Crows legend Andrew McLeod hasn’t held back when assessing the “vibe” of the club’s West Lakes headquarters
It was the bombshell no one saw coming: Crows legend Andrew McLeod saying he didn’t feel embraced by his former club. Now, he’s broken his silence to stand by his comments.
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Crows 340-game legend Andrew McLeod has stood by his bombshell comments that he doesn’t feel embraced by the Adelaide Football Club as a past player, calling on the club to create a new culture where everyone is made to feel like they belong.
Yesterday afternoon, the three-time Crows club champion broke his silence by reading a prepared statement on his Bunji and Brettster podcast which he records alongside former NBL star Brett Maher.
McLeod called on those at the very top of the Crows administration to change the feel of the club.
“When you walk into the Adelaide Football Club, it’s not a particularly warm place, they’ve taken most of the old photos down, the boardroom is like an old office you’d find around,” he said.
“These rooms should tell you a story of and about the history of the people who came before us to lay incredible foundations, but no, everything has now been catalogued and if you want to see them, you have to go online to view them.
“I know I’m not alone, because in the past 24 hours, I’ve had a lot of these conversations or messages from a number of my former teammates, past officials and many of our great supporters.
“That confirms to me that something is wrong.”
McLeod said bringing about change would only begin once the Crows acknowledged that it was needed, had tough conversations, and then actioned it.
“It has to be top down, let’s see those in charge of front office walk the walk and lead this change like it once used to be. No more spin, or trying to change the narrative like what has been happening in the past 24 hours by those jumping on their soap boxes and trying to angle it back on me as my issue,” he said.
McLeod, who won two Norm Smith Medals in the Crows only two AFL premiership wins, said he had spoken with past players including former captain Mark Ricciuto and teammate Rod Jameson about the issue.
“It’s unfortunate that’s how I feel, but happy to have a conversation like I did with Mark Ricciuto on Tuesday, telling him that our club needs tangible authenticity by creating a culture that makes you feel welcome, like you belong and are valued, no matter who you may be,” he said.
But the 43-year-old was adamant that his love for the Crows ran deep.
“Please don’t be misconstrued, I love my club, I’m as passionate as anyone about it and I want to see it achieve great success, like the tens of thousands of people who call the Adelaide Crows their team, I want them to have a better experience with our football club,” he said.
“Right now, we need to support our players more than ever, I have since spoken with (current coach) Matty Nicks, (former captain) Taylor Walker and reiterated my support to them and we had great conversations about a lot of things.
“Nicksy knows where I’m coming from, this forms part of what he’s trying to change.
“With my hand on my heart, I just believe our club can be better and we should strive to be.”
McLeod has also been assistant coach of the Crows AFLW side since the 2018 season and coaches the team alongside two other past players: Matthew Clarke (head coach) and Peter Cavan (along with former Glenelg reserves coach Narelle Smith).
Clarke praised McLeod’s coaching ability and his worth to the team.
“You probably couldn’t find someone who’s more engaged or valued from the players’
perspective and I’ve certainly enjoyed working alongside him,” Clarke said.
But Clarke said he was happy with the way the Crows embraced former players.
“As a past player – of three clubs – that relationship is different,” he said.
“You’re no longer a part of that direct inner sanctum and so it does feel different to when you were a player and even as a coach, once again it’s a slightly different relationship that you have with the club.
“I don’t think it’s unexpected that different individuals will feel differently about that.”
Clarke, who played at three clubs – Brisbane, Adelaide and St Kilda in his 258-game career – said each of those clubs valued their past players and made a lot of effort to maintain a relationship.
Originally published as Crows legend Andrew McLeod hasn’t held back when assessing the “vibe” of the club’s West Lakes headquarters