Jordan Dawson Q&A: Adelaide’s skipper opens up on life as skipper of the Crows

Jordan Dawson isn’t shying away from Adelaide’s struggles on the road. The Crows face their biggest test against Collingwood at the MCG – and the skipper says they’re ready.

Adelaide's Jordan Dawson gets away from Carlton's Patrick Cripps during the AFL Gather Round match between the Adelaide Crows and Carlton Blues at the Adelaide Oval on April 13, 2023. Photo by Phil Hillyard

Jordan Dawson is four months into his time as Adelaide’s captain and has played a significant role in helping the Crows become a top-eight contender this season.

With the club coming off its bye, preparing for the back half of the campaign, Dawson had a lengthy chat with Matt Turner about everything from being skipper to planning a wedding, tattoos, his dogs and Adelaide’s away struggles.

Matt Turner: Hey Jordan. Thanks for doing this. Let’s start with the bye – what did you get up to?

Jordan Dawson: I went to Torquay with my fiancee, Millie, and our two dogs – one’s a puppy. It was something a bit different and we’ve been wanting to go there for a while. It’s pretty similar to our hometown of Robe, so we wanted to check it out and spent four days down there, which was really nice. Sloaney’s brother lives there so he gave us a few places to visit and cafes to eat at.

Jordan Dawson with his dog Maggie and partner Millie Dutton. Picture: Instagram

MT:Tell us more about the puppy. How old is it? What breed?

JD:She’s nearly 10 weeks. My sister lives on a farm with her husband in Lucindale (SA) and they had a border collie/kelpie litter. We always wanted to get another dog so ours could have a friend, so thought it’d be a good time.

MT: What are your dogs’ names?

JD: The puppy is Hazel and the other one is Maggie, who’s a two-year-old border collie.

MT: How’d you go on a road trip with a puppy and another dog in the car?

JD: It was actually very good. Maggie’s spent time in the car from when she was real young, so she’s fine. We had to stop every hour and a half to let them run around but they were really good, surprisingly.

MT: Let’s get into some footy questions. How is your body feeling coming out of the bye?

JD: It feels really good. Throughout the year you get a bit sore and tired but it’s holding up pretty well. The bye came at a pretty timely time. You start to get sore after you string 10-plus games together.

MT: Are you someone who watches footy when you are not playing?

JD: Here and there. I like to watch a little bit, especially if we’re playing one of the opponents in a few weeks, I’ll try and tune in, pick up on little things. I probably watch one or two games a weekend.

Dawson feels like the Crows are on the right path to becoming a contender. Picture: Getty Images

MT: How do you feel the team is tracking?

JD: Really well. From pre-season, you could see guys coming through who were playing good footy and training really well, and could see guys who were going to go to another level. Obviously there’s been a few frustrating games that you wish you could change. But it’s good we’ve bounced back from a couple of those and had some really good wins as well. Touch wood, but we’ve been pretty lucky with injuries, a lot of guys are fit and healthy, so we’ve got to make the most of that.

MT: So you were not surprised to have seven wins right now?

JD: I was hoping we would be around that. I could see the growth from last year. I was pretty optimistic with how we’re travelling so we’re sitting about where I thought we would.

MT: Does it feel much different heading into the bye at 7-6 compared to say last year when you had just four wins after 13 rounds?

JD: Definitely. This time last year it wasn’t as positive because you’re not winning as much. It’s nice to be in that frame where there’s a lot of teams vying for the top eight. We can’t get ahead of ourselves. We’ve got to reset, know what got us to this position and try to improve.

MT: What’s been the biggest factor behind those extra three wins?

JD: It’s a weight of numbers thing in the AFL. You think about Chayce Jones, Lachie Sholl and Mitch Hinge – guys like them that were in and out of the team last year, but have been among our better players so far and are playing really important roles for us. For the older guys like myself and Lairdy, we know what we can do and just play our roles each week. So when those guys who were potentially on the fringe come in and play important roles, it helps the team and helps us win.

MT: You’re only 26. You already consider yourself one of the old guys?

JD: It’s not ideal but I think I’m in the top 10 (oldest) out of 45 at the club. There’s a lot of younger guys underneath me, which is exciting. I think we were maybe the second or third-youngest team in the round last week. We’re building and rebuilding, but we also feel like we’re in the hunt to be one of the better teams in the comp.

The Crows have a young group, but have taken some big scalps. Picture: Getty Images

MT: How will the group handle the extra pressure that comes with being a finals contender in the back half of the season – something the club has not had under Matthew Nicks?

JD: We’ve been really consistent with the way we’ve reviewed games and gone into games with our game plan and opposition analysis. It’s been a credit to the coaches and that’s been a growth in their area. We just have to go week by week, be consistent in our approach and not listen to any external noise.

MT: The Tex 250th was incredible to watch. How do you reflect on it?

JD: It was pretty special – there wouldn’t be too many better milestone games. He’s a legend of the club and been through a lot on and off the field. To go into the bye off the back of that, it was a perfect day.

MT: We know West Coast is struggling and has a heap of injuries, but can a win like that give you a big boost heading into the back half of the season?

JD: For sure. West Coast obviously have their injury issues, but for us to come out and play that way against an AFL team gives us a lot of confidence in what we’re doing.

MT: What have Tex and Sloaney done for you as former skipper in your first season in the role?

JD: They’ve been massive. Their presence and knowledge in being captains of the club has been really important for me to bounce ideas off or listen to them. They also sit back when they need to and let me do my thing. They know when to come over to have a chat and discuss something they feel might need to be addressed, but also want me to create my own path.

Rory Sloane handing over the captaincy to Dawson before the 2023 season. Picture: Emma Brasier

MT: What’s it been like being the Crows’ captain?

JD: It’s been a range of things. Initially, it was pretty stressful. Like when I came over (back to SA from Sydney at the end of 2021), you don’t really know what to expect and there’s a bit of expectation but I’ve tried to stay unique, be myself and have my own identity on what a good captain is. I also want to learn and grow as well. I’m still figuring it out, but it’s been extremely enjoyable.

MT: Who got you through that initial stress?

JD: Millie. When I thought it (the captaincy) might happen, I was probably a bit stressful to be around and a bit anxious about it all, but she was massive for me to give me confidence in what I can do as a player and as a person. Around the club, Nicksy, Sloaney, Tex and Dan Jackson, in his leadership role, were very important for me, as well as all the other leaders. They gave me confidence and allowed me to be me.

MT: How have you handled the extra attention that comes with being the face of the club?

JD: It’s been new but that attention started when I came back to Adelaide. That was when it was most noticeable, especially coming from Sydney, where the AFL isn’t as big as the NRL and you can walk around and no one knows who you are, which is great in its own right. Since early last year I’ve noticed people are stopping you and I’m obviously a pretty private guy, but I also love fans and giving people the time of day, so it’s not really an issue. It’s quite a good thing that people want to say hello and get a photo.

Despite being a private person, Dawson doesn’t mind the extra fanfare. Picture Kelly Barnes

MT: What is it like seeing yourself on billboards?

JD: I haven’t seen too many. I saw a bus stop and it seems a bit weird but I don’t take too much notice. In some of the photos I don’t look that good so don’t want to look at them for too long.

MT: What’s the best bit of advice you’ve been given since becoming captain?

JD: Definitely to be myself. Sloaney and Tex said that from the start: “Don’t change who you are and what your beliefs are as a person because there was a reason why you were picked by the team and the coaches”.

MT: How do you go with the pre-game speeches?

JD: I’ve quite enjoyed it. I kind of just go off what Nicksy says before the game then add my own twist to it. I do still throw to a few guys here or there to give me a bit of a chop out. I always do the pre-game one then halftime Smithy (Brodie Smith), Tex or Sloaney might want to add something so I’ll look to them.

MT: You’ve had such a great season in the midfield. Why didn’t you play there last year?

JD: It was more of a team thing. This year down back we’ve got Josh Worrell, Hingey, Wayne Milera playing really good footy and my role was a bit of a mix of those guys. To see them come through gave me the ability to play up field. Then as well we have some similar guys in the middle with (Harry) Schoenberg, (Sam) Berry and Lairdy. They wanted me to be a more defensive mid – that’s where we felt we needed to sharpen up after the first two games. So it was a bit of a perfect storm.

Dawson has been in All-Australian form in the midfield for the Crows. Picture: Getty Images

MT: Would you prefer to be playing where you are now?

JD: I haven’t played mid since I was in the NEAFL in Sydney. I always felt I could play there, but after spending a few years down back you kind of forget the craft of being a midfielder. I was confident I could play an important role in there but wasn’t too sure how I’d actually go.

MT: Given you chose between Port and the Crows, how closely do you follow what the Power’s doing?

JD: I wouldn’t say I follow them as much as any other club. They’re playing some really good footy and I watched a bit of the game last night, but not too much.

MT: Do you ever stop and think about what might have happened if you’d joined Port instead?

JD: Not at all. I haven’t looked back on the decision to come to Adelaide or the decision to pick the Crows. In another world, whether I went there or not, I wouldn’t look back either way. I’ve loved my time at the Crows so far.

MT: You’ve had statement wins at home this year. Why are you struggling on the road?

JD: We’re working on our ability to bring our own energy to away games because we’re a young group and we feed off the crowd at home, and opposition teams feed off their fans. We know the reality is we need to win away from home and this week there’s probably no bigger challenge than Collingwood at the MCG. We’re definitely setting our sights on going there to win.

MT: Can you elaborate on the feeding off the energy part.

JD: You have to increase your own ability to build energy as a group. To be fair, there’s a lot of guys who haven’t played many away games and a lot of guys who probably haven’t played at the MCG, so it’s about going to a foreign, hostile environment and lifting your energy compared to what you’re like at home, when you know the crowd’s going to be there. It’s a bit of a learning curve for guys but we have to help each other through that as well.

Adelaide are a force in front of their home fans, but their away form needs some work. Picture: Getty Images

MT: Is inexperience the main reason you are 1-4 on the road this year?

JD: I think so – that’s a part of it. I’m not really sure the reasons why. I feel like we’ve also played some good footy away from home. Sometimes teams are going to be too good on the day and we’ve had a bit of that in away games as well.

MT: Speaking of hitting the road, have you had the chance to go back home to Robe recently?

JD: I haven’t been back since the start of the year. We only get one day off during the week and it’s a bit of a long drive to do it in a day. But I do go back there a fair bit during the off-season and it’s always nice to go down for a few days.

MT: Who do you consider your closest mates at the club?

JD: I’d say Lachie Murphy, Ben Keays, Mitch Hinge, Reilly O’Brien – those guys that are around my age, definitely – and Neddy McHenry as well.

MT: I’ve noticed you’ve got a couple of tattoos on your ankle. What are the meanings behind those?

JD: I’ve got a guitar inside my leg, which has got my uncle’s name (Roger Rowell) through it. He passed away about six years ago from prostate cancer. Playing guitar was just a hobby for him, he just loved it and loved playing when people were around. He wasn’t a superstar or anything but he loved playing for me and my brother so thought it’d be fitting to get that for him. He’d just strum, but his favourite song was Hotel California so he did try to play that and whatever else would come to him. Then on the outside of my leg, I’ve got my family’s birthdays in Roman numerals. I’ve had that for about five years. I was with a mate, he was getting a tattoo and I thought it’d be nice to get. The birthdays are of my parents, Marian and Tony, my brother, Jaryd, and my sister, Chloe.

The Dawson family would love for Jordan to hold that cup again come the end of September. Picture: Getty Images

MT: You’re keeping busy off the field too by the sounds, studying and planning a wedding. Firstly, what are you doing at uni?

JD: I’m doing health PE teaching online at CSU (Charles Sturt University), slowly grinding through that. I’m about 40 per cent through. I love doing clinics and working with kids and teaching, especially from a football sense. I loved health and PE when I was at school, so it was something I wanted to do. Millie’s just finished her teaching degree as well so we’ve got that common ground – we love teaching kids.

MT: What about the wedding?

JD: We’re getting married in January next year in the Barossa, which is really exciting. We’re pretty well sorted other than a few little things that’ll be done a bit closer to the date.

MT: Who is doing the bulk of the organising, you or Millie?

JD: She knows what she likes, I know what I like and we collaborate ideas. She’s really organised as well so I’d take credit but she’s probably done most of it and I’ve put my two cents in.

Originally published as Jordan Dawson Q&A: Adelaide’s skipper opens up on life as skipper of the Crows