|
Comfortable Crows - August 26th 2001 - by Pablo
Adelaide
13.13 (91)
Hawthorn 8.5 (53)
Adelaide made
sure of an AFL finals berth with a solid 13.13 (91) to 8.5 (53) win
over Hawthorn at Football Park today.
The Crows set
up the 38-point win with a 5.2(32) to nothing first quarter, helped
by a strong breeze. Andrew McLeod kicked two goals on the run in the
opening term to help set up the Crows' lead.
The Adelaide
defence was superb, particularly Nathan Bassett on Nathan Thompson,
Ben Hart on Aaron Lord, Evan Hewitt on Trent Croad and Nigel Smart
on Barker. Bassett and Hewitt were also able to help drive Adelaide
into attack on several occasions in hard-working games.
Brett Burton
was highly productive on the half-forward line, while Simon Goodwin
and Mark Ricciuto gathered a huge number of possessions in the midfield,
with Goodwin also kicking four valuable goals.
Ayres
was pleased so many of his players contributed to the victory. "A
lot of Hawthorn's game-plan seems to be styled around just running
with our boys, and if we can be creative and handle that, I think
it puts us in the driver's seat," he said. "The work-rate
was there, the contesting was there, the physical intensity was there."
Adelaide has
won four of its past five games to secure a place in the finals for
the fourth time in its 11-year history. It finished 13th in 1999 and
11th last year after winning the 1997 and '98 premierships.
"I'm
thrilled for the players, that's the bottom line, because they've
endured a fair bit over the last two years," Ayres said.
"We can't get too carried away. If you're going to get into
the finals, you don't want to be just making up the numbers."
Darren Jarman,
who is expected to retire at the end of this season, led the Crows
from the field and was applauded by teammates in a gesture that smacked
of Jarman having made his farewell appearance at Football Park, barring
a home final next month.
When asked about
it, Ayres said: "I think it was just a bit of skylarking by
the players more than anything."
On Adelaide's
recent improvement, Ayres said: "I don't think there's been
a hell of a lot of difference. The confidence is there and there's
a bit of momentum. I
think the players have been able to confidently back themselves. They're
all just believing in themselves as a unit. I think that's pretty
important."
Finals
Fever- August 26th 2001 - by Pablo
THE AFL top eight
was set today a fortnight out from the finals, with Hawthorn continuing
its late-season slump and Adelaide sniffing another wild September
ride.
The Crows ensured
their finals berth when they easily beat Hawthorn by 38 points in
poor conditions at Football Park today, 13.13 (91) to 8.5 (53).
Fifth placed
finals team could mean a home game against Adelaide, arguably the
most-feared finalist because of its strong late-season form and the
abilities of its top players.
It had little
trouble today against the Hawks, who have been in decline since starting
the season with eight wins. The Hawks took a gamble by kicking against
the wind in the first quarter and it did not pay off, leaving them
desperate for a win next Saturday night against St Kilda.
'We have just
got to keep confident and try to get a win next week, it's just imperative
that we win next week, we don't want to fall any further down the
ladder than we currently are,' said Hawthorn coach Peter Schwab. 'We're
probably the bottom eight side on form, everyone else has been winning
a bit more than we have, but that can change very quickly, we haven't
lost faith, we will get to the finals and it will be a different ball
game then.'
Crows
show Rehn Respect - August 24th 2001 - by Pablo
Captain Mark
Ricciuto urged Crows fans to treat Shaun Rehn with deserved respect
when the ruckman returns to Adelaide in the enemy camp this weekend.
Rehn was considered
the heart and soul of the Crows during his 134-match stint with Adelaide
which included two premierships and a club champion award.
'He seems
pretty keen to come over and play a good game against us,' Ricciuto
said. Asked how Adelaide's notorious fans would respond to Rehn, Ricciuto
said: 'If they have got any respect, they should give him a good welcoming.
He's done a lot for the club and will always be remembered as a great
Adelaide Football Club player.'
Rehn was the
heart and sole of Adelaide during the 90's and his fightback from
3 knee reconstructions was a credit to all sports people. To return
and compete and obtain the highest honour in football (2 premierships)
show a little faith can go a long way.
One
match at a time - August 23th 2001 - by Pablo
''We still
know we have got a couple of good games we've got to win to get there
first,'' Ricciuto said.
''Hawthorn
are obviously one of the top sides and aren't going to be easy. We
haven't really thought too much about the finals to be honest.
''Of course
we want to get there. But we don't want to think about the finals
and then miss out by losing another home game or against Fremantle
next week.''
That's the view
Crows Captain Mark Ricciuto and his team are taking for the rest of
the season. Focused on consolidating their spot in the eight rather
then looking towards the finals.
Crows
Resign - August 22th 2001 - by Pablo
The Adelaide
Football Club announced today is has re-signed captain Mark Ricciuto
and vice-captain Ben Hart for a further two years, until the end of
the 2003 season.
Ricciutos' playing
honors include four All-Australian team selections, the Club Championship
in 1998 and being named Adelaide's Player of the Decade.
Hart was a member
of Adelaide’s inaugural 52-man squad chosen in late 1990, and
made his AFL debut at 17 years of age. His achievements include -
the 1999 Club Champion Award, All-Australian on three occasions (1992,
1993 and 1999) and membership of the Premiership teams of 1997 and
1998.
Position
Vacant - August 22th 2001 - by Pablo
Adelaide will
advertise nationally for its new chief executive, but Bill Sanders'
successor is already at West Lakes.
Communications
and membership manager Steven Trigg and football operations manager
John Reid are the club's well-groomed replacements now caught in a
race for one of the AFL's best club jobs.
Trigg, who joined
Adelaide as its media manager at the end of the 1996 season, is highly
regarded and is already considered the frontrunner.
Reid, who joined
Adelaide in 1995, has been seen as a club chief executive at Geelong
and St Kilda and even as the football general manager at the AFL.
Outside of Adelaide,
applications are expected from the field that missed out on the Fremantle
job - in particular Kangaroos football manager Geoff Walsh. But Adelaide
has prided itself on having an administration offering career paths
for its executives. ''We have a sound structure - and sound people,''
Sanders said.
Sanders, who
will clear his desk on December 21, had intended to announce his departure
on October 1, after the AFL finals.
Chief
Executive Officer
CAREER OPPORTUNITY
One of Australian
football's premier clubs,Adelaide,is seeking a chief executive officer.The
successful applicant will need to undertake a unique and complex range
of duties.
SKILLS
- An ability to
negotiate contracts with players and sponsors.
- An understanding
of football,finance,marketing, and membership needs.
- An ability to
develop the national exposure of the club.
- The skill to
balance the needs of the club's board and licence owners, the SANFL.
Changes
to the draft - August 22th 2001 - by Pablo
THE wooden-spooner
will no longer have the luxury of getting first crack at a disgruntled
and uncontracted player in the pre-season draft. In a major rule change,
the bottom four sides on the ladder will be placed in a lottery with
the winner getting first pick.
The league believed
the prized selection was giving too much bargaining power to uncontracted
players who were by-passing the national draft for the pre-season
draft.
And a father-son
rule is expected to be introduced this season to recognise the feats
of long-serving players in South Australia and Western Australia.
SANFL clubs will
also be shared between Adelaide and Port Adelaide. The fathers of
potential draftees must have played 150 games to be taken under the
new father-son rule.
And in the long
term, clubs that develop states and zones could be rewarded by being
able to select players from their areas in a special draft. The father-son
rule for Victorian club is also expected to be changed with clubs
no longer being forced to take sons in the second round of the national
draft.
A bidding system
has been devised with a father's club having first chance to take
the son in any round it nominate. But if it rates him a round-four
selection, a rival club could put in a bid to successfully take him
in an earlier round.
Demetriou said
''I think it's fair,'' he said. ''From day one, everyone agreed we
wanted to make it more equitable. We think the father-son rule is
a great tradition and it's unique to our game.'' about the WA and
SA father-son rule.
He said the ballot
between the bottom four sides would start next year for the 2003 season.
|
