Adelaide Football Club: Difference between revisions
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*[[Mark Bickley]], 1997-2000 |
*[[Mark Bickley]], 1997-2000 |
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*[[Mark Ricciuto]], 2001-2007 |
*[[Mark Ricciuto]], 2001-2007 |
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*[[Simon Goodwin]], 2008 |
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==Previous Adelaide playing lists== |
==Previous Adelaide playing lists== |
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Revision as of 13:41, 14 September 2007
This page is for the Australian Rules Football Club in Adelaide. For the soccer team, see Adelaide United Football Club
| File:2006 AFL Adelaide.jpg | |
| Full name | Adelaide Football Club |
|---|---|
| Sport | Australian rules football |
| Founded | 1990 |
| League | Australian Football League |
| Home ground | AAMI Stadium |
| Anthem | The Pride of South Australia |
| President | Bill Sanders |
| Head coach | Neil Craig |
| Captain | Mark Ricciuto |
| 2007 | 8th |
| Strip | |
| Red, gold and navy blue hooped guernsey, navy blue shorts, red, gold and navy blue hooped socks. See Mero's Footy Jumpers | |
Adelaide Football Club, nicknamed The Crows, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League, based in Adelaide, South Australia.
The club is currently captained by Mark Ricciuto and the current coach is Neil Craig. The club is based at AAMI Stadium (formerly Football Park) in West Lakes and the club song is "The Pride of South Australia", which uses the tune of the United States Marines' Hymn. The Crows, along with Showdown rival Port Adelaide, remain as one of only two clubs never to have lost an AFL Grand Final.
Club history
The South Australian National Football League, who ran the local competition, had been seeking to enter a team in what was then the Victorian Football League since 1981. Protracted negotiations were brought to a head in 1990 after SANFL team, Port Adelaide, secretly reached agreement with the VFL to enter their competition. The agreement however, had little chance of success, with the VFL eventually successfully enticing the SANFL to enter a team representative of all South Australians, the Adelaide Crows which occurred in 1991.
The nickname "Crows" was inspired by the traditional "Croweaters" or nickname for South Australia's State of Origin teams. The Crows won back-to-back premierships in 1997 and 1998 under coach Malcolm Blight, making it one of the most successful club in terms of achieving premiership success so soon after joining the AFL competition.
Membership base
In 2006, the club made history becoming the first club in VFL/AFL history to have more than 50,000 members. They broke that record in 2007, signing up 50,145 members after only round one of the season, with time remaining to build on that as the season progresses. It has the largest membership of any club in the AFL. It is the second largest membership of any sporting club in Australia, after the Melbourne Cricket Club.
| Year | Members | Home & Away Finish | Finish after finals | Average home crowd |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 25,087 | 9th | - | 40,479 |
| 1992 | 38,673 | 9th | - | 38,275 |
| 1993 | 40,100 | 5th | 3rd | 46,128 |
| 1994 | 40,611 | 11th | - | 42,864 |
| 1995 | 41,654 | 11th | - | 38,552 |
| 1996 | 42,283 | 12th | - | 39,428 |
| 1997 | 41,395 | 4th | 1st | 40,116 |
| 1998 | 41,985 | 5th | 1st | 41,203 |
| 1999 | 42,120 | 13th | - | 39,386 |
| 2000 | 42,896 | 11th | - | 38,447 |
| 2001 | 42,014 | 8th | 8th | 39,627 |
| 2002 | 46,620 | 3rd | 4th | 43,068 |
| 2003 | 47,097 | 6th | 5th | 44,524 |
| 2004 | 45,642 | 12th | - | 39,879 |
| 2005 | 43,256 | 1st | 4th | 42,336 |
| 2006 | 50,138 | 2nd | 3rd | 42,329 |
| 2007 | 50,976¹ | 7th | 8th | 42,042 |
¹ (as at 23 August, 2007)
Inaugural match
Adelaide played its first official match against Hawthorn at Football Park. The Crows got off to the best possible start to their AFL life, defeating the eventual premiers by 86 points - 24.11 (155) to 9.15 (69) - in front of a crowd of 44,902.
Notable records
- Greatest winning margin: 139 points - Round 16, 1992 v Richmond (Adelaide beat the Kangaroos by 147 points in a pre-season cup match in 1993)
- Highest score: 30.8 (188) against Essendon at AAMI Stadium on 2 June 2006
- Longest winning sequence: 10 games (Rounds 13-22, 2005)
- Largest home attendance: 51,140 against Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium on 26 April 2003
- Largest attendance: 99,645 against St. Kilda at the Melbourne Cricket Ground - 1997 Grand Final
- Most Goals in a Game: Tony Modra 13 goals vs Richmond (1993), Tony Modra 13 goals vs Carlton (1994)
Premierships
| |||
| 1997 Coca-Cola AFL Grand Final | G | B | Total |
 Adelaide |
19 | 11 | 125 |
 St. Kilda |
13 | 16 | 94 |
| Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground | Crowd: 99,645 | ||
| File:1998AFLGrandFinal.png | |||
| 1998 Coca-Cola AFL Grand Final | G | B | Total |
| Adelaide |
15 | 15 | 105 |
| File:KangaroosDesign.jpg North Melbourne | 8 | 22 | 70 |
| Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground | Crowd: 94,431 | ||
| File:Wizard Home Loans Cup Logo.gif | ||||
| 2003 Wizard Cup Grand Final | SG | G | B | Total |
| Adelaide |
2 | 13 | 8 | 104 |
| File:CollingwoodDesign.jpg Collingwood | 1 | 9 | 10 | 73 |
| Venue: Telstra Dome, Melbourne | Crowd: 43,571 | |||
Premiership teams
Individual awards
Best and Fairest
Brownlow Medal winners
- Mark Ricciuto, 2003, [3-way tie]
Leigh Matthews Trophy winners
Coleman Medal winners
- Tony Modra, 1997 (81 goals)
Norm Smith Medal winners
Michael Tuck Medal winners
Mark of the Year winners
- Tony Modra (1993)
- Ben Hart (1996)
- Tony Modra (1997)
All-Australian players
- Nigel Smart (1991, 1993, 1998)
- Ben Hart (1992, 1993, 1999, 2002)
- Chris McDermott (1992)
- Tony McGuinness (1992, 1993)
- Greg Anderson (1993)
- Tony Modra (1993, 1997)
- Shaun Rehn (1994, 1998)
- Mark Ricciuto (1994, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004 [captain], 2005 [captain])
- Darren Jarman (1996)
- Andrew McLeod (1998, 2000, 2001, 2006)
- Simon Goodwin (2000, 2001, 2005, 2006)
- Ben Rutten (2005)
- Nathan Bassett (2006)
National team representatives (since 2005)
- Andrew McLeod (2005) [co-captain]
- Graham Johncock (2006)
"Team of the Decade"
While some sides named their "Team of the Century" to coincide with the AFL centenary celebrations in 1996, Adelaide only joined the league in 1991, and so later on named their "Team of the Decade", covering the period from 1991 to 2000.
Season Reviews
 |
1993 - 3rd season, first finals
After finishing 9th in both 1991 and 92, the 1993 season would be the first year the young Adelaide Crows would see September Finals action after an up and down home and away season. At home the Crows were almost unstoppable going an all-time best 9-1 and selling out every single game in which attendance was at least 44,000 each time. Tony Modra had a superb year kicking a club record 129 goals, and took the Mark of the Year in Round 8 vs North Melbourne at the southern end of Football Park. But Adelaide struggled away from West Lakes going just 3-7 and would finish the season in 5th place after beating Collingwood in a superb game at home in Round 22 to earn their first Finals berth. Adelaide knocked out 2nd placed Hawthorn six days later at the MCG in the Elimination Final by 15 points with Nigel Smart kicking a career-high 6 goals, the win giving Adelaide two chances to play in the Grand Final. The Crows struggled against Carlton in week 2 at Waverley Park in an 18 point loss denying them a Grand Final spot but still had another chance in the Preliminary Final which was played at the MCG against Essendon. The Crows led by 42 points at halftime after a superb first half performance, but in the second half their performance became dismal as Essendon, who finished minor premier, came back in the second half to win by 11 points and went on to defeat Carlton a week later in the Grand Final.
1997 - Premiership
With former Woodville and North Melbourne star Malcolm Blight taking over as coach, Adelaide went 13-9 in 1997 and Tony Modra was the club's top goalkicker for the 5th straight season and won his first and only Coleman Medal. Modra also victimised North Melbourne again with the Mark of the Year in exactly the same spot at the southern end riding with his knees on Mick Martyn's shoulders and grabbing the ball facing backwards. The Crows finished in 4th spot and did what no side had ever done before, winning 4 straight Finals games to claim their first premiership. The Crows downed West Coast at home on a Sunday (the first Final played at Football Park), Geelong at home on a Saturday Night, the Western Bulldogs and St Kilda at the MCG (both Saturdays) to claim the premiership. The Preliminary Final was one of the greatest games in Crows history, they would lose Tony Modra to a season ending knee ACL injury in a marking contest and come from 22 points down at 3 quarter time despite inaccurate kicking for a miracle 2-point victory, with Andrew McLeod and Matthew Robran starring. A week later the Saints were hot favourites to win just their second Premiership in the VFL/AFL, with that year's Brownlow Medallist Robert Harvey expecting to star. Adelaide, however, without 1997 All Australians Modra and Mark Ricciuto, and goalsneak Peter Vardy, defied the critics to win by 31 points. In the absence of star forward Tony Modra, utility Shane Ellen stepped into his position and bagged 5 goals for the match, while Darren Jarman booted 5 of his 6 goals in the last quarter to put the game beyond doubt. Andrew McLeod's heroics around the midfield and backlines earned him the Norm Smith medal. This was one of the great sporting moments in the city of Adelaide setting off a wild celebration.
1998 Premiership
Adelaide again went 13-9 in an inconsistent 1998 home and away season and went into the Finals in 5th position this included their first of 3 one-point losses to Fremantle at Subiaco Oval, and a few close defeats but this did not fase them in the finals. Adelaide was beaten badly by Melbourne in the Qualifying Final but still had a 2nd chance. From then on the Crows dominated their way to the premiership beating Sydney at the SCG, and thrashing the Western Bulldogs at the MCG by 68 points. This set up a Grand Final meeting with the Kangaroos, who, like the Saints, started the game as unbackable favorites. Adelaide trailed by 24 points at halftime, but a superb comeback in the second half combined with North's inaccurate kicking saw them run out with a 35 point victory. Andrew McLeod again was the Norm Smith medalist, joining his future coach Gary Ayres as one of only two players to have twice won the Norm Smith medal, and the only player to have won it back-to-back. This premiership would be their last Grand Final appearance in the clubs history as of 2007.
1999
The Crows quest for 3 straight premierships began in 1999, and despite a good start to the season they struggled all year with injuries, eventually finishing at 8-14 in 13th place and earning the dubious honour of having the worst Premiership hangover of any club. The worst game of the year was an embarrassing 76 point home loss to the eventual premiers the Kangaroos in Round 22, the second worst home loss in club history. It was the end of a short era; the Crows were hapless, and battered. Malcolm Blight was chaired off the ground to one of the loudest standing ovations ever heard at Football Park, despite the bad loss. Rod Jameson also played his final game that day, a popular Crows player throughout the 90s. Gary Ayres took over from Malcolm Blight in 2000 as the Crows began the rebuild back into a Premiership contender.
2000
After their worst ever year in 1999 at 8-14, the rebuilding begins in the 2000 season. It did not start well as Adelaide lost their first 5 games, they got their first win of the season in Round 6 and played against Port Adelaide in the 7th Showdown in Round 7. The Crows faced a 42 point deficit, but pulled off a miracle victory in one of the greatest Showdowns played, as Andrew McLeod's goal in the final minute put Adelaide in front. The Crows would improve to 9-10 but in the end they finished the season at 10-12 in 11th spot. Adelaide also played its first ever Saturday Afternoon home game in Round 1 in dry weather conditions against the Western Bulldogs, losing in a shootout.
2001
Adelaide had an inconsistent 2001 season, losing their first 3 games of the season but went 12-6 from Rounds 4 to 21. They struggled at home finishing a club worst 6-5 at home at the time. But their 6-5 away record assured they finished 12-10. The Crows lost to wooden spooner Fremantle in Round 22 (only Fremantle's second win for the season) and limped into the finals in 8th place and were quickly eliminated by 5th placed Carlton by 68 points in a hapless performance. Darren Jarman played in his final season and was in tears after announcing his retirement after the game.
2002
The Crows finished in the Top 4 in 2002 with a 15-7 record, giving them 3rd spot after defeating Fremantle at Subiaco in Round 22. But in the Finals the Crows were crushed by Brisbane in week 1 at the Gabba by 71 points. They had another chance the following week vs Melbourne at the MCG. In one of the more remarkable finals in history, Adelaide shot out to a 40 point lead lead at quarter time, but the Demons reeled in the Crows to such an extent that late in the third quarter, Adelaide trailed by 29 points. But the Crows rallied to pull off the a miracle 12-point win, the injured Andrew McLeod kicking a goal midway through the quarter to put Adelaide in front. The win meant they faced a superb Collingwood side at the MCG in the preliminary final. Adelaide built to a 3 goal lead against the Magpies late in the 2nd term and things were looking good. But the injuries got to Adelaide as the Magpies rewarded the deafening crowd and put away the game, particularly when Anthony Rocca marked at centre-half forward and kicked one of his trademark 70m drop punts. Andrew McLeod, playing with his sprained ankle, injured the other ankle during the game and had to be taken off on a stretcher. The Crows started to make a comeback in the final quarter turning a 25 point deficit back to 13 points before the Magpies pulled away again winning by 28; (13.13.91 to 9.9.63). Brisbane would defeat Collingwood the following week in the first of their two Grand Final meetings.
2003
After the great improvement in 2002, Adelaide started 2003 as one of the favourites for the AFL premiership. Excitement built as the club secured the services of ex-Kangaroos champion Wayne Carey, arguably the greatest player of the modern era. They stormed through the pre-season and defeated Collingwood to claim their first Wizard Cup. Despite suffering several injuries throughout the year, including to Carey, and losing the remaining 3 games of the minor round, the Crows finished the minor round 13-9 in 6th position. Captain Mark Ricciuto had one of the best individual years in the club's history, winning the Brownlow Medal, however 2003 was certainly a painful year for Crows fans, and the team's inability to win close games became a huge problem. The Crows did however win an elimination final, easily defeating West Coast at AAMI Stadium. The semi final saw the Crows lose at the Gabba to eventual premiers, the Brisbane Lions. The game marked the final appearance for dual premiership captain Mark Bickley.
2004
The Crows struggled in 2004 finishing 8-14, including a 5-6 mark at home. Adelaide lost its first 4 games of the season and never fully recovered. Supporters marvelled at the feats of captain Mark Ricciuto, who became the club's first All Australian Captain. Wayne Carey, who played 28 games and kicked 56 goals for the club, suffered a season ending neck injury against West Coast in round 12 and announced his retirement soon after. Club legend Nigel Smart, the last remaining player from the inaugural 1991 team, played his final game in Round 13 against the Western Bulldogs at AAMI Stadium. This was also to be Gary Ayres' last game as Adelaide coach. Ayres was advised of his fate after the round 13 game against the Bulldogs. Although given the option to stay until year end, Ayres declined. Neil Craig was appointed caretaker-coach, and in his first game the Crows thrashed 2nd placed Melbourne at home. However the club would then lose their next 3 games, including a humiliating 141 point loss to the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba in Round 17. Adelaide regrouped and finished the season strongly by winning 3 of the last 5 games and Craig was confirmed as senior coach for 2005 and beyond.
2005
2005 saw Adelaide have their best home and away season in the history of the club, finishing 17-5 and claiming the minor premiership. The Crows won this prize after a stunning 8 point victory in round 22 against West Coast at Subiaco. However the game will be most remembered by Adelaide supporters for the report of captain and Brownlow Medallist Mark Ricciuto - for a head high bump on Adam Selwood. Ricciuto was subsequently suspended and would miss Adelaide's qualifying final against St. Kilda. Losing the All Australian Captain of 2004 & 2005 proved to be a massive blow, and in a low scoring struggle, St Kilda defeated the Crows by 8 points at AAMI Stadium. The loss set up a sudden death semi final against bitter rival and reigning premier Port Adelaide. The Crows regained Ricciuto, and in one of the most keenly anticipated matches in South Australian football history, smashed a hapless Port Adelaide by 83 points in front of a crowd of 50,521. Ricciuto and premiership teammate Simon Goodwin starred, however Adelaide's semi final celebrations were short-lived, with the team suffering a 16 point preliminary final loss to the West Coast Eagles at Subiaco. It was a tough, close encounter in wet conditions but a third quarter Adelaide lapse saw the Eagles mount a match-winning lead in front of a hostile home crowd. Adelaide joined Essendon (1999) and Port Adelaide (2002 & 2003) as AFL minor premiers who had falied to make the Grand Final.
2006
2006 was a year of individual milestones for the Adelaide Crows: Ben Hart entered his 15th season and became the first player in Crows history to play 300 games. He achieved the feat in round two against West Coast. Andrew McLeod entered his 12th season and played his 250th game in the 138 point thumping of Essendon in round 10. Mark Ricciuto also played his 300th game on a Friday Night with 5 goals in the Crows round 16 victory over the Kangaroos. In each game the crowd provided a fitting tribute to the 3 club legends, who have amassed an amazing 16 All Australian selections between them.
After 16 rounds in 2006, Adelaide sat on top of the AFL ladder with a remarkable 14-2 win/loss record, and the best percentage since West Coast in 1991. With little warning, the Crows were thumped by a massive 82 points in round 17 by the rampaging West Coast Eagles. This loss set off a dramatic change of fortunes for the Crows in 2006. Despite rebounding the following week with a rare home win over Collingwood, injuries and a sudden loss of form would see the Crows lose their next 3 games in a row to Fremantle, the Western Bulldogs and Port Adelaide. In a dramatic twist of fate, the Crows took to the field in round 22 against Melbourne with several key contributors from 2006 on the sidelines including captain Mark Ricciuto - who was diagnosed with a rare virus- Andrew McLeod, Brett Burton, Ben Hart and leading goalkicker Trent Hentschel, who suffered a horrific knee injury against Port Adelaide. However, they managed to win their first game in more than a month, thrashing the Demons by 58 points in Round 22 and finishing the minor round in 2nd spot, with 16 wins and 6 losses. Despite fielding the same undermanned team in the qualifying final against 3rd placed Fremantle, the Crows produced one of the best performances in the club's history to win by 30 points. This gave the team a valuable week's rest, and enabled the club to regain McLeod and Burton in time for the qualifying final. For the second year in a row the oppponent was the West Coast Eagles, however this time the match would be played at AAMI stadium. The Crows lost ruckman Rhett Biglands to injury early in the game, and despite leading the minor premiers at half time, the Eagles again dominated the 3rd quarter to set up a narrow 10 point victory. For the second year in a row, captain Mark Ricciuto was forced to endure a home final loss from the sidelines. Although injuries and illness conspired against the Crows, supporters and players will remember 2006 with bitter disappointment.
2007
After losing their first home game of the season to Essendon in perfect weather conditions, Adelaide won their next 3 games to have a 3-1 win-loss record. However, they they suffered a potentially costly loss to Fremantle by 1 point at Subiaco Oval in Round 5 for the third time in their history. They then faced a tough task against a Collingwood side at home with Adelaide coming off a six day break, compared to Collingwood's 10 day break after their ANZAC Day win and good record at AAMI Stadium. The Crows started slowly but fought back hard to claim the lead briefly. But in the end fell by 24 points as the fatigue showed in the last quarter. Adelaide fell to 3-3 but then won 3 straight games and were 6-3. They then struggled for most of the remainder of the season but one of their best wins came in Round 18, an 8 point come from behind victory over Port Adelaide. After falling to Geelong, Adelaide beat the Western Bulldogs under clear skies at home in Round 20 making it back to back home wins for the first time all season long. In Round 21 the Crows took on Brisbane in front of an emphatic crowd of 46,500 the AAMI stadium faithful saw Mark Ricciuto's last home game before his retirement at the end of the season. They crushed Brisbane despite inaccurate kicking. A 19 point victory over Collingwood in Round 22 allowed the Crows to qualify for the finals for the sixth time in seven years. The Crows lost due to a Lance Franklin goal in the dying seconds by Hawthorn in the first elimination final, finishing an extremely disappointing season for the Crows.
Current 2007 playing list
Coaches
- Graham Cornes, 1991-94
- Robert Shaw, 1995-96
- Malcolm Blight, 1997-99
- Gary Ayres, 2000-04^
- Neil Craig, 2004-present
^Gary Ayres was told that his contract would not be extended when it expired after the 2004 season, and he decided to quit immediately. Assistant Coach Neil Craig took over from Round 14 and was appointed Senior Coach for 2005 and beyond.
Captains
- Chris McDermott, 1991-94
- Tony McGuinness, 1995-96
- Mark Bickley, 1997-2000
- Mark Ricciuto, 2001-2007
- Simon Goodwin, 2008
Previous Adelaide playing lists
- Adelaide Crows 1991 Playing List
- Adelaide Crows 1992 Playing List
- Adelaide Crows 1993 Playing List
- Adelaide Crows 1994 Playing List
- Adelaide Crows 1995 Playing List
- Adelaide Crows 1996 Playing List
- Adelaide Crows 1997 Playing List
- Adelaide Crows 1998 Playing List
- Adelaide Crows 1999 Playing List
- Adelaide Crows 2000 Playing List
- Adelaide Crows 2001 Playing List
- Adelaide Crows 2002 Playing List
- Adelaide Crows 2003 Playing List
- Adelaide Crows 2004 Playing List
- Adelaide Crows 2005 Playing List
- Adelaide Crows 2006 Playing List
Club Guernseys
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Song
The Pride of South Australia is the official theme song of the Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League.
It is sung to the tune of the Marine's Hymn.
See also
- Australian rules football in South Australia
- Wikipedia listing of Adelaide players
- List of Adelaide Football Club players
- Adelaide Football Club coaches