Rucci’s Rip: Daniel Talia‘s right, talent alone won’t win a premiership for the Crows

DANIEL Talia wants more leadership responsibilities at the Adelaide Football Club and he’s proven he does not need to be in the Crows leadership group to give direction at West Lakes. VOTE NOW

Crows awards night - Daniel Talia and Rob Nunan, Toyota General manager - central region - picture Festival City Photography.

DANIEL Talia wants more leadership responsibilities at the Adelaide Football Club. And on the basis of how he accepted his first Malcolm Blight Medal as club champion on Friday night, Talia has proven he does not need to be in the Crows leadership group to give direction at West Lakes.

On a night when — as Crows ambassador Stephen Rowe ached to hear a statement at the club champion count — it was not coach Brenton Sanderson, pending free agents Patrick Dangerfield and Taylor Walker nor leading goalkicker Eddie Betts who brought anyone to their feet feeling renewed pride in what the Adelaide Football Club stands for. Or what it wants to be.

It was Talia. He is still 22 (23 next month), but in a two-minute reflection of how his five years in Adelaide have brought just one final series, the key defender revealed just how fed up he is with mediocrity and how attitudes must change at West Lakes.

Before this, Sanderson’s understanding that AFL opponents see Adelaide as easy to beat was not being shattered by a group drawing a line in the sand to declare enough is enough. Sanderson has many statistics to underline his belief the Crows are “not far off” ... “Another home win (after being 6-6 at Adelaide Oval this season) and we would have been playing on Sunday,” he said while again repeating how many games the Crows lost within a 12-point margin. Repetitive results are not linked to luck.

Talia marks from Nick Riewoldt. Photo: Sarah Reed.

Surely, the Adelaide Football Club does mark itself against eighth spot? Isn’t the real measure of the task before the Crows demanding they grasp how far must rise to match the premiership contenders?

Talia certainly made a statement that resonates against the image of a young, ambitious player who not only wants to be an elite performer in the AFL but a premiership player.

“We keep talking about how, ‘We’re nearly there, we’re nearly there,’ but we need to start being consistent as a group. We need a bit more action rather than words ..., “ Talia said.

Adelaide certainly has reason to be proud, particularly with Talia and the other All-Australian nominated Crows — ruckman Sam Jacobs, half-back Brodie Smith and Betts. But, as Talia noted so well in an acceptance speech that more about his team vision rather than his individual success: “We’ve got so many guys with talent, but I don’t think talent is going to do it. You’ve got to really want it; be determined and give your footy career everything because it’s my fifth year now and we’ve only played finals once.”

There is the statement every Crows member and fan wanting to move beyond mediocrity was waiting to hear ... and it came at the end of the show. Before this, the 19th Man was applauded for delivering the best average home attendances in the AFL this season. As the gentleman in the middle tables of the Adelaide Covention Centre said under his breath while the applause went on for the 19th Man: “Do we get a trophy for this?”

Collingwood, the club Adelaide has replaced at the top of the crowd ladder, used to pump out its chest to declare how big its club was with attendances and memberships ... but everyone else knew the success that counts most — AFL premierships — was measured elsewhere in the competition.

Daniel Talia is not just the Adelaide Football Club champion in 2014. He also is the young man with the ambition to succeed. Malcolm Blight would be proud of him.

Originally published as Rucci’s Rip: Daniel Talia‘s right, talent alone won’t win a premiership for the Crows