 |
||
| General links |
"We're courageous, stronger,
faster and respected by our foes"
|
|
|
The history of the Adelaide Football Club After an audacious
bid by Port Adelaide to enter the competition, the AFL gave Adelaide
the green light to become the first South Australian team in 1991.
Under coach Graham Cornes, (who played only a handful of games in
the VFL, but was considered one of the greatest footballers of his
era), the Crows proved competitive in their first season winning 10
matches. With glamour full-forward Tony Modra booting 129 goals that year, the Crows led Essendon by 41 points at half-time in the preliminary final only to be overrun by 11 points at the final siren. It was thought to be only a matter of time before the Crows won their first premiership, but an inability to win in Melbourne saw them finish 11th in the following two seasons. At the end of 1994, Cornes was made the scapegoat - amid claims of dissension with the players - and was replaced by former Fitzroy coach Robert Shaw. However, Shaw tasted little success in 1995-96 and was replaced by former South Australian and AFL champion Malcolm Blight in 1997. Blight was quick to stamp his personal authority when he publicly lambasted the players early on after a loss as he attempted to change the culture of the club. Stalwarts such as Andrew Jarman and Tony McGuinness were not part of Blight’s new direction and instead he placed his faith in others and by the end of 1997 the Crows had made the Grand Final. While going in as underdogs against St Kilda, Blight's coaching experience and the brilliance of Darren Jarman, Andrew McLeod and unsung hero Shane Ellen realised St.Kilda’s worst nightmare as the Crows took home their first premiership. After a slow start to the 1998 season and a 48-point loss to Melbourne in the first week of the finals, many pundits wrote off the Crows. But after gaining a double chance in the finals, the Crows brushed past Sydney and the hapless Bulldogs in two successive away finals to book a place in their second successive Grand Final. The supremely confident Crows staged a magnificent come-from-behind win over North Melbourne to win back-to-back premierships. Blight was hailed
a messiah, yet dropped a bombshell the following season when he announced
his retirement as coach. Gary Ayres had the unenviable task of replacing
Blight and in his first season in 2000, the Crows finished 11th. Team
of the Decade Forward
: Darren Jarman, Tony Modra,
Matthew Liptak Player
of the Decade: Mark Ricciuto
|
|
| Official Links | ||
|
|
||
| Fan Sites | ||
|
|
||
