Take a glimpse into the weird and wonderful moments of Adelaide’s coaches
FROM fire walking to jetty jumping. In the wake of Don Pyke’s Red Centre staredown, we look at some of the left-field ways Adelaide coaches have tried to lift the Crows.
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- Bone’s beef: While training footballers brains can be trial by fire
- The Blight files: The sprays and pump ups
DON Pyke’s ice stare snap froze his men in the Red Centre last Sunday but it pales in comparison to the weird and wonderful tactics Adelaide coaches have employed.
Pyke was incensed by the Crows’ lack of pressure in a 91-point thrashing at Alice Springs against the Demons the worst of his tenure. Pyke served up the silent treatment to his side at three-quarter time in an unsuccessful pursuit of a meaningful response.
NOT SO SMART
NIGEL Smart’s hot coals episode under inaugural coach Graham Cornes during the Crows January, 1992 pre-season camp at Rapid Bay was the forerunner to wacky events under successors including Robert Shaw, Malcolm Blight, Phil Walsh and Pyke.
Cornes was seeking a mental riposte after an exacting 1991 AFL initiation but Smart finished with first degree burns to his feet having walked half the length of a cricket pitch over hot coals.
Smart had wanted to set an example following a three-hour address from a motivational speaker. The remnants of a huge bonfire built by quarry workers had been used to make a coal pit that was supposed to extend two metres for a mind over matter walk.
Smart played a trial game five days after the 1992 pre-season camp, was the first Crow to 250 games, won two flags and three All-Australian jumpers but will always be remembered for his infamous fire-walk on Cornes’ watch.
SHAWT MEMORY
ROBERT Shaw endured a tormented two years in charge of Adelaide from 1995-96. Victorian Shaw lost the confidence of players halfway through his first season. Inconsistent behaviour as coach bordering on kooky at times punctuated two winters of discontent while missing finals.
Inaugural Crows skipper Chris McDermott recalls players being puzzled by Shaw’s trashing of pre-game plans and structures inside a quarter. A state of confusion led to fractured relationships with the playing group and Shaw.
“The thing that stood out for us, he would have these massive plans, ‘this is how we are going to beat’ whoever. We would train with all of his theories on a how to beat a side and at quarter time he would throw them all out,” said McDermott.
“It happened every time we lost. It was such Jekyll and Hyde. One hat was a disciplinarian, had this game plan and full confidence in it and then you would be down by two goals and it wouldn’t go as he had dreamt, planned it, thought it.
“My first recollection was a trial game in Western Australia and he went ballistic at quarter time in the senior trial. He was erratic.
“There would be other occasions where he would go to Andrew Jarman’s house uninvited, go in to his back room, put the telly on and watch a replay of the game on his own. He was trying to engage some blokes but this again was a bit unpredictable.”
PATHETIC PUMP UP
MALCOLM Blight stamped his authority two games into an incredible three-year reign at West Lakes and David Pittman was the first, sacrificial lamb
Pittman was the subject of an half-time extraordinary rant from Blight who described his sole ruckman as “pathetic Pittman” as the Crows lost to Richmond by 28 points at the MCG.
Pittman had hurt a calf and was unable to spring at ruck contests but Adelaide had no replacement with Shaun Rehn, Matt Robran, Aaron Keating and Brett Chalmers sidelined.
“That was a pathetic quarter by Pittman. A disgraceful display by a big fella. We’ll have to live with that but he’d want to improve on it,” Blight told Channel 7’s then boundary rider Neil Kerley.
Blight repeated his pathetic reference to Pittman in the post-match press conference but later explained, “I said the same thing but didn’t specify that I was just talking about the first quarter.”
Pittman and Blight sorted out their issues back in Adelaide once the coach learned his ruckman’s five hit-outs were explained by injury.
Blight would prove a Messiah, getting the best out of Pittman as the ultimate utility used at centre half-back, in ruck or attack in Adelaide’s dual 1997-98 flags.
CLIMBING THE LADDER
AS Adelaide’s pursuit of a three-peat crumbled, Malcolm Blight tried one last mind game to spark his men into action.
Adelaide had lost to Fremantle by 39 points in round 11, 1999 and Blight wasn’t going to let his unit off the hook.
The players returned to West Lakes for their weekly review to find Blight on a ladder in the middle of the Crows’ change-rooms.
Blight instructed players to line up against their lockers for a man-by-man appraisal which covered form, behaviour and life in general.
Skipper Mark Bickley, now a columnist with the Advertiser, copped the first spray. The dual premiership skipper was told to shelve delusions of grandeur and stick within his ‘limits’.
Forward Troy Bond had missed the Perth trip due to injury but missed a rehabilitation session and was told to clean out his locker by a furious Blight. Bond returned to SANFL side Port Magpies until allowed back to West Lakes three days later.
Blight also zeroed in on David Pittman criticising the ruckman for being consumed by “drama” in his life. Nigel Smart copped a spray for being the “spaceman” of Adelaide’s defence and giving opponents too much latitude.
Adelaide would beat Collingwood in round 12 by five points but the effect was more sugar hit than season changing.
Adelaide finished 13th as the magical premiership ride under Blight concluded.
JETTY JUMPING
REVERED Adelaide mentor Phil Walsh had arrived at West Lakes demanding a ‘team first’ mentality and wasn’t satisfied with a 3-0 win-loss start in charge during 2015.
Adelaide was undefeated but ranked last for ground-ball gets which Walsh rated his No. 1 performance indicator. Walsh said he would force his side to jump off a suburban jetty if the Crows lost ground-ball gets in round four against Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium.
Adelaide was trumped in ground-ball gets for the third successive week and by 57 points against Luke Beveridge’s Dogs. Walsh followed through on his jetty edict.
Adelaide’s squad was plunged to a 5am dip at Brighton beach on the Monday after the loss.
Adelaide would lose the ensuing Showdown against Port Adelaide but Walsh maintained his actions were all about setting a standard.
“You might call it punishment but I actually felt it was about getting the group together before you get to the footy club,’’ Walsh explained.
“I actually wanted to get them somewhere, look them in the eye and have a conversation with them, so that when we got to the club most of that had been done.”
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