Adelaide Crows must emulate Richmond’s culture change to make their way back to the top
Adelaide must take a leaf out of Richmond’s culture change report after the 2016 season to bounce back and the Crows have the right man for the job – the same author, writes Mark Bickley.
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Imagine doing a study on the culture change at the Richmond Football Club from 2016 to 2019.
In 2016 the Tigers finished in 13th position on the ladder, 15 years without a finals win.
Fast forward to 2019, two premierships in three years and a culture the envy of sporting teams across the country.
Daniel Jackson authored that report.
Having moved to the United Kingdom post-football, and studying a Masters of Performance Phycology, Jackson needed a research based dissertation and chose his old club, the Tigers as his case study.
It was an invaluable insight into one of the country’s biggest sporting turnaround stories.
I sat down with Daniel Jackson, the Crows’ leadership development manager, on Tuesday, the day after Adelaide had slumped to it’s seventh straight loss of the season.
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His demeanour was enthusiastic, undaunted by the magnitude of the job in front of him, in fact he seemed energised by the challenge it presented.
Jackson played 11 seasons for Richmond spanning from 2004 to 2014. A largely unsuccessful era for the Tigers that yielded only two finals appearances, both losses.
For Jackson it wasn’t solely about the on-field success, it was being able to help his teammates move closer to achieving their goals: A selflessness that he now is aiming to replicate at the Adelaide Football Club.
Jackson spoke admiringly of what the Tigers had created, a culture they were proud of, and one that was authentic to who they were.
He also noted that it was shaped by the senior players who had lived through the challenges of the harder times at the football club which now provided them with greater perspective.
He noted: “The way that Richmond looked out for each other, both on and off-field, can only happen having been through that shared pain previously”.
The idea of selflessness was also high on new coach Matthew Nicks’ agenda when he arrived in Adelaide, and Jackson was pleasantly surprised at how the mantra of prioritising others had already started to take hold upon his arrival at the start of March. And, while you won’t see any slogans adorning any change room walls, the desire to put others first has been inherent to everything the Crows are doing.
Coaches are taking time to share and reward people for putting others first and, more subtlety, it can be seen in the choice of clips shown to the players after games.
Jackson is clear that the club is making progress, the off-field dynamic within the group is strong.
So when will that translate to on field performance?
“We are not pretending all is good, and continue to push ourselves to be the best we can,” Jackson says.
`How are you seeking to get better?’ is the challenge that has been put to every player.
Perhaps Tom Doedee is the embodiment of what Adelaide are looking to embrace. After being cruelly sidelined in Round 1 last year with an ACL injury, Doedee not only threw himself into his rehabilitation but also committed himself to helping others at the club.
He did this by assisting with the coaching duties at state league level, fast tracking the development of Adelaide’s young defenders, including 2020 debutants Will Hamill and Andrew McPherson.
Challenging himself through this tough time and prioritising others saw Doedee emerge as a standout for the new 2020 leadership group and has now seen him elevated to stand in skipper after just 26 games.
Monday’s audition against St Kilda was passed with flying colours, his performance peerless among his Adelaide teammates.
I’m sure the Crows are hoping that Doedee is their canary in the coal mine.
Having lived through his personal challenges in 2019 and prioritising others, his empathy and perspective provides a clear example to a group that now face their own form of challenge with the teams continued poor performances.
The Crows sit with a 0-7 win-loss ratio, which clearly weighs on their shoulders, but it’s the lessons learned during this period which could very well shape the actions of the future.
Jackson is very clear about what the end game looks like.
“Living the experience, or culture that you’d like people to perceive you as, and slowly that will become a reality. We are certainly taking strides towards that and eventually the outside perception will match what we see inside the club,” he says.
Phillip Walsh was the first person I heard talk about turning Adelaide into an “authentic” football club.
That word came up numerous times in our conversation and my impression from Jackson is that it has once again become a high priority.
Originally published as Adelaide Crows must emulate Richmond’s culture change to make their way back to the top