SPEAKING to his dejected team after its season seven preliminary final loss, Adelaide head coach Matthew Clarke simply wanted to convey his immense pride.
Pride in the way his team showed up yet again after an especially difficult week in an already challenging year.
"I'm prouder of this season than I am of season six," Clarke said in the newest instalment of womens.afl's Journey to the Summit, documenting the Crows' preliminary final against Brisbane last season as they attempted to reach a third straight Grand Final and back up their premiership just seven months earlier.
Just five days earlier, Heather Anderson - inaugural Crow and good friend of many in that prelim team - passed away at just 28 years old. Anderson was part of the club's historic first premiership, the maiden AFLW victors, but an injury in that Grand Final put an end to her elite footy career.
The Crows fronted up for the all-important season seven final while mourning the loss of their friend and honouring her in the ways they knew how. Star midfielders Anne Hatchard and Ebony Marinoff can be seen in the vision donning pink braids and a pink scrunchie respectively, a nod to Anderson's bright pink helmet, and photo of Anderson greeted the side as it exited the rooms.
That week was the culmination of a strange, taxing year. Adelaide had claimed the season six premiership, lost inaugural co-captain Erin Phillips and experienced stalwarts Justine Mules and Ange Foley to newcomers Port Adelaide, and fronted up for a second season in the same calendar year.
"Coming into this season we had some challenge points, and there was a level of mental and physical fatigue and yet, throughout the whole season all of you, absolutely every one of you, just kept digging in and fighting," Clarke said to his players post-game.
"Of course, it hurts like hell, it's sh**, I'm not going to make that feel any better, but you've got to understand that the character that you've demonstrated, not only today but across this whole season, is unbelievable."
