Rooms with a view
After a four-year absence from Sydney, it was easy to see why the players, coaches, staff and almost the entire board were keen to return to the Harbour City when the team bus pulled up at the luxurious Intercontinental Hotel last Friday. As the travelling party checked into the five-star hotel, several fortunate members of the group discovered they’d been assigned rooms looking out over the magnificent Sydney Harbour. The players also enjoyed the scenic views during their recovery session on Sunday morning, with the pool on the 24th floor overlooking the Harbour Bridge and Opera House.
Howzat?!
Coach Brenton Sanderson organised a special tour for the players after they trained at the Sydney Cricket Ground last Friday afternoon. Once the light run was finished, Sando pointed the players in the direction of the magnificent heritage-listed Members' Pavilion. It’s amazing how quickly professional sportsmen can turn into awestruck tourists taking snaps of each other in the changerooms used by the Australian cricket side for more than 100 years.
Veterans climb aboard
Peer group pressure was on show among the players on the bus trip from the Sydney airport to the SCG last Friday. A few of the older players, who have refused to use social media are slowly joining the majority of the squad who have Twitter accounts. While Kurt Tippett spent the drive answering tweeted questions from fans, Scott Thompson was under the pump from team-mates to write his first tweet after opening an account and the oldest current Crow Michael ‘Fossil’ Doughty also had an account set up for him. A week later we are still waiting for the wise one’s first tweet …
Coach in full flight
A qualified pilot, Brenton Sanderson returned to the cockpit - albeit briefly - last weekend. The captain of the return flight from Sydney to Adelaide ventured into the cabin late in the journey to shake hands with Sanderson and assistant coach Darren Milburn. The Virgin pilot, who had congratulated the team on its win against Sydney over the loudspeaker earlier in the flight, confessed to being an avid Cats fan and invited Sanderson into the cockpit … but only once the plane was safely on the tarmac at Adelaide Airport.
Good on you, mum!
The Crows Foundation held its annual Ladies Lunch at the Westpac Centre on Thursday, with 200 people joining Today show host Lisa Wilkinson to help celebrate Mother’s Day. Guests enjoyed a two-course meal and glamorous fashion parade by Liza Emanuele, and were also treated to a special video tribute featuring baby photos of current players Nathan van Berlo, Bernie Vince, Taylor Walker, Matt Jaensch and Aidan Riley. Bernie explained why he sported the same ‘mullet’ hairstyle as his dad, while VB confessed his mum still makes up his bed on his trips home to Perth. Crows Foundation board member Jason Porplyzia also embraced the occasion, treating himself to a hand massage!
