Adelaide supporters have experienced both the highs and lows of the footy world over the last two years.
In 2012 Adelaide fell agonisingly short of a grand final when Hawthorn overcame them in the last quarter to win 97 to 92.
After an excellent finals campaign, Brenton Sanderson was hoping to taste ultimate success in his second year of coaching in 2013.
Then everything went downhill.
Kurt Tippett left, the Crows were fined $300,000 and were not able to participate in the first two rounds of the 2012 and 2013 draft.
Just when Sando thought things couldn’t get worse, ‘Tex’ Walker went down with a season-ending knee injury in Round 5 against Carlton.
The Crows slumped to an 11th-placed finish. Brenton Sanderson had failed to improve.
But then “there is no failure except in no longer trying” (Elbert Hubbard).
Brenton Sanderson has not stopped trying this offseason.
He has worked tirelessly with his recruiting staff to fill the void left by Kurt Tippett in the Adelaide forward line, successfully bringing in known goal kickers James Podsiadly and Eddie Betts.
His work did not stop there.
He worked with the recruiting staff again to pick up ball magnet Matt Crouch (brother of emerging talent Brad) and ferocious on-baller Riley Knight in the draft as well as proven youngsters Charlie Cameron, James Battersby, Alex Spina and Jake Kelly in the rookie draft.
He continued working on ways to maximise the players output over the preseason in order to prepare for the interchange cap.
Brenton Sanderson is Adelaide’s most tireless worker.
This inspiring effort does not stop with the coach.
Each player is working hard to become the best player they can to fit into Adelaide’s best 22.
Each player is pushing themselves to their absolute limit, none more so than Taylor Walker.
His attitude towards rehabilitation is so strong that it has lead the Adelaide coaching staff to promote him to the leadership group despite the chance that he will not start the season in the seniors as he continues to recover.
This attitude to training can also be found in the younger players, with Brodie Smith recording a top two finish in the post-Christmas time trial behind Captain Nathan Van Berlo.
This enthusiastic approach to training is all because Brenton Sanderson has convinced the playing group that they will taste ultimate success in the coming years.
This success will be driven by the younger players such as Patrick Dangerfield (23), Rory Sloane (23), Daniel Talia (22), Taylor Walker (23) and Brad Crouch (20).
Although 2013 was disappointing, the silver lining was that the crows were able to expose some younger players.
These younger players showed great promise, with Brad Crouch outscoring every other player in the best and fairest voting between rounds 10 and 23.
Similarly, in the last two years, the club has had six Rising Star nominations (four in 2013), with Daniel Talia winning the award in 2012 and Brad Crouch coming second behind Jaeger O’Meara (Gold Coast) last year.
Mitch Grigg is also a favourite to win the award this year at $14, behind Jack Martin ($5) and Brodie Grundy ($10).
This band of young players is set to make Adelaide’s backline an immovable object, its forward line an unstoppable force and its midfield the envy of every club.
These young players will require the unrivalled leadership that Adelaide has at its disposal.
Recently reappointed captain Nathan Van Berlo will spend time on the sidelines with a ruptured achilles.
This will provide him with the opportunity to fast-track the development of the younger players. His elite professionalism as well as his ability to motivate his teammates is the ultimate combination in a leader.
Supported by Dangerfield’s team-lifting goals and Sloane’s inspiring marks and ability to motivate his teammates, Adelaide will have unrivalled leadership in years to come.
Adelaide has all the tools to rise up the ladder in coming years, but it all has to click. Coaching, star players and leadership show that Adelaide has what it takes to be a serious finals contender, but if they’re not careful they could find themselves in the same position as North Melbourne – more talent they need but stuck just outside the top eight.
2014 is a telling year for the Crows, if they succeed it could be the start of something special.
If they falter again, we could see a loss of faith in Brenton Sanderson. Personally, I believe they will succeed and make the top eight given their talent, but it’s a long year and anything could happen.
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