The ‘secret’ to the Adelaide Crows national anthem stance traces back to the South Sydney Rabbitohs NRL premiership

ADELAIDE’s infamous ‘Crows stare’ is no longer a secret — it was all about ‘mind training’.

It was all about “mind coaching” rather than intimidating the opposition, explain the creators of the intriguing Crow stare the Adelaide players used during the national anthem before each AFL final last month. Picture: Michael Klein

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IT was not Adelaide captain Taylor Walker’s idea at all. The infamous “Crow stare” that headlined Adelaide’s routine during the national anthem in the AFL final series last year came from a “mind training” program that was part of South Sydney’s work in ending the Rabbitohs’ 43-year NRL premiership drought in 2014.

Adelaide held as a deeply guarded secret the genesis of its “Crow stare” that had the Adelaide players stand one by one, legs apart, arms firmly by their side and with their eyes locked on their opponents 30 metres in front of them. And the Crows were not to move until the opposition team stepped away from the national anthem line-up on centre wing.

Taylor Walker locks into the Crows stare during the preliminary final. Picture Sarah Reed

South Sydney rugby league side used the same Collective Mind program in their premiership year in 2014. Picture: Brett Costello

Originally explained as an idea Walker and his Crows leadership team developed on the eve of the finals, the concept was delivered to Adelaide coach Don Pyke by two Australians stepping up the “mindfulness” coaching growing in popularity in sport.

“Collective Mind” is the name of the program developed by Amon Woulfe and Derek Leddie.

Pyke notes there has been major advancements in physically preparing AFL players. But the next stage in high performance is with preparing the players’ minds.

“We’ve made a lot of progression in the physical side ... but the frontier that has not been tapped into considerably is the ‘mind space’,” says Pyke.

“Clearly the mind controls the body. We have been getting the players aware of the mind and the role it plays in their performance.”

Adelaide has signed a two-year deal to keep the “Collective Mind” system in its football program.

The purpose of the “Crow stare” is explained by Leddie with dismissal that is designed to intimidate the opposition.

“It has nothing to do with the (New Zealand rugby) Haka or intimidation,” Leddie said. “It’s about training athletes to generate presence. It created a higher respect for the anthem, as well as lifting the team’s performance in the first quarters throughout the finals.”

While the Crow stare might have been effective in Adelaide’s early finals wins against Greater Western Sydney and Geelong at Adelaide Oval, it did not help the Crows overcome the grand final challenge before 100,021 fans at the MCG. Richmond won by 48 points — critically setting up an end to the Tigers’ 37-year premiership drought with a commanding second quarter in which Adelaide did not score a goal.

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