They were not gods, of course: they were mortals about to get an early start on Mad Monday. But Goodwin, McLeod, Burton and Hentschel, who also flitted up the race, were exceptions. Their retirements show that they, too, are mortal, but unlike the others they were leaving the arena forever.
The send-off they received was fit for the gods. A slow-motion wave of emotion moved through 38,000 fans as the cavalcade completed its walking-pace circuit of the ground. Tears flowed, cameras flashed, hands stretched over fences and voices went hoarse.
There have been fewer more poignant or important moments in the club’s brief history. Later, at the Shed, Goodwin - captain, multi-award winner and dual premiership player - said that the lap of honour was the most emotional experience of his career.
With the departure of the greats, the next few months and years will show how strong the club’s culture has become. We are in new and perhaps dangerous territory.
Never before have the Crows lost so much experience in one hit. The aforementioned four join Tyson Edwards, who took his final bow earlier this year, and Nathan Bock, who, Icarus-like, is now flying towards the Suns. As that great artist, Michelangelo, noted in The Advertiser on the weekend, nearly 1300 games of experience have just disappeared down the throat of the great God of Time. Between them, Saturday’s replacements - Davis, Henderson, Jaensch, Martin, Schmidt and Sloane - have played a mere 71 games.
We all see promise in these youngsters. Four-gamer Brodie Martin, for example, lit up the stadium on Saturday with his brazen runs out of defence and his eight kicks into the forward 50. Rory Sloane is a hard-at-the-ball player with good leg-speed; he receives plenty of frees because he dives in without fear and his clump of blonde hair catches the attention of umpires. Henderson and Jaensch show skill and dash, Schmidt is steady, and Davis is starting to take contested marks. And there are others waiting off-stage who also have great potential.
But other clubs have talented youngsters, too, many of whom came higher in the draft than any Crow. It is possible, therefore, that the Crows will linger in the lower reaches of the ladder for some time.
Possible, but not inevitable. To avoid a prolonged depression, every player - with the exception of Johncock and Thompson, who are already at the peaks of their games - must attain a higher level.
Youngsters are usually inconsistent; they fade in and out, they show brilliance and mediocrity in equal measure, and they run out of steam. In the contest to be best next year, and in years to come, the fate of the Crows rests on how quickly our lads can become exceptional footballers and how quickly they can congeal as a team. For this reason it is hard to overstate the importance of the coming preseason.
We all know that the previous preseason was a disaster. Too many Crows sustained injuries or failed to shake off ailments that hampered their preparation. The season itself was no better: as quickly as old injuries healed, new ones were inflicted. Too many injuries for too long; it destroyed the season.
Another chariot wreck of a preseason would be unacceptable. More than that, it would be catastrophic for the club. The Crows’ coaches and fitness and medical staff face a task fit for Hercules: they must devise an approach to the preseason that not only avoids the 2010 debacle, it improves the players above the norm.
They have little room for error because we, the supporters, will be watching closely.
More than ever before, we will monitor what happens over the summer because we now know how much it will shape the team’s fortunes next year. We will also scrutinise the draft, the trades and the rookies, and - I am sure - we will offer plenty of advice to ensure that the Crows get everything right.
But even the best-laid plans can go wrong through sheer bad luck. The Crows had more than their fair share of it this year. Next year, that must change. Next year, the Crows need the gods to smile upon them.
Join Sarrey’s Blog Facebook page for photos from Saturday’s game and updates on the Crows over the long summer ahead (http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Sarreys-Blog/103023909750934?ref=ts).
