FIRST-YEAR Adelaide AFLW coach Matthew Clarke borrowed a line from the mighty New Zealand All Blacks in addressing his players on the first night of pre-season training.
"Does anyone know what SFW means?" Clarke posed to the group after an hour of skill-based work.
"There's a few different meanings. One of them is Skilled Fundamentals Win. Another is Superior Fitness Wins. And the last is Simple Footy Wins.
"You've got to have a few tricks, but it's not rocket science - play what's in front of you.
"That's something I stole off the All Blacks when we did some work with them five or six years ago. They are the most winningest team in sport, so they're doing something right."
Clarke – a ruckman who played 258 AFL games and has been the Crows' AFL ruck coach for the past decade - has big shoes to fill.
Inaugural coach Bec Goddard was exactly what the Crows – and the AFLW as a whole – needed in their first two years.
She was passionate, driven, built strong relationships with her players, quirky and could be counted on for a memorable quote or two every week.
Goddard drove the Crows to the 2017 premiership behind the brilliant Erin Phillips, named best and fairest that season, and courageous utility Chelsea Randall.
Things didn't go to plan in their title defence; Phillips missed a few games with a quad injury, the Crows' attack struggled and they finished fifth in 2018 with a 3-3-1 record.
Phillips will re-join the Crows next week after finishing her basketball coaching commitments in the US with the Dallas Wings. The Instagram videos of her workouts at the famed Michael Johnson Performance Centre in Texas show she'll be ready to go when she arrives at West Lakes.
The Crows rounded out their first session with two four-minute running efforts, with a one-minute break in between.
Pacy forward Jess Sedunary set a hot pace, with the always loud Ebony Marinoff not far behind.
NT-based trio Angela Foley, Jasmyn Hewett and Danielle Ponter are training in Darwin, draftee Katelyn Rosenzweig is recovering from neck surgery while forward Jenna McCormick – currently playing in the W-League with Brisbane Roar - will join the Crows in January.
Another of the new faces is former Australian Opals basketballer Jess Foley, who played her first season of football last year.
"It was amazing to be drafted, but it's just been words up until now," Foley said.
"We now get to meet each other and get on the track and get things going."
Foley, 35, played alongside Phillips at the Adelaide Lightning in the WNBL and can't wait to join forces once again.
"It'll be fun actually to be teammates with Erin again and getting up to our old tricks, like winning championships for one," Foley said.
"It'll be very nice to be playing with Erin again, she's just an amazing competitor."
Fundamentals, fitness and simple footy. Those three elements will decide how far the Crows go under their new mentor in 2019.
