The easiest thing to write for a season summary would be to say, forget the 2010 season, we had a bit of back luck and everything will be okay.

But no, that’s not the attitude at the Adelaide Football Club.

I want to make it very clear that the coaching group and the players are not wiping their hands of 2010. There is no doubt we underperformed this year. Our start to the season was well below what is required to be first competitive and then successful at this level. We then created an opportunity for ourselves later in the season but weren’t good enough to take it. Yes, we finished on a high with that win over St Kilda last Saturday night. But the premiership table doesn’t lie - and we finished 11th.

So why did it happen? I believe there were many reasons for our poor season, some within our control, others outside of our control. We had high expectations this year, for many sound reasons. We did not promise a top four finish but at the start of the year this was my vision for the 2010 group, as a place that we wanted to go if we were to continue to improve. We didn’t come close to meeting these expectations.

There is no doubt that starting the season with about 15 players on the injury list had an impact. Some of these injuries had dragged on from 2009, and a couple were just plain bad luck. But it was a far from perfect start to the season and our numbers of available players for training and playing did not really improve as the season progressed. We are not hiding from this fact and several months ago we initiated a review of our training and rehab program, using some external experts. We will make some changes because we need a healthier squad to take us into 2011.

At the start of the season, this was a key reason we struggled. The level went up a notch or two from 2009 across the competition and we found that we couldn’t compete for long enough to win games. This competitiveness is the basis of everything we want to do on the football field and if that’s not right, everything else falls away. The coaching and playing group accepted full responsibility for the results. But at the midway point of the season we, as a Club and playing group, made the decision to push hard all the way to the finish. We decided that the best way to prepare for the future was to continue to pursue high standards at training, preparation and playing. If we had just allowed the season roll past, 2010 would have been a complete waste.

Instead, we were able to see how powerful intense team football can be. The wins over Geelong and St Kilda showed what could be achieved - and what is needed on a consistent basis if we are to succeed as a team in the AFL.

While I was extremely disappointed to be the coach of a team that failed to make the finals for the first time in six years, I believe there were some positives to emerge from our difficult year. I’m proud of the way the group responded to the hard times. Some clubs would have fallen apart after losing the first six games but we didn’t. Our leadership group and leadership program played a strong role in this.

Congratulations to Simon Goodwin, Andrew McLeod, Tyson Edwards, Brett Burton and Trent Hentschel on great careers. This Club has been blessed with some great players and leaders and although none of this group were on the field for the last games, their presence around the club remained very important and their legacy will be felt for some time.

Seven young men played their first games for Adelaide this year and we finished the year against St Kilda with seven players in the team who had played 15 games or less, providing us with a snapshot of our new era. We must continue to develop and add to this group.

There are many people at this Club who help create a great environment and I’d like to thank a number of them for their support in 2010:

It was a testing year for our coaching group but I congratulate them all on their resilience and ability to challenge each other - and the playing group - to get better. After six years as an assistant coach, David Noble has moved into a new role with the Club as List Manager. I am so pleased that he will continue to serve the Crows, in this important position.

Losing six consecutive games at the start of the season gave our players an experience in dealing with adversity. I liked their response to this tough situation, particularly their will and persistence in the second half of the year. This was always going to be the best form of preparation for next season.

This Club is fortunate to have a great Board, led by Chairman Rob Chapman, and a strong management team under CEO Steven Trigg. This year, more than ever, the value of calm, stable, supportive and wise off-field leadership has been underlined to me and the regular two-way communication has been greatly appreciated.

Our physical conditioning, medical and support room staff were kept busy this year and provided unconditional support to the group. Importantly, there was an understanding that we needed to seek new ways of operating in this important area.
These are difficult times for our recruiting department but Matthew Rendell and his team were again successful in adding some fine young men to our list. The fact that three of our 2010 rookie selections played AFL this year - Matthew Jaensch, Chris Schmidt and Ricky Henderson - is a positive reflection of the Club’s talent identification.

To the members, sponsors, and supporters - who combine to form the 19th Man - thank you for your support and encouragement. It is the envy of other AFL clubs and was on show at its finest at our last home game, when we farewelled Goodwin, McLeod, Burton and Hentschel. It was one of the greatest moments in this club’s history and I know it provided each of these players with special memories.

Neil Craig
SENIOR COACH

This was Neil Craig's report in the Adelaide Football Club's 2010 Year Book.