Adelaide 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 |
| 2005 | 1st on ladder, 3rd of 16 |
| Strip | |
| Red, gold and navy blue hooped guernsey, navy blue shorts, red, gold and navy blue hooped socks. See Mero's Footy Jumpers | |
The 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 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. Famous players include Mark Ricciuto, Andrew and Darren Jarman, Andrew McLeod and Tony Modra. The club is currently coached by Neil Craig, who replaced Gary Ayres when he resigned mid-season in 2004. Craig, initially a caretaker coach, was subsequently appointed to the position permanently from 2005 onwards.
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 an SANFL team, the Port Adelaide Football Club, reached agreement with the AFL to enter their competition. Because the Port Adelaide Football Club represented only a fraction of the interest of football followers resident in South Australia, legal action followed, and eventually the league agreed to enter the composite Adelaide team in 1991.
The nickname "Crows" was inspired by the traditional "Croweaters" nickname for South Australia's State of Origin teams.
The Crows did not take long to achieve success, winning back-to-back premierships in 1997 and 1998 under coach Malcolm Blight. Their fans base has quickly developed a distinct character of its own, caricatured as passionate but respectable fans contrasting with the "working class" Port Adelaide fans. Port Adelaide joined the AFL competition eventually in 1997. Rivalry between the players and supporters of the two Adelaide teams is fierce, with an edge not present in the West Coast Eagles and Fremantle Dockers situation in Perth. On one occasion, a meeting between players of the two teams in an Adelaide bar resulted in a widely-reported brawl. Many Crows fans enjoy the greater success their team has had in the AFL.
Membership base
In 2006, the club made history becoming the first club in VFL/AFL history to have more then 50,000 members. This is despite insufficient capacity to seat all members at games and a waiting list. It has the largest membership of any club in the AFL.
| 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 | 50,138¹ | TBD | TBD | 42,329¹ [1] |
¹ (as at 30 June, 2006) ²following finals matches
- Crows finished 4th in 2005, Adelaide at top spot lost home Qualifying Final vs 4th spot St Kilda. The Saints rose to No 1 went through to a Home Preliminary Final and Lost to Sydney but finished third because of their 1-1 finals record, and Adelaide also lost Prelim final falling to 4th due to their poorer finals record 1-2.
Sponsors
Major Jumper Sponsors:
- Toyota/Toyota Camry (1991- )
Apparel Sponsors:
Shorts Sponsors:
- Various Brands of Carlton and United Beverages (2005-08)
- The Ghan (2002-04)
- Toyota (1991-2001)
Ball Sponsors:
- Mistral (2004-05)
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, smashing 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, 1993 v Richmond
- Highest winning 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
Premierships
| File:1997 Premiers.jpg | |||
| 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:1998 Premiers.jpg | |||
| 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
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
- Ben Rutten (2005)
- Simon Goodwin (2000, 2001, 2005)
- Andrew McLeod (1998, 2000, 2001)
- Darren Jarman (1996)
- Shaun Rehn (1994, 1998)
- Mark Ricciuto (1994, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005)
- Greg Anderson (1993)
- Tony Modra (1993, 1997)
- Ben Hart (1992, 1993, 1999, 2002)
- Tony McGuinness (1992, 1993)
- Chris McDermott (1992)
- Nigel Smart (1991, 1993, 1998)
"Team of the Decade"
While some sides named their "Team of the Century" to co-incide 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 7th in both 1991 and 1992. The 1993 season would be the first year the Adelaide Crows would see September Finals action. And would have an up and down home and away season. At home the Crows were almost unstoppable going 9-1 and selling out every single game in which attendance was at least 44000 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 northern end of Football Park. But Adelaide struggled away from home going just 3-7 and would finish the season in 5th place after beating Collingwood in a superb game at home in Round 22 but was good enough earn their first Finals berth. Adelaide eliminated 2nd place Hawthorn six days later at the MCG in the elimination Final by 15 points with Nigel Smart kicking 6 goals, the best of his career and the win gave Adelaide two chances to play in the Grand Final. The Crows struggled against Carlton in week 2 at Waverly Park in a 18 point loss denying them a Grand Final spot but still had another chance in the 1993 preliminary final which was played at the MCG against Essendon and the Crows led by 42 points at halftime after a superb first half performance. But in the second half the superb performance became dismal as Essendon who finished minor premier in 1993 came back in the second half to win by 11 points meaning the Crows frustratingly would have to wait 4 more years for their next chance.
1997 - Premiership
With coach Malcolm Blight taking over, Adelaide went 13-9 in 1997 and Tony Modra was the clubs top goalicker for the 5th straight season and won the Coleman medal, and again victimised North Melbourne with the Mark of the Year yet again in excactly the same spot at the northern end riding with his knees on Mick Marytyn's shoulders and grabbing it facing backwards. The Crows finished in 4th spot and did what no side had ever done before, win 4 straight Finals games to claim their first premiership. The Crows downed West Coast at home, Geelong at home, The Western Bulldogs and St Kilda at the MCG 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 injury and come from 22 points down at 3 quarter time despite inaccurate kicking for a miracle 2-point victory. Andrew McLeod was the Norm Smith medalist after the Grand Final win.
1998 - 2nd Premiership
Adelaide again went 13-9 in the 1998 and went into the Finals in 5th spot. Adelaide was beaten badly by Melbourne in the Qualifying Final but 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, led by the best player in the game Wayne Carey. Adelaide trailed by 24 points at halftime, but a superb comeback in the second half saw them run out with a 35 point victory. Andrew McLeod again was the Norm Smith medalist, joining Gary Ayres as one of only two players to have won the Norm Smith medal back to back.
1999
The Crows quest for 3 straight premierships began in 1999, and despite a good start to the year they struggled all year long with injuries going 8-14. The worst game of the year was an embarrassing 74 point home loss to the eventual premiers 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 start rebuilding back into a 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 defecit, 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.
2001
Adelaide had an incosistent 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 (who were 2-20 that year) in Round 22 and limped into the finals in 8th place and were quickly eliminated by Carlton by 68 points in a haples 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. They defeated 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 and looked gone throughout the game. Andrew McLeod had sprained his ankle in the 3rd quarter. But rallied from a 29 point deficit late in the third quarter to pull off a miricale 12-point (2 goal) win, with an injured 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 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 rallied behind the deafening crowd and put away the game. Andrew McLeod suffered a bad Ankle injury during the game. The Crows started to make a comeback in the final quarter turning a 25 point defecit back to 13 points before the Magpies pulled away again winning by 28 points. Brisbane would defeat Collingwood the following week in the Grand Final.
2003
Adelaide were one of the favourites for the premiership in 2003. They had signed Wayne Carey in the offseason after finishing in the Top 4 in 2002. They stormed through the preseason and defeated Collingwood to claim the Wizard Cup. Adelaide overcame a lot of injuries and went 13-9 in the home and away season and finished 6th, but it was certainally a painful year for Crows fans. The team's inabillity to win close games became a huge problem. The team was sitting 4-4 after a 5 point home loss to Collingwood in Round 7 and loss to Brisbane at the Gabba in Round 8 and needed to overcome a 23 point 3 quarter time defecit at home vs the bottom placed Western Bulldogs the following week after. With this win, the Crows would take 9 of next 11 games (with the losses by just 5 and 1 point) and were 13-6 after beating West Coast at Subiaco Oval in Round 19 and sitting in 2nd spot and needed to win 1 more game to finish top 4. The Crows were hammered by Collingwood in Round 20 and went home to face the Kangaroos in Round 21, a team they had struggled at home against. The Roos had no chance for Finals, while Adelaide were playing something big, a Top 4 berth and a qualifying final vs Port Adelaide. It did not happen, as the Kangaroos won by 10 points on a horrible wet day. The Crow were beaten in the Round 22 showdown vs Port by 16 points and went into September outside the Top 4, in 6th spot. After selling out every home game in the regular season. They easily defeated West Coast in the elimination final in front of a home crowd that failed to sell out. The win sent Adelaide to the Gabba to face Brisbane and the 2 time defending premiers Lions overcame a solid Crows effort on their way to another premiership winning the semi final easily. The game marked the final appearance for Mark Bickley, the Crows captain in their premiership years.
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, before defeating Richmond in Round 5 and ended a long losing streak in Showdowns by defeating eventual premier Port Adelaide by 32 points in Round 7, the struggles continued after that an embarrassing 51 point home loss to Essendon followed and an ugly 3 point loss to Collingwood. But the Crows thrashed Hawthorn at the MCG by 86 points in Mark Ricciuto's 250th game. The team continued to struggle suffering a terrible 4 point home loss to Carlton and a 32 point loss to West Coast at subiaco, Wayne Carey who had kicked 27 goals in 12 games had suffered a season ending injury and announced he would be taking no part. The loss left Adelaide at a dismal 3-9 and were winless at home. Nigel Smart played his final game in Round 13 vs the Western Bulldogs at AAMI Stadium as Adelaide won its first home game of the season, the final player from the original 1991 squad and Gary Ayres resigned as coach after that game and was replaced by assistant coach Neil Craig. Adelaide gave 2nd placed Melbourne a blowout defeat in his first game as coach. The Crows would lose their next 3 and suffered its worst defeat in history, a 141 point loss to the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba in Round 17. But finished the season strongly by winning 3 of its last 5 games and high expectations were back for the upcoming 2005 season.
2005
In 2005 Adelaide had their best home and away season in the history of the club after fininshing on top of the ladder with 17 wins and 5 losses ahead of West Coast only on percentage. The Crows needed to beat West Coast at Subiaco Oval in Round 22 to take the minor premiership after West Coast had remained on top of the ladder for most of the home and away season. Adelaide prevailed by 8 points. The week before, in Round 21, Adelaide defeated a hapless Collingwood by 110 points, their biggest win of season 2005 at AAMI Stadium, providing the percentage boost required for them to edge past West Coast in the subsequent week. Adelaide went into the finals on a 10 game winning streak that came to a bitter end in the first qualifying final against feisty underdog St. Kilda. In a low scoring struggle, Adelaide's failure to put its early dominance of general play onto the scoreboard cost them as they were edged out by 8 points at AAMI Stadium. The tough loss set up a game against bitter cross-town rivals Port Adelaide, the premiers of 2004 which Adelaide won convincingly, which gave the Crows 10 home wins for the first time ever in a season after finishing with 9 wins and 2 losses at completion of the home and away season. Both Crows home finals which were played on Saturday Nights drew record finals crowds to AAMI Stadium, 48,756 and 50,521 (The maximum capacity of AAMI Stadium is 51,300). After winning against Port Adelaide they booked one of their toughest ever away Finals games, having to travel back to Subiaco to play West Coast for a place in the Grand Final. It was a tough, fairly close encounter, but a third quarter Adelaide lapse saw the Eagles mount a match-winning lead. The Crows fought hard in the final term, at one stage reducing the margin from some 5 goals to just 9 points. The Eagles held them off however, getting over the line in the end by 16 points and earning a spot in the Grand Final.
2006
 | This article documents a current sporting event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses. Initial news reports, scores, or statistics may be unreliable. The last updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. |
In 2006, 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, with the Crows unfortunately going down in front of a home crowd by just two points. Mark Ricciuto will play in his 14th season and also will aim for 300 games. Andrew McLeod entered his 12th season and played his 250th game in the 138 point thumping of Essendon at AAMI Stadium on the Friday Night stage in round 10. Adelaide started the 2006 season with a superb win over Collingwood but lost round 2 to West Coast by just 2 points but then won 5 straight games before losing to Richmond in Round 8, but went on another 5 game winning streak and are 11-2 after 13 rounds and sitting on top of the ladder with a percentage of 171.0, the best in VFL/AFL history. After continues wins they took on the Kangaroos in Round 16 and Mark Ricciuto's 300th game. Ricciuto kicked 5 as the Crows smashed the Roos by 72 points.
Current playing list
As of December 21, 2005:
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Rookies:
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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
Club jumpers
Home
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Away
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Clash
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These are the current 2006 jumper design, the No 22 is currently worn by Ian Perrie. The club's current sponsors are Toyota and Adidas.
http://www.footyjumpers.com/
See also
- Australian rules football in South Australia
- Wikipedia listing of Adelaide players
- Adelaide Football Club coaches