelaide remained a premiership threat.
While Adelaide must grapple with dual reviews of its football department and a change in power dynamic at the recruiting table it has moved to re-engage members.
To their credit, chairman Rob Chapman and chief executive Andrew Fagan are hitting the airwaves of local radio in marked contrast to a ‘don’t explain, don’t complain’ strategy that wore thin in the wake off prolonged off field failure and player unrest.
The plan to neutralise criticism on the airwaves is working and now Fagan will double down efforts with members through planned forums and prize giveaways.
Fagan acknowledged the frustration of club supporters, saying: “The level of passion shown by fans is always extraordinary.”
“Quite rightly, over the last few weeks there has been no shortage of opinion or feedback and whether it be deemed good or bad, we welcome what you have to say.
“Ultimately, we all desperately want our club to be the absolute best it can be on-and-off the field and deliver the type of sustained success of which we can all be proud.”
Unlike the Stadium Management Authority, Adelaide won’t antagonise long-suffering members by increasing prices next season.
In the absence of a men’s flag since 1998 or finals participation for two years, prizes will be offered in a ‘members bonanza’.