A few things about the game on Friday night really pushed my buttons. The umpiring, for example, which cut the Crows off at the knees; Hudson, who looks so smug you’d think he’d won two or three premierships since he left Adelaide; and, most of all, the ineptitude of the Crows.
It wasn’t so much the mistakes - players lacking in confidence and experience are bound to make awful mistakes, which presumably they will learn from. (And they did make some awful mistakes.) It was the midfield - or rather the lack of one.
If the Crows’ midfield had been functional against the Bulldogs we might have won. The backline was pretty good, on the whole, although the burden was immense, and the forward line was okay when the ball ever went down there. But the midfield was smashed. Again.
A couple of weeks ago I wrote that the biggest change to the Crows has been in the backline. It’s true. The makeup of the midfield is not particularly different from last year - Thompson, Vince, Douglas, Sloane, Reilly and Van Berlo are all still there. Why has it vaporised, then? I don’t know the answer, although I don’t think it is personnel. Presumably the coaches know. They’d better fix it soon.
If only there were a button they could push. Apart from the panic button. Or the self-destruct button. Maybe there’s an app that can help.
The truth is, there is no magic button for the plight of the Crows. We’re going to have to suck it up and keep our resolve. It would be easier if we could see some sort of light; the lack of one is the ultimate test of faith.
Some people are muttering darkly about VB; they are saying he is not the leader the Crows need. I say give him a break. Try to imagine the stress he is under - hundreds of thousands of disappointed people, the coach and club under siege, an inexperienced team lacking confidence. His own form has deteriorated recently, too, possibly because of the pressure. Let’s see how he copes in the next few months. If he is strong enough, this bleak period will be the making of his captaincy.
What the Crows need more than anything is for its talent to emerge. Despite the dismality of the game on Friday night, some of it did. Hendo showed, almost for the first time this year, what we all thought last year - that he could be a gun. Otten started to fly his true colours, and Symes regained some touch.
The remainder of the season is an opportunity to take a look at some of the club’s other latent talent. Brodie Martin was good for Sturt on the weekend; he’s a ball-carrier, and the Crows need more of those. I like Aidan Riley, too, because he plays like Joel Selwood (coincidentally, he also has similar hair). Callinan should get a crack - maybe he can help solve our lack of a crumbing forward. Mackay, another ball-carrier, is on his way back. It might almost be time to put Talia on the big stage.
The smear of volcanic ash over southern Australia might have moved on, but the big black cloud of depression has descended on the Crows and all those who support them. Craigy has predicted scary times ahead. They are already quite spooky. The club is asking for plenty from its long-suffering supporters and it would be easy for us to lose faith. Based on the theory that most things are cyclical, however, the cloud is bound to lift eventually. We should persevere. When I access the AFL website on my smartphone there’s an option labelled ‘change my club’. It’s a button I’ll never push.
