Less talk, more action: Camporeale

ADELAIDE assistant coach Scott Camporeale says the Crows would be head cases if they believed the predictions of a Hawthorn landslide on Saturday.

Scott Camporeale

ADELAIDE assistant coach Scott Camporeale says the Crows would be head cases if they believed the predictions of a Hawthorn landslide on Saturday.

And Camporeale, a 1995 premiership player with Carlton, believed Sam Jacobs was robbed of an All-Australian selection, saying he was a cornerstone in the Crows having Scott Thompson and Patrick Dangerfield selected in the elite group.

Camporeale's observations come only days after Hawthorn great Leigh Matthews' assessment that the Crows-Hawks match loomed as the "most lopsided (in Hawthorn's favour) preliminary final in the game's history".

Camporeale cracked a smile when the topic was brought up.

He should know: he went through the exact same preparation when he lined up with the Blues for their one-point win in the preliminary final against Essendon in 1999. In both instances the result of the match had been treated as a foregone conclusion and in both instances the underdog - Carlton back then and Adelaide today - treated the speculation with more than a pinch of salt.

"The thing about footy is that everyone has opinions," Camporeale said. "If we listened to everyone's opinions we'd be walking around at the bottom of the ladder with a wooden spoon in our hands.

"Absolutely it fuels fire; there's no doubt about that.

"We'd be silly not to use it as a bit of motivation. But we can't get caught up in other people's opinions.

"We know what we've got to do. We're a worthy side to be playing in a prelim; we know that. We've got a great opportunity to play in a grand final."

Camporeale said the people behind the scenes at West Lakes had shared the burden in the lead-up to the MCG match against Hawthorn. The coaches had done their bit, but it had also helped that the Crows had experienced both a win and a loss during the finals campaign.

"I think everyone plays a part in it," Camporeale said. "I think the coaches, their own experiences, because we've obviously played in a lot of finals and important finals and won and lost.

"But it also comes down to the players, as well, understanding what they need to bring and what they need to do on the weekend."