2010

Premiership position: 11th (9 wins, 13 losses).

Coach: Neil Craig

Captain: Simon Goodwin

An unexpected dismal start to the 2010 season led to Adelaide missing the finals for the first time in six seasons under coach Neil Craig.

The Crows set high targets after the heart-breaking end to the 2009 finals campaign but poor form and a length injury list left the team winless after six rounds, the worst opening in the club’s first two decades.

The challenging season also steered five Crows stars into retirement but there appeared to be hope for the future after some wins against top sides later in the minor round.

Adelaide’s pre-season started badly when young defender Andy Otten injured a knee at training in December and needed a reconstruction, ruling him out of 2010 action.

Nathan Bock, Brett Burton, Chris Knights, Brad Moran, Scott Stevens, Nathan van Berlo, Brad Symes, David Mackay, Graham Johncock and Trent Hentschel, and later Simon Goodwin and Andrew McLeod, also had interrupted seasons. And first round draft pick Daniel Talia had a frustrating first year at the Crows with a knee injury limiting the defender to nine SANFL games.

On the positive side, the next generation of players including Rory Sloane, Taylor Walker, Richard Douglas, Ivan Maric, Patrick Dangerfield and Kurt Tippett were forced to take more responsibility.

Adelaide lost to Fremantle in Perth by 56 points in the opening round and its inability to defend with its trademark pressure left it exposed for several weeks. The Crows led Port by seven points at three-quarter-time of the round six Showdown but lost by 23 points and had to wait until the following week against winless Richmond to collect their first premiership points of the season.

Fan favourite Tyson Edwards was dropped after the round nine loss to Brisbane and decided to retire. But he returned to the club to play a farewell game against Fremantle in round 11 at AAMI Stadium and collected 32 touches, two goals and a win in his 321st and final game.

Edwards later revealed he battled testicular cancer from November 2009, when he had surgery to remove a malignant tumour. Incredibly, Edwards returned to training just a week later but his recovery took a heavy toll.

The mid-season break brought hope with four wins in a row including a 14-goal win over Essendon and an upset victory over Geelong under lights on a Friday night. A disappointing loss to Port the following week, however, ruled a line through any faint finals dreams.

The Crows finished the season in 11th spot with nine wins after upsetting St Kilda by 28 points in the last round, a week after pushing top side Collingwood at the MCG in round 21. These two teams played in the grand finals a few weeks later.

Adelaide’s last game turned into a farewell celebration for four more experienced Crows. Captain Goodwin, Burton, McLeod and Hentschel all announced their retirements during the season. Although they could not pull on their jumpers for the game, appreciative Crows fans stayed after the win to watch the moving lap-of honour motorcade.

Premiership hero McLeod was unable to overcome a knee injury after playing his 340th game in the round 16 win against Geelong. This was also Goodwin’s last game. The three-time Club Champion announced his retirement plans in May but was later restricted by an ankle injury and didn’t finish the season.

Burton only played six AFL games because of recurring knee issues and Hentschel’s brave return from his horrific knee injury from late in the 2006 season ended after he played the first three games of the season.

Douglas was impressive all year and his consistency was rewarded with the Malcolm Blight Medal as 2010 Club Champion. Douglas, who was left out of Adelaide’s last final in 2009, polled votes in 19 of the 22 games to finish five clear of runner-up Scott Thompson and third-placed Michael Doughty.

Johncock missed seven games through injury but still finished fifth in the best-and-fairest and Tippett was the leading goalkicker with 46.

Phil Davis made his AFL debut early in the season, played 15 games and was recognised with the Mark Bickley Award. Another promising Crow, Sloane, overcame a severe ankle injury suffered in round one to play 14 AFL games in his second season and win the Emerging Talent Award. Stevens won his second Best Team Man award.

Awards and Achievements

All Australian: –

Best Team Man: Scott Stevens

Mark Bickley Award: Phil Davis

Members 19th Man MVP: Graham Johncock

Leading goalkicker: Kurt Tippett

Emerging Talent award: Rory Sloane

Club Coach’s Award: Richard Douglas

AFC Life Membership: John Reid, Michael Doughty, Rob Shirley, Ken McGregor

Other news

• Adelaide reported its first ever operating loss, of $882,130, after paying sub licence fee ($619,000) and northern grandstand ($600,000). High interest payments, record injury payments, flat revenue and depreciation expenses of nearly $1 million also influenced the result.
• Adelaide changed its main marketing logo for 2010. The new “modernised” Crow also featured on the front of the new away guernsey. The original Crow shield style returned for some formal use and for some events.
• The club’s new $21 million training and entertainment venue had its first season of operations after its official opening in October, 2009. The new Shed proved its versatility, used by the players for training and pre-game warm-ups and by thousands of supporters after home games. And the venue’s function rooms hosted more than 40 events each month ranging from weddings to private, corporate events, and the Schools in Crows program. Facility tours and the museum also were popular.
• Plans for an Adelaide Oval upgrade to allow AFL games to be played in the city continued to progress after the State Government threw its financial support behind the proposal. A $100 million grant to upgrade AAMI Stadium had been canned the previous year.
• Alan Sheppard retired from the Adelaide Football Club Board after 15 years of service.
• Adelaide’s first Irish recruit Brian Donnelly left the club in July to return home after a two-season stint. Donnelly had battled homesickness but made the decision after having a shoulder reconstruction.
• At the end of the season Patrick Dangerfield toured Ireland as part of the Australian International Rules squad.

List changes

In: Daniel Talia (Calder U18), Jack Gunston (Sandringham U18), Sam Shaw (Oakleigh U18), James Craig North Adelaide), Brodie Martin (rookie elevation). Rookies: Matthew Wright (North Adelaide), Matthew Jaensch (Sturt), Luke Thompson (Geelong U18), Aidan Riley (NSW Scholarship rookie)

Out: Robert Shirley, Nick Gill, Greg Gallman, Tom Lee, Aaron Kite, James Moss (rookie)

First game players

Tony Armstrong, v Fremantle at Subiaco Oval, 28/3/10 (player debut order 169)

Will Young, v Sydney at AAMI Stadium, 4/4/10 (170)

Chris Schmidt, v Melbourne at MCG, 11/4/10 (171)

Phil Davis, v Carlton at AAMI Stadium, 17/4/10 (172)

Ricky Henderson, v Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium, 23/4/10 (173)

Matthew Jaensch, v Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium, 1/5/10 (174)

Jack Gunston, v Brisbane at AAMI Stadium, 23/5/10 (175)

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