Chris McDermott on the day Adelaide Crows made AFL stand up and take notice in Foster’s Cup: Part 1, the prelude

As preparations for the AFL season lift another gear this weekend with the start of the JLT Series, inaugural Adelaide Crows captain Chris McDermott reflects on his side’s lead up to its first ever competitive hitout in the old Fosters Cup competition.

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Old footy or running shorts, a pair of Asics sand shoes and an unbranded, bright yellow singlet courtesy of a sporting goods industry mate of coach Graham Cornes.

That was the uniform of choice for the early training days at the Adelaide Football Club

The future might have been bright back then but the initial days were just plain, hard work.

The frills and benefits from playing in the AFL didn't materialise for some days. Make that weeks, years even!

Footballer football coach Graham Cornes during Adelaide Crows training 1991.

Andrew Jarman in the heat during the Crows’ first preseason at Max Basheer Reserve in 1991.

The 5pm training sessions after a days work throughout the summer was never easy.

Sessions were long and unforgiving and comprised of ball work, running drills and, of course, the very-unpopular-for-many weights sessions.

It was not unusual for the clock to tick past the three-hour mark in those days and by the time Tony McGuinness and I arrived at the BBQ Inn on Jetty Road at Glenelg or Mamma Camellias for dinner it was closer to 9pm than we would have liked.

You wouldn’t have changed any part of it but it was hard yakka.

By the time we got home it was often well past 10 and time to hit the sack before doing it all again the next day.

Inaugural captain Chris McDermott in the gym — aka “the unused room” — during the Crows’ first preseason.

Skills coach Peter Carey gives centre square advice to, from left, Chris McDermott, Mark Mickan, Mark Bickley, Bruce Lindsay, Grant Fielke, Romano Negri, David Pittman, Tony McGuinness, Russell Johnston and Daryl Heath at Adelaide Crows training in February 1991. Picture: Russell Millard

Getting eight hours of shut eye was rarely part of the equation and fair to say the coach wasn’t overly sympathetic. This was an era where silence was golden and it was best to shut up and suffer in silence than to make any noise about the need for rest.

Rest was for October when the season was done.

Ballwork was done on Max Basheer Reserve out the back of the now all-but-demolished Football Park and occasionally, if we asked nicely, the squad would get a run on the hallowed turf of the main arena.

Access was minimal and when the opportunity did avail cones were placed around no-go zones like the centre square and the goal front.

No wonder we looked lost at times in those days.

Sean Tasker running at West Lakes during Adelaide Crows training in 1991.

Running around West Lakes was also a regular occurrence as was jumping off Henley Jetty to swim back to shore as best you could in the regular triathlon.

Lameroo’s favourite son Rodney Maynard was not a fan. Give him the footy or put his runners on and it was a different story but Rocket couldn’t swim.

Then there was the weights room. Or as we liked to call it, the unused room complete with one piece of gym equipment in it.

Improvements came eventually but not after some grizzling from the coach. And the odd player!

From humble beginnings great things came. Humble, but in hindsight, it was all bloody great fun.

TOMORROW: New kids Crows tame the Cats

Inaugural Adelaide Crow David Pittman running up stairs at Football Park in 1991.

Scott Hodges takes a mark during preseason training at Max Basheer Reserve in 1991.