The Shed Floor was transformed into a studio on Monday as the Crows players and coaches posed for the 2012 AFL team photo and individual headshots.
The Behind Crows Doors team gives you the lowdown on the shoot.
Wingnut phone home
In a football club environment, any number of actions can earn a player the ridicule of his teammates. Calling your wife in the middle of a team photo shoot is definitely one of them as popular rookie Ian Callinan discovered late on Monday afternoon. As the players and coaches sat around impatiently waiting for the last of the photos to be taken, Callinan excused himself to call his wife Lauren to inform her he was going to be home late. “I told my missus I’d be home by six o’clock and I’m not going to be, am I?” Callinan told the team. His perfectly rational explanation was met by laughter, groans and a collective, ‘Awwwww’ from the 50-plus players and coaches.
Father (not on) time
And who was to blame for making Callinan late home and forcing the entire playing playing/coaching group to wait an extra half-an-hour to have the team photo taken? One man - Michael Doughty. Disrespectfully known by his teammates as ‘the veteran’ or ‘Fos(sil)’, the Crows oldest player was running behind schedule following an appointment and after photographers toyed briefly with the idea of superimposing Doughty into the photo, it was decided he would hightail his way to West Lakes to be part of the snap. Doughty’s long-awaited arrival triggered a Bronx cheer that filled the Westpac Centre.
Cleaning up their act
After being warned not to sport any looks they might regret later in the year, the players presented in excellent condition for the shoot. Taylor Walker visited the hairdresser last week for a general tidy-up … but couldn’t part with the mullet he’s been grooming since the end of last season. Bernie Vince decided against shaving off a small goatee, but his teammates joked the midfielder’s blonde facial hair wouldn’t even show up in the photos as it couldn’t be seen more than 30cm away. Matt Jaensch’s hair was fine before the shoot, but to help pass the time while waiting for ‘the veteran’ to arrive forward Chris Knights decided to shape the Jaensch’s hair into a standing-on-end, Dragon Ball Z-style do, plastering another strand of hair to his forehead.
The Orval truth
It seems rookie Dylan Orval has wasted no time in claiming the title as head ‘man scaper’ at Adelaide following the retirement of fashion-conscious utility Brad Moran. Shaun McKernan and Lewis Johnston both nominated Orval when asked which player took the longest to get ready prior to Monday’s photo shoot. The pair suggested Orval had used both a hair dryer and hair straightener to perfect his mop of blonde hair.
Bringing out the big guns
Orval wasn’t the only player concerned with looking his best in the 2012 team photo. Strongly-built forward Kurt Tippett was caught pushing out his muscles, while coach Brenton Sanderson - known for his love of upper-body weights - also took a moment to position his ‘guns’. At one point, the coach had vacant seats on either side of him and was overheard asking, “are these chairs for my arms? One arm on each chair”. Boys will be boys ...
As the Crows prepare for the upcoming season, click here to browse 2012 Membership and join the Club from only $75 (Adult) and $45 (Junior).
