Jason Dunstall reveals culture of self-survival that fractured Adelaide Crows and why there is hope on the horizon
Adelaide external review chief Jason Dunstall believes the Crows are a strong club and there is hope on the horizon, despite finding relationships between players and coaches weren’t ideal amid a culture of “self-survival”.
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Adelaide external review chair Jason Dunstall believes the club is positioned for a dramatic 2020 revival after tackling football department and leadership issues that caused a post-2017 grand final downfall and created “a culture of self-survival”.
Adelaide axed head of football Brett Burton and assistant coach Scott Camporeale following a six-week, 50-page external review compiled by AFL Hall of Famer Jason Dunstall, Fremantle great Matthew Pavlich, high performance expert Tim Gabbert and psychologist Jonah Oliver.
Dunstall said 2017 minor premier Adelaide’s didn’t need to “reinvent the wheel” after missing consecutive finals series but conceded a breakdown in relationships between some players and coaches “weren’t what they needed to be” and had thwarted progress.
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“When pressure builds on-field, everyone feels it. It was really challenging for the leaders, players and coaching group over the last two seasons and relationships weren’t what they needed to be,” Dunstall told The Advertiser.
“Every club faces this challenge, keep tweaking things or fall behind. The Crows tried to keep tweaking things at the end of 2017 and it set them back a bit, the last two seasons on-field weren’t great but there is a playing group that is raring to go.
“We are talking about a particularly strong club. Rob Chapman is incredibly impressive a leader. It is an extremely strong business, the only problem was things didn’t go as planned on field.
“There is no reason the club can’t turn things around very quickly, compete for finals next year. It is a healthy list, a core group of players who are very impressive.”
Club chairman Rob Chapman is now under pressure to extend his tenure beyond next year after a glowing endorsement from the review panel. However, Dunstall maintains a series of recommendations including a new head of leadership and significant football department change were made without fear or favour.
Fans — without a flag since 1998 — “could have faith in the process”, Dunstall said.
Dunstall’s panel found that:
A NEW leadership structure will transform that club and player culture.
RELATIONSHIPS between some and players and coaches weren’t where they needed to be which promoted a culture of self-survival.
THERE were tweaks to Adelaide’s approach post 2017 that failed but the club is finals-capable in 2020.
ADELAIDE chairman Rob Chapman is benchmarked as an elite industry leader while chief executive Andrew Fagan ran an “extremely strong business”.
PLAYERS, staff and coaches were totally trusting of review panel where no topic was off limit.
A new head of leadership position will be created to equip players with the tools to deal with performance pressure in a football-crazed town and adversity in a way the Collective Minds experiment did not.
Outgoing Crows midfielder Cam Ellis-Yolmen identified cultural issues and divides which the review found could be addressed by better internal leadership.
Burton paid the price for the failed Gold Coast camp which alienated some players. Carlton-bound Eddie Betts also expressed unhappiness at West Lakes.
“I think if there is greater depth of leadership in the playing group there is the opportunity to support each other a lot more so when these issues arise you don’t feel isolated and the pressure,” said Dunstall.
“When you are under pressure, when you starting to worry about yourself.”
Camporeale was seen as too close to former head coach Don Pyke and leaves to give a new head coach a free rein.
“They nearly got there in 2017, tried to tweak a few things, unfortunately it didn’t produce the results they were after. Make no mistake, every club goes through it,” Dunstall said.
Dunstall said this year’s co-skippers Rory Sloane and Taylor Walker did not wear responsibility for leadership concerns at West Lakes.
Richmond bred a culture that had 22 leaders on grand final day against GWS and Adelaide must emulate that culture.
“They all want to turn this around quickly and identified there is greater education required in terms of leadership,” said Dunstall.
“It is very difficult when the weight of the world is coming down on you to maintain strong leadership when you are worried about how you are going personally and all the relationships that are flowing or not flowing in the football department.
“We are not talking about one or two people, it is about a leadership program that includes the entire playing group.
“There is a good crop of leaders that will emerge from 2020 and beyond.”
Dunstall maintained that he nor Pavlich were compromised by association with fellow Fox Footy commentator Mark Ricciuto or links with Hawthorn and Fremantle.
Dunstall was the Hawthorn football mastermind who appointed an untried Alastair Clarkson as head coach.
“I found it a really interesting exercise and I know Pav relished the challenge as well,” Dunstall said.
“It is different when you go to a club you don’t know and we are able to do that because we don’t have associations with clubs we have had over the journey.”