It was a particularly special off-season for Adelaide’s Indigenous players as they travelled to the state’s north-west to reconnect with the hometown of several Club greats.

In January, Eddie Betts, Cam Ellis-Yolmen, Wayne Milera, Ben Davis, Shane McAdam and Tyson Stengle made the decision to spend three days visiting remote communities around Ceduna.

For Betts, Ellis-Yolmen and new Crow Stengle, the trip was especially close to their hearts, with all three possessing strong family ties to the area.

“I have massive family ties here,” Betts told AFC Media.

“I was born in Port Lincoln, but most of my family, the Betts family, came through Koonibba [in Ceduna] – my grandfather is Eddie Betts as well and he’s a Mail Medallist and he’s up here on the walls.

“I’ve got another grandfather Reggie Betts who they call the legend, so a lot of my family - not just the Betts’ - came through here… it’s a wonderful footy club and the culture here is unbelievable.”

The players hosted a community super clinic at Koonibba Football Club, where the Betts name is legendary.

“This football club has been significant for this community where young kids don’t have a lot to do so this footy club puts activities on for them,” he said.

“A lot of those kids’ uncles, brothers, cousins, grandfathers have come through this footy club so it’s wonderful what they’re doing for the community.”

Also travelling with the group were Crows fan favourite Graham Johncock and Crows Indigenous Liaison Officer Jeremy Johncock who also had ties to the Ceduna area.

Jeremy Johncock, who works closely with the current Indigenous players through his role at the club, said the trip was an invaluable opportunity for the six Crows to “reconnect with country”.

“Staying connected to community is massive – it keeps the players grounded and if they leave the footy club, their community is the first place they go,” he said.

“There’s a saying that when you draft an Indigenous player, you draft their community too.”

Johncock said the decision to visit Ceduna came entirely from the players.

“This trip was what they wanted to do… Tyson is from Ceduna and both Eddie and Cam have family ties to the area so it’s a special place to go,” he said.

He said the impact of the visit on the local community was vast.

“For the locals, they get to see and meet their role models, which is great for them,” he said.

“We even visited an Indigenous aged care home in Ceduna and some of the people who lived there had been Crows fans since the very beginning.

“We even FaceTime’d Andrew McLeod at one point because one of the residents was such a huge fan.”