On Thursday night, the Adelaide Crows return from their bye weekend to face Collingwood in a match that is likely to determine their destiny in 2014.
While the bye can have its disadvantages, it could not have come at a more prime opportunity for the Crows in the wake if their disastrous loss to Melbourne a fortnight ago.
The three-point loss was nadir for a club that has suffered a frustrating few seasons of mediocrity and false hope.
Patches of quality football have been overshadowed by sloppy business dealings, crippling injuries and a growing realisation that the 2012 preliminary final effort was a mere aberration.
Coupled with the herculean resurgence of their bitter rivals in Port Adelaide, the Crows are no longer the Pride of South Australia it sings about.
On top of another thousand questions that CEO Steven Trigg coach Brenton Sanderson and co. must find answers for, one particular question requires deep thought.
How relevant are the Adelaide Crows in the current South Australian sporting landscape?
On-field, they play risk-averse, indecisive football, while Port Adelaide continues to win plaudits for their free-flowing game. Combine this with the resurgence of Adelaide United and the Adelaide 36ers, who have revitalised their entertaining brands, and the Crows look out of place in a competitive landscape.
Off-field is another place where the Crows must ask some hard questions.
For the first time in living memory, Port Adelaide drew a bigger home-and-away crowd to a regular game when 47,000 watched the Geelong match – only 44,000 suffered the Crows-Melbourne clash.
Furthermore, Port Adelaide cracked 50,000 members for the first time in 2014 while the Crows, by last count, had just over 53,000 paying supporters. The club trumpets this figure as record-breaking, but considering Adelaide had a competition-high 51,000 members in 2005; it represents a decade-long stagnation.
In the same time Collingwood, West Coast and Hawthorn have combined success with record levels of membership. Even Richmond – whose trophy cabinet in the past 30 years strongly resembles the Washington Generals – have managed to double their membership in the same period.
Worryingly, the media reports discussing how the new Adelaide Oval became feasible, show that the Crows have been second to the contest on every effort to modernise South Australian football over the last decade.
From stadium deals, to SANFL reserve teams, to licence independence and the move to the Adelaide Oval, the Crows were the recalcitrant to change while Port Adelaide courageously took the lead on these issues – even if it cost people their jobs.
As a result, Port received the plaudits for their courageous efforts to modernise South Australian football, while Adelaide looked like a cranky old grandparent who was resistant to a changing world.
The club’s management has shown itself to be relics of the old football establishment, who never really wanted to vacate Football Park or break-free from the grips of the SANFL.
It would be easy for the club hierarchy to dismiss all of this as a rough patch.
They’ll point to the Power in the early 2000s, when they were the darlings of South Australia before their stagnation, while crowd figures for the 36ers and Adelaide United fluctuate based on their success.
Yet somehow I don’t think this is another rough patch, I think this may be the beginning of a new dynamic in South Australian sport.
If the Crows fail to attain success and embrace modernisation, they may find themselves stuck in a rut, clinging to past glories while watching the New World Order sail into an era of prosperity.
If the Crows don’t adapt, they may find themselves the poor cousin of the South Australian sporting scene.
Follow John on Twitter – @JohnHunt1992
John Allen
Guest
The Crows have now confirmed they are the most under performing team in the A F L.They are about to lose many thousand members. Why should they put in the effort to go to watch such a disgusting effort against a team like Carlton.Thompson will soon retire and Paddy and Rory will become disenchanted and go back to Victoria and who can blame them. We the spectators don't win matches the players do so stop telling us we are needed.If that is the case then the players should look for a different job. When they had a good coach they performed, when he went they did not perform . Therefore the whole coaching panel should look for a different field of work.Maybe some of the hierarchy could also think about a career change as well.
Tom
Guest
Cheers Gavin, Carn the Crows
Gavin
Guest
@Tom......Finally someone speaks the truth. Perfectly said. Well done.
Tom
Guest
This is a plain ridiculous article. Winners are grinners. 5 years ago port were taking handouts and drawing pathetic crowds, but as they came good, as the crows eventually will, they gained more support (mainly bang wagoners) and now could be considered the premier SA club. But to say Adelaide is irrelevant is plain wrong, shown by the particular need to ridicule them to satisfy Port's own bias opinions rooted deep in, dare I say, the arrogance of the Port Adelaide supporters who will always surf on another negative wave to have some leverage over their superior rivals.
Moff
Guest
I believe there was a degree of concern about the future of the SANFL when Port originally put their hands up and declared " kick it to me" the Vics however were only playing games to get a side like the Cerows on board in SA. Some of this motivation was from a discerned slowing down of players coming to VIC. The financial reward in terms of playing long term in SA were having an effect. In the end the AFL achieved all of their aims, the freeing up of the player market and two SA sides at each other's throats. As a long term Crow supporter based in VIC I saw many a defeat in the early years. I was there at Adelaide oval on Thur night and the atmosphere surpassed anything I enjoyed at the MCG. I think the crow supporters are learning how to barrack at last. They must have had an effect on the younger players from both sides. As to Port, good on them good footy is good footy.
Ando
Guest
Billions eh? Lets pop the hyperbole back in its box please.
Ben of Phnom Penh
Roar Guru
Good to hear, I thought you were muttering to yourself for a minute there :)
shifty
Roar Rookie
Well yeah actually Port were irrelevant and Adelaide FC were leading the charge in declaring it. there was even talk that PAFC should hand their AFL license back.
Rob McLean
Guest
Here for my medicine. The buggers have woken up!
checkside
Guest
Gee, you win one game....
Bayman
Guest
......mind you, there would be less criticism from some of us if the Crows played every game just like they did tonight against Collingwood. A four quarter effort, win or lose, at least convinces the critics that the club is taking everything pretty seriously and is not just coasting along. Having now set a standard, and got a result, the club will be expected to replicate that effort every week. It can be done but it remains to be seen if it will be done. Let's hope so.
Bill C.
Guest
I doubt that the Crows are losing relevance in S.A, but a couple of things have probably happened that may have galvanised the existing animosity toward them from supporters of other teams. I know people who live in S.A.and they're long time supporters of other AFL teams, they hate the Crows, but support Port Adelaide.
Gavin
Guest
50,000 plus and a great win over a great side...yeah we're irrelevant alright. How about people don't write stupid articles like this again
Tad
Roar Rookie
Kochie ....he is on Sunrise you know :)
Mister Football
Roar Guru
That number is mind-boggling - who would have thought it possible two years ago?
Axle an the guru
Guest
Tonight's crowd put this argument to bed, 50000+
Radelaide
Guest
It wasn't so much that 2012 was a mere aberration because in this age of a very unequal draw anyone who finishes lowly the year before can get a good run the next year and also injuries don't always wipe out your season each season, they also had a new coach and Dangerfield and Walker had breakout years but what has hurt them the most is the loss of Tippett. I have always said he is such a good mark that he brings a lot to any attack and that match the other night just showed it, Swans could've won without Buddy but not Tippett.
Strummer Jones
Guest
"For the first time in living memory, Port Adelaide drew a bigger home-and-away crowd to a regular game when 47,000 watched the Geelong match – only 44,000 suffered the Crows-Melbourne clash." The article lost all credibility from that point on. You would do well at the Daily Telegraph here in Sydney. They only employ journos that are able create an emotional response from their readers.
bill scott
Guest
So Whats New. When port wanted to better themselves and join the A.f.L they did so because the establishment had no vision and wanted to hang on to their local league.The VFL had taken Adelaides best like Malcolm Blight and John platen to name a few A national comp insured Sth AUst. would get their fair share of Quality players. Adelaide held back,Port took the initiative and Port were maligned as Traiters.They were blocked by the regressive mentality of the conservative ice coffee drinking element that still exists in Sth Australia.This snob element ,Based in areas such as Unley Glenelg and Norwood who viewed anything nth of Adelaide as Yobbos or Poms,cant understand why they keep losing players interstate.There vindictive personality to want to somehow punish Kurt Tippet,hoping he would be forced to play for a lesser club meant they rejected Jesse White who even then showed he had great potential and is set to punish tonight.So wake up crows and wake up S.A.
Gyfox
Guest
Today Port Adelaide passed 53,000 members. This must be almost the Crows total.