Former Crows champion Eddie Betts said the controversial Gold Coast camp was a reason he departed the club
Eddie Betts was the biggest name to depart the Adelaide Crows at the conclusion in 2019. Now, he’s said the controversial Gold Coast camp played a small part in his return to Victoria.
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Former Adelaide Crows superstar Eddie Betts has said the controversial 2018 Gold Coast camp was one of the reasons he left the club at the conclusion of last season.
The small forward requested a trade back to his original club, Carlton, after 132 games and 310 with the Crows between 2014 and 2019.
He got his wish last season, and speaking on SEN Melbourne this morning, said while it was a reason, his family always intended on returning to Victoria.
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“There’s a lot of things that went on and a lot of unhappy players,” he said.
“It was a part of it, not a full part of it.
“Eventually my family and I were going to move back to Melbourne anyway.
“When the opportunity come up to come back and play for Carlton I took it.
“I believe it was the right time in my career and where I am to move back.”
“A lot of people weren’t happy with it and it probably did play a bit of a part in what’s happened (to the team) in the last couple of years,” he said in October.
“I wouldn’t say it’s scarred me personally, but it didn’t help with going forward.
Betts struggled with form during the last two seasons, kicking 29 and 37 goals respectively, and was dropped for the first and only time at the Crows last year – missing a clash with the Blues.
The former Crows star will return to Adelaide Oval in round 12 this year, in the Doug Nicholls Indigenous Round.
“I’ve marked that down on the calendar,” he said.
“I think they deliberately put it in the Indigenous Round, to, touch wood, return to Adelaide Oval and play the Crows.
“That was the first one I had marked down.”
Betts turned 33 in November, and said he hasn’t put an expectation on how many games he’d play this season.
“As much as I can to be honest,” he said.
“I just want my body to hold up.
“Your form will dictate to, I just want to go out there and play the team role.
“It’s how I manage the body and how I pull up after games.
“I need 16 games to play 200 for Carlton.”
Carlton appointed last season’s caretaker coach and former Crows forward mentor David Teague as its senior coach this season, and Betts was delighted to reunite with him.
“Obviously I know David, I played footy with him at Carlton, he coached me a few times in the VFL,” he said.
“He was at Adelaide, I had a great relationship with David back then, and we loved him in the forward line, he led our offence in 2017, we were the best offensive team in the AFL.
“I was happy to see him get the full-time job, he had been an assistant for many years.
“I’m really pumped for him and to play under him is amazing.
“I’m happy, my family’s happy.