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ULTIMATELY, Brenton Sanderson's 57 per cent winning record as coach – better than any before him at Adelaide – counted for nothing.
He lost his players and failed to win over club legend and influential new board member Mark Ricciuto.
Ricciuto - who owns a hotel in Adelaide with the club's three biggest stars in Patrick Dangerfield, Rory Sloane and Taylor Walker - is still considered royalty at West Lakes and is best mates with the early favourite to replace Sanderson, Simon Goodwin.
AFL.com.au understands Goodwin was in Adelaide as recently as the weekend.
The Crows' players were officially made aware of the extraordinary decision to sack Sanderson via email on Wednesday afternoon. Some already knew - to others, it was a shock.
It was a similar situation among the coaching group.
Perhaps the first real sign that something significant was brewing came when radio station 5AA was due to speak to All Australian defender Brodie Smith on Wednesday afternoon.
The interview was cancelled because Smith had turned his phone off.
Presenter Stephen Rowe then said that the partners of players who were employees at 5AA had left work.
Something was up.
But how did the smiling rookie of 2012, who appeared destined to deliver a long-awaited third premiership to Adelaide, become another sacked coach in the space of three seasons?
Importantly, the former Geelong assistant's first season was the only year in which he had full access to his support panel.
The late Dean Bailey, so instrumental as Sanderson's mentor and right hand man in 2012, was suspended for 16 games in 2013 before tragically dying early this year.
As a young coach, Sanderson needed help – he couldn't work out why his side was so inconsistent this season, not on his own anyway.
The official line from club chairman Rob Chapman after the axe was swung on Wednesday was that Adelaide had "unearthed a need for change".
On Monday, incoming CEO Andrew Fagan flagged his desire to assemble the best football department in the country, but insisted it was "way too early" to know whether the current department required a shakeup.
Just 48 hours later, Fagan's search for the League's best football department began with the need to sign a new senior coach.
Sanderson to Collingwood unlikely
It's difficult to ascertain the legacy Sanderson leaves at West Lakes, if he leaves one at all.
He inherited a farce in Kurt Tippett's contract saga - a situation that robbed him of key draft picks and proved an unbearable disruption in the build-up to the 2013 season.
Then came injuries to key players, especially Taylor Walker, and the club's 2013 campaign didn't stand a chance.
Having paid big money to recruit Eddie Betts and also adding James Podsiadly, much more was expected in 2014.
But Sanderson's campaign was again derailed early, with the death of Bailey and a season-ending Achilles injury to captain Nathan van Berlo.
Without the skipper playing, the side appeared to lack character and composure at important times, often losing games from winnable positions.
Nothing highlighted the side's lack of spirit than in round 21 when, after hitting the lead late at Adelaide Oval against Richmond in front of 50,459 home fans, the Crows rolled over.
They faced North Melbourne a week later, fighting for their place in the finals.
Adelaide's young side again led in the final term, but with its season on the line, it again failed to will itself to victory.
Sanderson said young teams often stumbled as they learnt about what was required at the elite level and insisted his group would emerge stronger.
Indeed it might, but Sanderson has paid the price.
Sanderson will front the media in Adelaide on Thursday afternoon butchairman Rob Chapman will also conduct a separate media conference onThursday morning to fully explain the club's sacking of its coach.
