Adelaide coach Don Pyke has acknowledged making mistakes in 2018 as the Crows miss the AFL finals, a year after being beaten in the grand final.
Adelaide coach Don Pyke says he regrets pushing his AFL players too far mentally and physically.
Pyke says it’s important the Crows own up to errors after missing the finals, a year after losing the grand final.
“It’s important we acknowledge we made some mistakes – that is what humans do,” he told Adelaide’s club champion award function on Friday night.
“In our drive to improve in our program both in our physical and mental side, in hindsight, seeking gains, maybe we pushed too far. And that I regret.”
Defender Rory Laird won Adelaide’s club champion award amid a continuing storm around the club about a mind performance pre-season camp which created ructions.
Pyke said “the tsunami of negativity is real”.
“It’s often easy to be swept up in that wave,” he said.
“But I know right now, the doubters and the negative people out there don’t know the quality of people I’m working with.”
The Crows had three choices amid the adversity, he said.
“You can let it define you; you can let it destroy you; or you can let it strengthen you – and I know which one we’ll take,” Pyke said.
“At the moment, it’s easy to see what people want us to see, which is the negatives, doubt ourselves, question where we’re going.
“I have real clarity of where we’re going.
“And I see this year as one of those things which has just come up … to challenge us, to find out what we’re made of.
“And through that adversity, that is what will create the strength.”
Adelaide’s chairman Rob Chapman told the function the club would “own the mistakes” of its year.
“After a lifetime in business and sport, I know that when things go wrong, it’s either the people or the process,” Chapman said.
“I’m confident … that by and large we do have the right people in place.”
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