Adelaide Crows Q&A: CEO Tim Silvers on rebuild, trades, Thebarton negotiations
In an in-depth interview, Crows CEO Tim Silvers says he never lost faith in the rebuild and talks Izak Rankine, Matt Crouch, Thebarton negotiations and more.
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It’s been a big six months since Tim Silvers was appointed Adelaide CEO in March.
He sits down with Simeon Thomas-Wilson to talk about where the Crows are placed on and off the field, the response to the 2018 pre-season camp, Izak Rankine trade, the club’s new home base at Thebarton and how high fans can aim next season.
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Simeon Thomas-Wilson: So, at the end of the season it was one more win and one higher ladder spot this year, how do you judge the year for the men’s team?
Tim Silvers: Well, my view is that we have made some steady progress. We didn’t want to look at this year in wins and losses, but we have secured one extra win. I feel as a group that we’ve been more consistent, we’ve seen some general improvement in a lot of players. We’ve seen (Sam) Berry, (Jake) Soligo, (Riley) Thilthorpe and (Darcy) Fogarty just take that next step, and I’m really confident that the rebuild is on track. We’ve got some steps to go and some progress to make, but I feel like we are making some moves in the right direction.
STW: The start to the season was quite good, you beat Port, Richmond and the Bulldogs. You must have been happy at how you responded after losing the first two games?
TS: I thought that we were really well prepared during the pre-season. We were a bit disappointed to lose our first two, we lost by a point to Freo and they are a pretty strong team. So, yeah, in our first six games I thought that we really proved that we were a force to be reckoned with. We were playing a style of footy that we think is a competitive style that will stand up in finals ... we’ve just got to make more improvement around consistency throughout our entire game. We had some drops in some of our losses and just our skill execution needs to improve.
STW: In the middle part of the season you had the Gold Coast loss and then the Hawthorn loss, which was probably the low point of the season. How do you feel that the club and the group was able to regroup from that?
TS: We had a few disappointing losses and we also lost our captain Rory Sloane throughout that, the one thing that I felt was that the team, the coaching staff and the players we all felt that we were still on the same page. Yes, we had some disappointing losses and potentially the group was tired in some games, but I don’t think we lost our DNA. We had moments in those games that we were disappointed with but we kept faith in our game plan and I still feel like the way we finished our season gives us great confidence that we are on the improve.
We can see that with our SANFL team that has won a final in the last couple of days that
we are showing some signs of depth in our list.
STW: After you lost to Hawthorn there were a lot of questions about the rebuild. Was there any point where it was questioned internally, or were you steadfast that you were on the right track?
TS: I felt internally that we were really confident that we were on the right track. Like I said before, we let ourselves down with consistency in games, we let ourselves down in the first quarter against Hawthorn and that created a bad loss. And the outside noise, and I feel that it is more in Adelaide, was loud and negative, but I still feel that our players, our staff, our coaches have real confidence that we were heading in the right direction and that enabled us to fight through that and finish really strong.
STW: You must have been very happy with how the team then finished the season with some
good wins and performances?
TS: I know that West Coast finished down the bottom but for us to play a game in front of 55,000-plus screaming fans all trying to get the best result for Josh Kennedy and they had 11 premiership players out there, that was just a really inspiring win under pressure, and I think we really are getting confidence out of those wins.
And yep, we had some great leadership with Rory Laird and Jordan Dawson having some outstanding seasons, but as I said before we have seen improvement across our group and we feel that we can take the next step next year.
STW: The West Coast win came after the camp drama reignited. How did it affect the club and how did you get through that rearing its head again?
TS: There was no doubt that it was a challenge. It did happen four-and-a-half-years ago and there are not many staff or players who are left from that period. We addressed it upfront, we apologised to Eddie and Josh and we’ve got a pretty good culture within the four walls and we felt like we dealt with it internally with our staff, but we also have to get out and those people who have been negatively affected through this we are trying to reach out and help them get the appropriate support going forward.
STW: How do you stop this from continuing to affect the club, given we are still talking about it four years on?
TS: Look, it is a challenge in my role coming in new and not being here at the time, but I felt like we got on the front foot. We apologised first and foremost, we’ve approached it internally really quickly and externally we are dealing with it the best we can. We can’t control some of the outside noise, but the controllables for us are looking after our people who were here at the time and those who have left the club, we want to show support for them. The outside noise we can’t control, but we want to do the right thing by our people, and their wellbeing is first and foremost.
STW: Going to the progress of the rebuild, the question Crows fans have is when is finals going to be the goal?
TS: I don’t want to put a marker on it, but every player in the program and every coach is going to come back first day of pre-season and they are going to be aspiring to finals. That is what we exist for. We’ve been going through a progress of a rebuild and we want to be challenging for finals in 2023, and that is our focus. There is no player in the competition that doesn’t want to play finals, and that is what we want to do.
STW: The club has been very confident in Matthew Nicks given the coaches that were available this year. Was there any point where you started to question giving him the new deal at the end of last year?
TS: No, Matthew Nicks is our coach. He has built a wonderful culture around prioritising others, he had a good game plan, he has terrific assistant coaches around him. He is the man to deliver success to our club.
STW: I know he and other key members of the footy department have said you have looked at other clubs who have done rebuilds. What exactly have you looked at and how it might relate to the rebuild at the Crows?
TS: We’ve looked at a number of clubs who have also cut their list in a similar vein to us and where their ground zero was and how they grew, and it is focused on drafting in talent in those first two, three and even four years. Once you have that core group of talent you then appropriately and strategically top it up with some outside talent and that is probably the phase that we are in. We’ve been to a number of drafts, we’ve got a number of great kids. Now we need to train them up to be elite AFL talent, but we also need to find the sprinkling of other players who will help us go to that next level, like Jordan Dawson.
STW:Izak Rankine is a player who has said he wants to come to the Crows, do you feel that is a tick of approval for where you are heading?
TS: We are excited by Izak nominating our club. It is on the back of Jordan last year.
We’d like to start to build ourselves as a destination club that is going to fly up the ladder over the next period of time.
STW: Gold Coast has said it is extremely disappointed to be losing Rankine, do you feel like
negotiations over a trade are going to be difficult?
TS: I don’t want to get into the specifics, but we have a really good list management team and we really respect the Gold Coast list management team, and I’m sure a suitable deal will be negotiated over the coming weeks.
STW: When were the seeds first planted about a move to the Crows?
TS: Without getting into specifics, we will always have an eye on South Australian talent, where they are, how their footy is going, and Izak was part of that. I think he actually trained here for a period of time in his 18 year and he had an outstanding carnival, so we have probably had our eye on Izak for five years.
STW: Is Izak going to be the only player you target in the trade period and free agency?
TS: The club is always focused on getting ourselves better and finding ways to improve our list, so I’ll never say never. We are continuing to look at a variety of players that will make our program better.
STW: Do you have a war chest to spend in terms of salary cap?
TS: Our TPP is in a good position.
STW: There has been a lot of talk about Matt Crouch and his future after he was dropped three times this year. Is he a player that you feel will be at the Crows in 2023?
TS: He is a contracted player for 2023. He would be disappointed with his year, he didn’t play as much AFL as he would have liked. But I think the way he handled himself, how professional he was and how he performed for the SANFL, is a reflection on the type of person he is. He is a good footballer and I see him bouncing back in 2023.
STW: I know in recent years there has been a lot of debate around the development of players at the Crows. Do you feel that the development of players is on the right path now?
TS: I think so, I’m really confident. I know some kids take a lot of time, Darcy Fogarty is a good case in point. He has been in our program for five years, sometimes the taller players take a little bit longer, but to see his improvement in the back half of the year shows that he has bought into what we are doing and his last three months were just elite and he made great progress. I compare him to a Mitch Lewis, who was at Hawthorn for a number of years, he is in his sixth year and he is just starting to hit his straps. So I think everyone is on their own development journey and Fogarty is a case in point, and I think a number of our kids are going to make bigger steps over the next 12 months.
STW: How satisfying and exciting was it to finally arrive on a location for the Crows new home in Thebarton?
TS: It is great, I’ve been at the club for 18 months and we have been challenged in finding our new home. We obviously looked at the Brompton gasworks site for a number of months and we missed out on that development. Now we are focusing on Thebarton and what we have done over the last nine months to develop a masterplan that is football first focused, it will be a wonderful meeting place for our members and fans. We’ve identified it as the best site for our long-term requirements and a home for AFLW, so we are really excited, but there is still a bit to play out with negotiations between the SANFL and the City of West Torrens.
STW: What is the main area of negotiations? Is it the price? Is it them coming to West Lakes?
TS: They are commercial in confidence those conversations, but it is mainly around the lease
requirements.
STW: What did you take from your former role at Hawthorn and helping them move to Waverley into helping the Crows find a new home?
TS: What I looked at when I was trying to find a new home for the Crows was how do we make an elite admin and training base that is the best in the country, but also a home ground for our AFLW? So the blend of a training and admin facility that is world-class but also will cater for games was this blend that I wanted to try and find. And this is hard, normally you try and focus on the stadium, or it’s a training base, so trying to find the blend of both that also pleases our members and fans and is a wonderful meeting point has been my focus.
STW: Do you have any firm timelines at the moment?
TS: These things take time and it has taken longer than I would have hoped, however we are still firmly focused on moving in by 2025.
STW: How quickly do you need the negotiations to be done to achieve this?
TS: In the very near future.
STW: Do you feel like that negotiations have been done in good spirit? I’d imagine things could get quite heated
TS: I feel that they have been done in good faith. I think we want a good solution for football in this state. We feel that having a great home for the Crows that is a destination for players across the country is a good thing, and we also want to be respectful and do the right thing by the SANFL and the Adelaide Footy League.
STW: Why from the club’s perspective is that you don’t share Thebarton with the SANFL or the Adelaide Footy League?
TS: That is our focus, to be the sole tenant, however these negotiations are ongoing.
STW: So there is a scenario where you do have to share?
TS: Negotiations are still ongoing.
STW: What has the feedback been from members about going to Thebby?
TS: It has been overly positive, we have been really excited by the feedback. We thought because there was such a lot of positive around Brompton that it might be interesting to see how the narrative was, but we have been really happy with the feedback that we’ve got. I think people were surprised by the two ovals and a football-first focus, so it has been really positive.
STW: How realistic was Brompton as an option even with the State Government review?
TS: We were really invested in that, but when we missed out we needed to change our focus and what came to light was that the six months that we did on the Torrens Sport precinct that this was very compelling and our focus shifted and Thebarton is now our preferred site.
STW: Do you exactly know how the South Road works will impact the area? I know Kings Reserve being available was big in the club’s decision.
TS: We are working with the State Government through that. What we do have some clarity on is that we are able to build that second oval, which is a great result for the footy club.
STW: Just going back to the feedback from members and fans, have you been surprised at the
debate around a licensed facility being there or not being there?
TS: Yeah, we have a little bit, however it shows that our members are passionate about visiting our new home, so we need to make it a destination that they want to go, and we are going to get some feedback from them and make sure that we deliver a site and a facility that our members and fans can call home.
STW: So there could be a licensed facility for people to come and have a beer and a parmie after a game?
TS: We are going to look into that, we haven’t finalised out plans so we are going through details. Currently the venue does have a licence already, so it will be something that we look into. Whether that is a cafeteria, a function space, a bar and a bistro, that is something that we will work out over time.
STW: It seems to be one of the big things the Crows fans want from a new training facility? A new Shed.
TS: I don’t know if it is going to be a post-match venue, but we want it to be activated all day Monday to Friday when we have training so our members can come to our museum, our function spaces and feel like they are part of the Crows family.
STW: You are going to play AFLW matches there, so it could become a post-match thing for them?
TS: No doubt, and that is something that I should have mentioned before. That is an exciting part of it. Our women are into season seven and we have been the most successful team in the competition and we don’t have a home base. At the moment we haven’t even been able to train too much at West Lakes because we don’t have lights, so giving our women’s team and its supporters the pride of place, a home and just an elite venue that they can call ours is a high priority.
Crow in trouble for flipping bird at fan
– Simeon Thomas-Wilson
Adelaide’s Billy Frampton could face punishment for ‘giving the bird’ to a spectator during the Crows dominant SANFL qualifying final win.
The SANFL announced that Frampton is under investigation for the incident, which took place during the third quarter of the Crows’ big win over Norwood on Sunday at Adelaide Oval.
Frampton took an intercept mark and as he ran back and turned to take his kick he stuck his middle finger up at a crowd member.
The SANFL has labelled it as ‘misconduct’.
It is understood that a on-ground security guard came to talk to the spectator following the incident.
Frampton had 18 disposals and six marks in the Crows’ 55-point win over the Redlegs.
Crows SANFL coach Mick Godden said Frampton had “great interaction” with the spectators.
“He’s one of those guys to get stuck into, he’s a loveable character and been good for the footy club,” he said on SEN SA.
“He played another strong game and great interaction with the crowd.”
Frampton has impressed in his new role as a key defender this year, having previously been a forward/ruck.
He did have a run of six-games at AFL level for the Crows at the start of the season, impressing in his new role, but hasn’t played in the Adelaide senior side since Round 8.
He is out of contract at the end of this year.
Collingwood are understood to be interested in Frampton, and could be the 25-year-old’s third club after he came to the Crows from fierce rivals Port Adelaide in 2019.
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