Adelaide Football Club has collated its precious AFL premiership photo archives into online galleries.
In an era before mobile phone technology had evolved, photographers Don McLennan and Stephen Sanders were engaged by the Adelaide Football Club to document the club’s early years and then the 1997 and 1998 AFL grand finals. They travelled with the teams to Melbourne and were given amazing access to the squad and staff, changerooms, club bus, and celebrations in Melbourne and Adelaide.
Fortunately Don and Stephen were also there to capture the late evening team photos in the middle of the MCG, an idea floated by coach Malcolm Blight and general manager football operations John Reid.
Many of the gallery photos have been published before in club magazines and annual reports, or through AFL Photos, but these new online collections in the Crows History Locker feature some shots that have been hidden away in albums and slide sheets for years.
1997 AFL Premiership
Melbourne Grand Final Parade
Mark Bickley and Troy Bond, Grand Final parade
Matthew Robran with fans at the Friday training session
Crows training in Melbourne
Kym Koster after training
Team meeting at the hotel
Team meeting
Rooms, pre-game
Clarrie Smith and Rob Aitken
David Pittman and Darren Jarman
Steve McAvaney
Clay Sampson and Mark Bickley
Kevin Whitford
Mark Bickley leads the team on to the MCG
Tony Modra in the race
Assistant coach Darel Hart and Malcolm Blight
Tony Modra with Barrie Downs
Tyson Edwards
Simon Goodwin
Ben Hart
Nigel Smart
Matthew Robran and Troy Bond
The bench waiting for the siren
Simon Goodwin
Tyson Edwards
Mark Bickley
Troy Bond
Shane Ellen
Darren Jarman
Darren Jarman
Kym Koster
Winners and losers
The 1997 team
Tony Modra with other non-playing Crows
Mark Bickley runs to team mates to celebrate
Ben Hart
Tyson Edwards
Mark Bickley with the Cup
Jason McCartney, Matthew Liptak and Trent Ormond-Allen
Crows players acknowledge the fans
The McLeods
Mark Bickley and Ben Hart
Shaun Rehn
Ben Hart
Neil Kerley interviews Shane Ellen
Bob Hammond and Bill Sanders
Shaun Rehn and Ron Quigley
Andrew McLeod
Tony Modra and Rod Jameson
Training staff (back) Clarrie Smith, Steve McAvaney; (middle) Gary Bilson, Dale Davill, Gary Goudge, Rob Aitken; (front) Frank Baron
Trevor Jaques
Andrew McLeod
David Pittman
Ormond-Allen, Sampson, Smart, James and Bickley
Shaun Rehn
John Reid and Bob Hammond
Clay Sampson and Aaron Keating
Mark Bickley
Dr Brian Sando
The Blights
Tony Modra
Robbie Carruthers and Steven Trigg
Brett James talks to media
John Condon and Barrie Downs
Peter Jonas
Jameson and Edwards
Shane Ellen with Blight
Ellen, Downs, Jameson and Bickley
Caven and Blight
Peter Waldie
Neil Craig, Darel Hart and Mark Mickan
Simon Goodwin
Troy Bond, Brett James and Aaron Keating
Team bus
Mark Bickley with the Cup
Simon Goodwin, Clay Sampson and Shane Ellen
Malcolm Blight with Glenn Ridge and David Hookes
Players on stage
Players sing the club song
McLeod and Smart
Ben Hart and Blight
Blight
On the MCG
Koster, Jameson, Bickley and Sampson
Malcolm Blight at the aftermatch function
Jameson, Smart, Rehn (obscured), Bickley and Connell
Peter Jonas
Kane Johnson
Matthew Liptak with the team on the way home
Aaron Keating, next to Chad Rintoul and Brett James
Rod Jameson
Malcolm Blight and Mark Bickley at Wayville
Fans at Wayville
Ben Hart at Wayville
Shaun Rehn
Malcolm Blight during the Adelaide Crows street parade
Crowds in King William Street, Adelaide
1998 AFL Premiership
Mark Ricciuto signs an autograph at the airport
Hotel foyer
Shaun Rehn and Kym Koster during the Melbourne Grand Final parade
Ben Hart and Andrew McLeod at the Grand Final Parade in Melbourne
Simon Goodwin at the last training run in Melbourne
Trevor Jaques strapping Ben Marsh
Andrew McLeod reads the Footy Record
Neil Craig talks to Mark Ricciuto before the game
Muhammad Ali's lap of honour
Shane Ellen before the final
Barrie Downs
Adelaide Crows banner
Andrew McLeod
General view of the 1998 AFL Grand Final
Kane Johnson
Matthew Robran
Darren Jarman
Nigel Smart and Kane Johnson
Malcolm Blight reacts on the final siren
Shaun Rehn and Andrew McLeod celebrate with team-mates
Kane Johnson and Kym Koster with fans
Peter Caven
Peter Vardy
Mark Ricciuto and Kane Johnson
Andrew McLeod and Mark Bickley
Andrew McLeod
Hart, Eccles, Edwards and Jarman
Ben Marsh, Peter Caven and Matthew Robran
Malcolm Blight and Mark Bickley hold up the 1998 Premiership Cup
Mark Ricciuto holds the Premiership Cup
Peter Vardy
Mark Ricciuto and Brett James
Malcolm Blight hugs Andrew McLeod
Singing the club song on the MCG
David Pittman with the Cup
On the victory dias
Vardy, Ricciuto and McLeod
Mark Ricciuto and Peter Vardy
Song in the rooms
The song in the rooms
Malcolm Blight with Shane Ellen
Andrew McLeod
CEO Bill Sanders
Darren Jarman
Brian Taylor interviews Ben Hart
Lance Picioane with Darren Jarman
Ben Hart
Robbie Carruthers, Peter Maynard, Malcolm Blight, Shane Fuller, Steven Trigg, Darel Hart, Craig Burton, Terry Moore, John Reid (front), Neil Craig
Rex Leahy, Neil Craig and Barrie Downs
Chairman Bob Hammond with Mark Bickley
Tyson Edwards
Neil Craig, Darren Jarman and Nigel Smart
Dr Brian Sando, Dr Steve Kennett, Kevin Whitford, Dr Andrew Potter and Rob Hanna
John Reid
James Thiessen and Ben Marsh
Peter Vardy and Matt Connell
Darren Jarman
Mark Stevens
Andrew McLeod and Malcolm Blight at the post-match press conference
Mark Ricciuto and Kane Johnson
Neil Kerley holds the Premiership Cup in the rooms
Malcolm Blight celebrates with family in the rooms
Andrew Eccles
Malcolm Blight with Ron Kinsman
Andrew McLeod holds his Premiership Medal and Norm Smith Medal
Peter Caven
The 1998 team on the MCG
Ben Marsh
Mark Bickley and Malcolm Blight on the team bus after the win
Shaun Rehn and Andrew Eccles
David Pittman, recruiting manager James Fantasia and Bickley
Blight and Bickley at Wayville
Mark Ricciuto, Nigel Smart and Mark Bickley at Wayville
Mark Bickley
Simon Goodwin and Tyson Edwards
Mark Bickley at Wayville
Darren Jarman at Wayville
Ricciuto at Wayville
Adelaide street parade
1990-91: the start
Simon Tregenza models the guernsey design
Romano Negri leads Andew Jarman, Andrew Payze, George Fiacchi and Nigel Smart on a run.
Pre-season training
Assistant coach Michael Taylor (in red top) leads a training run.
Darel Hart and Stephen Schwerdt lead a run at West Lakes.
Coach Graham Cornes watches training at Football Park.
1991 club internal trial, Patterson, Hodges (on ground), Weidemann and Lindsay.
Adelaide's 'B' side played new SANFL club Woodville-West Torrens in a trial game
Ruck coach Peter Carey talks tactics
Crows players break through the banner before a pre-season game.
Chris McDermott prepares to abseil during the pre-season camp at Victor Harbor.
First Crows game, 1991, Footy Record
"Get some Hawk on your fork", the banner for the first game
Adelaide's admin staff shared a transportable building at Football Park
Coaches and staff watch a post-match stretch.
Crows players follow the words to the theme song after their first win.
Coach Graham Cornes faces the media after a game.
Crows captain Chris McDermott shakes hands with former Glenelg mate and Carlton captain Stephen Kernahan.
Cornes talks to his players during a break.
Bruce Lindsay
Crows celebrate in the rooms after winning a match in 1991.
Chris McDermott player card, 1991
The banner for the last game of the first season
Players are the last round win over North Melbourne at Football Park.
Crows players thank the fans after the last game of the season.
