Camporeale to give Adelaide’s engine room a rev
PREMIERSHIP player and Carlton best and fairest Scott Camporeale is in charge of what he believes is a premiership weapon: Adelaide’s midfield.
Crows
Don't miss out on the headlines from Crows. Followed categories will be added to My News.
PREMIERSHIP player and Carlton best and fairest Scott Camporeale is in charge of what he believes is a premiership weapon: Adelaide’s midfield.
He will now also have the ideas of senior coach Phil Walsh — previously a regular opposition midfield coach — as a back-pocket bonus when he seeks to sharpen up his line over summer.
But the bottom line is this: Adelaide’s main calling card is a midfield that can deliver both a finals spot and a genuine tilt at the flag because of players such as Patrick Dangerfield, Rory Sloane, ruckman Sam Jacobs and Scott Thompson.
The area is a revolving door on match days but one with star power.
Camporeale is one of the constants at a club that has a new coaching panel after sacking Brenton Sanderson and the way he looks at it, perfecting the midfield will perfect Adelaide.
Camporeale spoke after the Crows’ first training session ahead of the 2015 season yesterday and could not wait for the season ahead.
``I love the midfield (coaching) role,’’ Camporeale said. ``It’s something that I’ve done for eight years now (with Essendon and Adelaide) and I love the group I’m working with.
``I’m very lucky with the guys that I get to work with day in, day out.
``And I guess there’s a bit of unfinished business as well that we’d like to get to.’’
``Phil coming in will have a major impact as the way we’re going forward and I guess part of my role is to bring to his attention what did work and what didn’t work (in the midfield).
``Then hopefully we can work as a team on sorting those issues out.’’
Walsh is a welcome help, and Camporeale knows him well. Not personally, but as an opposition coach trying to outmanouver his line of players in the coach’s box.
``We’ve had our midfield battles over the years — and I’ve heard a lot of how he goes about things from other players,’’ Camporeale said.
``His standards, elite standards and team-first mentality, I think that’s something that’s going to be really well accepted at this club.’’
When the topic of Brenton Sanderson’s axing came up, Camporeale was pragmatic. Fellow 2014 assistant coach Mark Bickley, who has now taken up a role in radio, said he had been blindsided by the club’s move.
To Camporeale, who debuted for Carlton in 1995, it was neither a first nor a last.
``Footy clubs need change every now and then, just to freshen things up, and we’ve got some new people here with some great credentials and hopefully that will reflect on our game day (performance),’’ he said. ``That’s the industry.
``I’ve been involved for 20 years at AFL level and everybody’s on contracts — that’s part and parcel.
``But I guess at the end of the day if you do a good job and the players have the respect for you and so do the other coaches, you’re normally pretty safe.’’
Originally published as Camporeale to give Adelaide’s engine room a rev
Several Crows still in limbo after latest re-signings
A pair of promising defenders have signed on at Adelaide, but a number of Crows remain in limbo as the club prepares for a bumper trade period.
No, thanks: Crow turns back on Collingwood trade
Collingwood came hard at Mark Keane in an attempt to get the key defender back at the club. But the Irishman isn’t going anywhere, recommitting long term at the Crows.