Re: R2 - SHOWDOWN!!!

by Booney Mon Mar 31, 2014 2:27 pm

Give Adelaide Bock and Davis ( lost to expansion teams ) in the back half and give Adelaide Tippett and Gunston ( lost to better offers ) in the forward half with Bernie Vince in the middle, it's a different team.

But....why did all of these guys choose to leave if the (I hate using this) "culture" is so good?

Obviously it isn't and clearly, as noted above, Adelaide have their work cut out for them on and off field in 2014. On field can turn around quick, look at Port in 2013. Off field isn't as easy.

by Scrunch Mon Mar 31, 2014 2:37 pm

Bock and Davis for $ that couldn't and shouldn't have been matched. Vince because he hadn't cemented his place on the list after a lengthy period of time. Gunston and Tippett to leave the state or club - This latter one is where your question becomes pertinent Booney. I think Adelaide got fooled by their performance in 2012 to thinking they were close to a premiership. Since then their fixtures have been more difficult, they haven't been as fortunate with injury, and some key players for differing reasons haven't been able to match their performances (Tippett, Walker, Johncock, Vince, Porplyzia, Thompson, Rutten, Jacobs). They likely overachieved and have pinned their hopes on doing the same ever since.

by Booney Mon Mar 31, 2014 2:44 pm

Bock and Davis I grant you, the money was too attractive, perhaps Tippett too but Adelaide should have done all they could to keep Tippett and Gunston.

Good pointing out Porplyzia. He and Petrenko are shadows of their 2012 form and Adelaide are suffering because of it. Reilly and Jaensch are also not the players they were. With all things, the midfield makes life easy for the forwards and the backs and it is becoming apparent that Adelaides midfield depth is shallow. The first picked unit of Dangerfield, Sloane and Thompson offers plenty but there is a gap to the next group that needs to quickly be closed.

by Gingernuts Mon Mar 31, 2014 2:59 pm

Call me crazy but I think our list is okay, just more experience and less injuries required.

It's all about off-field IMO, as my rant above details. Laughing

by Scrunch Mon Mar 31, 2014 3:09 pm

Personally I think Reilly has always been vastly overrated. Perhaps good enough for the 19-22 player in a good side at absolute best. Not about to call you crazy Gingernuts because thats your opinion and fair enough, but I would strongly disagree and I think it actually forms a problem part of the clubs culture. The club, supporters and media (because the fans lap it up) continually overrate a lot of the Crows personnel in my opinion.

by howthewestwaswon Mon Mar 31, 2014 4:00 pm

The Adelaide Crows is and always has been a soulless, corporate entertainment machine and not a football club as many would make you believe. Hence I've never been able to support them since their inception and never had interest in anything they do.

Mind you, in their defence somewhat, I believe the whole AFL industry has shunned its grassroots supporters.

by Booney Mon Mar 31, 2014 4:01 pm

Yep, can't argue with that Scrunch.

by IAmTheWarrior Mon Mar 31, 2014 7:50 pm

Maybe my perspective is different because I live in Vic but I have always found the club to be very accommodating over here. My kids have great access to the players at after match functions, coaching clinics and once last year when my 6yo was the mascot for the day so we got to go down into the rooms before and after the game. The people who work over here in the office know us by name and since his first coaching clinic my son has had kick to kicks with Steven Trigg, Phil Harper and other administrators. We're just ordinary Victorian members so I don't think we get special treatment. It's the afl and we're interstate so we can't expect them to all hang around after games because they've got to catch planes etc but generally I do feel there's a good sense of belonging to a club.

by Gingernuts Tue Apr 01, 2014 10:57 am

Scrunch wrote:Personally I think Reilly has always been vastly overrated. Perhaps good enough for the 19-22 player in a good side at absolute best. Not about to call you crazy Gingernuts because thats your opinion and fair enough, but I would strongly disagree and I think it actually forms a problem part of the clubs culture. The club, supporters and media (because the fans lap it up) continually overrate a lot of the Crows personnel in my opinion.

I can see where you're coming from Scrunchy, but I think the truth lies somewhere in between. Sometimes Adelaide players may be overrated a bit, but at the same time I think sources outside the Club and media often rate more harshly than warranted out of spite.

The reality is we have had a substantial amount of rising star nominations in recent times, including 4 last year which was more than either expansion team, and the winner the year before that. Add to that the fact that we are easily the best users of the rookie list in the competition.

I still think our list development strategies are sound, the potential in our list is good, and our coach is the right man for the job.

The Club as a whole has to find a hard edge though. It's just too soft and superficial at the moment and that's about off field 'branding' (I hate using that term) as much as on field results IMO.

by Gingernuts Tue Apr 01, 2014 11:04 am

IAmTheWarrior wrote:Maybe my perspective is different because I live in Vic but I have always found the club to be very accommodating over here. My kids have great access to the players at after match functions, coaching clinics and once last year when my 6yo was the mascot for the day so we got to go down into the rooms before and after the game. The people who work over here in the office know us by name and since his first coaching clinic my son has had kick to kicks with Steven Trigg, Phil Harper and other administrators. We're just ordinary Victorian members so I don't think we get special treatment. It's the afl and we're interstate so we can't expect them to all hang around after games because they've got to catch planes etc but generally I do feel there's a good sense of belonging to a club.

No doubting the Club has done many good things over the journey and I do think they look after interstate supporters very well. I'm certainly not suggesting that the men in charge are bad blokes or have done anything other than try and do what's best for the footy Club.

It's just that it's time for some new ideas from outside the Club. At the moment it's just a cycle of ex-players, local officials & Adelaide identities filling key posts and there's nothing fresh or interesting happening. Look at what David Koch has done for Port Adelaide - love or hate the man he has taken Club that was shocking on field and had a crippling identity crisis off it, and in the space of 18 months has turned it into a strong, united club that owns this City. Adelaide needs to swallow it's pride and have a good look at the PA model.

by Gingernuts Tue Apr 01, 2014 11:14 am

howthewestwaswon wrote:The Adelaide Crows is and always has been a soulless, corporate entertainment machine and not a football club as many would make you believe. Hence I've never been able to support them since their inception and never had interest in anything they do.

Mind you, in their defence somewhat, I believe the whole AFL industry has shunned its grassroots supporters.

I can definitely understand this point of view, but it's difficult for me to deal with as I've supported the Club since I was 10, so I have no real concept of the pre-AFL world.

To me they are a real football Club, and I think it's more a symptom of the whole AFL industry at the moment as you suggest.

That's a massive reason why Port have found success so quickly. They have cut the bull and presented themselves as a football club for the people first and foremost.

by UncleHuey Tue Apr 01, 2014 1:24 pm

On the other hand, success always brings out fair weather supporters. Where were all the Port fans when the team was struggling and they had to hide half the seats at AAMI cos they couldn't get anyone to their games?

Whilst their turnaround has been impressive, it needs to be sustained and sustainable over the longer term. I hope it is, I would love to see two strong teams in SA so that all the interstate teams dread a match here.

by valleys07 Tue Apr 01, 2014 1:44 pm

Gingernuts wrote:Well,

Finally get some time to actually post about the game.

I’ll be honest, I didn’t actually see it as I was supporting my old man in his Bowls GF Saturday arvo – I did record it but fair to say I won’t be watching it back!

If you haven’t already realised, I’m finding that this one is burning deep. I said earlier last week that this was the biggest Showdown since the first, well now I can say that it certainly hurts as much as that one too.

It’s not the losing that bothers me. It’s the manner in which we lost. Barely a whimper.

It’s also what this result means for the season. 2 games in and we’ve lost both by a combined margin of nearly a hundred points. We haven’t just lost, we’ve been way off the pace.

Personally as a member my faith in the Club is really starting to be tested. This is my 5th season forking out for a Silver Membership and so far they’ve made the finals once in that time, and it doesn’t look like changing anytime soon. Despite this it’s not actually the on-field performances that are testing my faith. I think Brenton Sanderson is the right coach to take us forward, and I think our list is brimming with potential and only needs a few more games of experience under the belt and some better luck with avoiding injury to realise it.

It’s the off-field stuff that I’m tired of. The Club culture is on the nose IMO, for several reasons:

- At some point over the last few years the Adelaide Football Club has become so focused on the business of a strong and successful operation that it has forgotten that it is a Football Club first and foremost. The sheer volume of material that comes out of the Club flogging ‘match day experiences’, super-dooper corporate packages, merchandise, every type of membership under the sun – it all points to one priority, and that’s the bottom line. What happened it winning premierships? This worship of the almighty dollar leads me to my next point….

- The top end of the Club has become supremely elitist, and they are treating the average grassroots supporters like idiots. They take our cash and then think we’ll be entertained by stupid side shows like fireworks, blow up Crow things, raising a bloody flag that means nothing. Meanwhile they sit in their palatial boxes quaffing and chortling at all those battery hens down in the bleachers laying their golden eggs. So how do you even get elected to the board anyway? Well buggered if I know. Hell, as a Silver member and after forking out over $800 for 2 tickets this year I don’t even get a vote, let alone the right to stand. From what I have seen, to truly participate in the Club would require an investment of thousands of dollars every season in memberships, attending functions etc.

- The Club has become completely and utterly complacent. The Adelaide Football Club has dominated the football environment in SA since it came into existence. Jagging a couple of flags early on certainly helped the situation, and ever since the AFC has been one powerhouses of the competition, off field anyway. Port Adelaide has been a rabble for the last few years too, helping the issue. Well, newsflash people, while Adelaide have been sitting on their hands Port Adelaide have got their **** together now and guess what? They are a bees whisker away from owning this town. Actually, after Saturday I would say they now do.

Perhaps this is still the emotion of a Showdown loss talking, but at the moment I am absolutely concerned about what my Club has become. Complacent, Elitist, Soft, Soulless, and now firmly second place in SA.

Not saying this as a gloat Ginge, but a sensationally accurate post. A crow mate of mine text me on saturday night with the ending- PAFC- the pride of SA. Certainly sums up a remarkable change in fortunes for both clubs over an 18 month period.

by valleys07 Tue Apr 01, 2014 1:47 pm

Scrunch wrote:I think Adelaide, from the top, need to lose the arrogance they've developed and look at how well the Power have done things over the last two years. Even if they don't want to publicly voice it, it's something they should seriously be considering internally. I agree completely with the points Gingernuts has made about this. The loss of those players you have mentioned hasn't helped Huey (although it did help land elder Crouch), but I would argue the loss of Matthew Rendall is equally if not more important. Meanwhile the Power have made every post a winner and have to be admired, because they needed a %1000 improvement by the time they got to Adelaide Oval, and they did it! Their membership has gone through the roof, finances improved and about to improve further, their list has been turned on its head in a short space of time, and they are playing among the most attractive and lethal football in the competition. Thomas, Koch, Hinkley, Burgess are perhaps the most notable off-field additions in this time and each of them has made a remarkable contribution to the club in such a short space of time.

Agreed wholeheartedly Scrunch. Another top post.

by Gingernuts Tue Apr 01, 2014 2:00 pm

Thanks mate. Give credit where it's due, PAFC are the toast of Adelaide at the moment - and after getting over the pain of the final scoreline, there is a large part of me that feels like the AFC fully and completely got what it deserved.

I'm man enough to admit that with the way Port are playing and presenting themselves on and off the field - I find myself wishing I supported them instead of my rabble! I don't like that feeling goddammit! How did we get to this place FFS! Laughing

by Booney Tue Apr 01, 2014 2:25 pm

Gingernuts wrote:Thanks mate. Give credit where it's due, PAFC are the toast of Adelaide at the moment - and after getting over the pain of the final scoreline, there is a large part of me that feels like the AFC fully and completely got what it deserved.

I'm man enough to admit that with the way Port are playing and presenting themselves on and off the field - I find myself wishing I supported them instead of my rabble! I don't like that feeling goddammit! How did we get to this place FFS!

The journey, my friend, was long and at times painful. The time is now not for reflection, but celebration. Celebration that tough times are but distant memories, painful reminders of what once was and the driving force behind the winds of change.

Now, many home and away matches later the tide has turned, the weight of expectation has swung and now, now the good guys have control. If you like, they have the Power!

by Gingernuts Tue Apr 01, 2014 2:39 pm

Righto Yoda. Is this the Return of the Jedi is it? Laughing

by Booney Tue Apr 01, 2014 2:45 pm

Gingernuts wrote:Righto Yoda. Is this the Return of the Jedi is it?

by Booney Tue Apr 01, 2014 2:48 pm

Gingernuts wrote:Righto Yoda. Is this the Return of the Jedi is it?