Since taking over at the helm of the Crows midway through 2004, Craig has maintained the position that he would walk - and not have to be pushed - when he felt he was no longer the man for the top job at West Lakes.
Craig has been under increasing pressure after Adelaide’s disastrous start to the season but said he was confident he could play a role in guiding the club back from the bottom of the AFL ladder.
“That time [to walk away] will come for all of us, but it’s certainly not at the moment," Craig said on Friday. "I’ll know [when that time is] and I don’t go back on that statement. I’m not questioning that [whether I’m the person for the job].
“My self-confidence is fine. [Losing] is tiring for everyone because you’re continually thinking and you’re looking to do more things and asking if you can change things.
“You do spend more time trying to find ways to right the ship. Your mind’s a bit more active than it would be, say in a 7-1 situation. Coaching is always a demanding job and this situation is very demanding.”
Adelaide’s rough start to the year was compounded on Monday by the suspension of three players, Bernie Vince, Graham Johncock and Matthew Jaensch.
Vince and Jaensch were suspended for a week for staying out beyond a reasonable hour following the Crows’ loss to North Melbourne last weekend, while the injured Johncock was disciplined for missing a rehabilitation session on Sunday morning.
Craig conceded the suspensions were the last thing the club needed leading into Sunday’s clash with the Brisbane Lions.
“At 1-7 you’d like to think that’s enough to deal with,” Craig said.
“One of those players [Vince] is a club champion. One [Jaensch] is a young rookie, who has been elevated to the senior list, and there are a number of guys out there in football land that would give their right arm for that to happen to them.
“The other player Graham is an elite AFL defender, with the way he was playing before he hurt his shoulder. It disadvantages the team when we don’t need it at 1-7.”
Craig was also forced to respond to allegations from Kangaroos skipper Brent Harvey that the Adelaide players weren’t trying for the first three quarters in the game between the two sides last weekend.
The Crows managed just four goals in the opening three terms to trail by 54 points at the last change, but piled on seven goals in the final quarter to go down by less than two straight kicks.
Craig conceded his side’s performance against the Roos was the worst of the year, but denied the players had given up on season 2010.
“If they were totally shot as a group and they weren’t trying, which is the allegation, you wouldn’t see that quarter of footy," Craig said.
"You don’t see that when people have stopped trying. I understand what Brent’s talking about, but I’d question that they weren’t trying.”
