Mark Ricciuto responds to Andrew McLeod’s scathing swipe at Adelaide Crows

Adelaide Crows football director Mark Ricciuto was left “frustrated” and “annoyed” after Andrew McLeod took aim at the club.

Adelaide Crows football director Mark Ricciuto was left “frustrated” and “annoyed” after Andrew McLeod took aim at the club.

Adelaide Crows football director Mark Ricciuto has revealed he broke down in tears upon hearing Andrew McLeod’s fierce criticism of the club.

McLeod, who won Norm Smith medals as best-afield in the Crows’ two premierships, said he and some of his retired teammates don’t feel welcome at the club.

“I’m one of those guys that if you asked me if I felt comfortable walking back into the football club, I would say no,” McLeod said on a podcast he co-hosts with retired basketballer Brett Maher.

“It’s one of those things, and I have had this conversation with a lot of my old teammates, that it’s not a place you feel welcomed.”

McLeod is Adelaide’s games-record holder, playing 340 matches in a decorated career highlighted by the 1997-98 premierships and winning three club champion awards.

He has also helped with the club’s indigenous and AFLW programs in retirement.

“You see lots of guys go back to their footy clubs and feel welcomed … for me, the Crows doesn’t really have that vibe,” McLeod said on the Bunji and Brettster podcast.

“It doesn’t have that vibe where you’re really welcomed here … it’s not a place you feel like it embraces you as a past player.”

Andrew McLeod during the EJ Whitten Legends match in 2016.

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On Saturday, Adelaide Crows legend Ricciuto admitted he was deeply hurt by McLeod’s comments, but was determined to be part of the solution and change the club’s public image for the better.

“I had tears coming down my cheeks two nights ago, that’s how much it hurts me, and I don’t cry too often I can tell you that,” Ricciuto said on Fox Footy.

“But I was very frustrated with what has been going on the last couple of years. Some things are in our control and some are outside.

“You think about whether it’s worth (being on the club’s board) because of the time and the state it gets you in when you get frustrated and angry, I mean it takes a bit to get tears running down my cheek.

“But two minutes later I’m thinking, ‘Am I going to give up and quit at this stage? No way. I’m a fighter, I’m going to help with everyone else to get it back to being a powerful footy club again’.

“If you were on the outside you would look back on the last two years and think, ‘What the hell is going on? Who’s running the show?’

“I’m not hiding behind the fact that we’ve had a shocking two years at the Adelaide Football Club after four really good years. The grand final was a bad day and it’s got worse since then,

“But I reckon I’ve said it ten times in the last year, ‘The tide’s got to turn, the tide’s got to turn,’ and we’ve got to do everything we can within the football club to help.

“There’s been a few things we could have done better but you own up to it, work out why it happened and make sure it doesn’t happen again, we’re at that position now … and we will be back being a powerful football club in the not too distant future.

“It’s not easy but we’ll get there.”

Mark Ricciuto in 2007.

Ricciuto conceded he was “disappointed” and “annoyed” with McLeod, admitting he raised his voice when confronting the Crows icon about his scathing comments this week.

“I was really disappointed Andy did what he did and the way he did it, because he’s been working at the club the last seven years and had the ability to talk to me or Rod Jameson or the club to try to influence that lack of culture that he says is there,” Ricciuto said.

“He chose to do it publicly which I don’t agree with and I told him that … I’m happy to say I raised my voice a little bit but not aggressive in any way, I was just really annoyed because he should have the confidence to ring me or ring Jamo (Rod Jameson) and he came out and said it wasn’t anything to do with the players, it was the admin building.

“So it was more frustrating for me, it’s a tough time in footy land because everyone is trying to survive and get members to pledge money just in order to survive.

“At Adelaide if we do everything right this year we’re going to lose $10 million, and we’ve got people stood down throughout the footy department and in any footy club it’s bloody hard times and I thought we don’t need supporters going, ‘Gee, what’s going on if their greatest player is not happy?’

“But if he thinks there’s an issue there then I will absolutely face up to it, have a look at it, investigate it and try to make the footy club better.

“He’s a great person, he’s a great mate of mine, he’s done so much for the footy club on the field and I said to him, ‘Mate, let’s get you involved and you can help shape the culture that you want at the Adelaide Football Club’.”

Andrew McLeod and Mark Ricciuto at the Adelaide Football Club Hall of Fame announcement.

Despite the initial backlash, McLeod said he isn’t going to back down from his comments and would welcome the chance to have a discussion with 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 board room, like an old office you find around,” McLeod said.

“These rooms should tell you a story of an 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.”

“It has to be top down, let’s see those in charge or in front office walk the walk and lead this change like it once used to be, no more spin, I’m 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.”