Momentum is a big thing in footy and we have enjoyed a good run both on and off the field lately. Our challenge is to make sure it continues!
Last week’s Sir Doug Nicholls Round victory over Brisbane was arguably the best in Matthew Nicks’ coaching reign, given the Lions were on a seven-game winning streak and clearly a genuine premiership contender. It gave us another confidence boost but we head to Darwin today knowing we must be at our absolute best to beat Gold Coast.
There’s no secret that a healthy squad aligns with strong on-field results and credit must go to our high performance team which continues to carefully manage the players’ workloads and recovery, as we navigate some lengthy road trips and a mid-season period which can easily become a grind.
Their impressive work also ensures we field a strong SANFL team. Sitting at 5-2, we are playing some good footy and it’s most pleasing to see the attitude of players who miss AFL selection. They continue to push hard at state league level and deliver strong performances that puts pressure on those above. All the best to Mick Godden and the guys for their game against Glenelg tomorrow.
Our AFLW players have started pre-season training and they have three months to get themselves right for another go at a premiership. In a Club-first and starting from today, the squad will train during the day on Fridays and it will give us a glimpse into the future as to what full-time professionalism could look like for our female athletes.
Off-field, it was great to see Josh Worrell sign on for a further two years earlier this week and we are hopeful of seeing a few other guys do the same in coming weeks!
Our membership tally has also gone past 60,000 and it’s climbing, so if you know of anyone who has not yet signed up then please encourage them to do so as well. It’s exciting times and we need everyone on board!
We are also launching the second iteration of our Kuwa Circles program, which creates employment opportunities for young Indigenous women. It involves a unique sports and cultural curriculum designed to build academic confidence and encourage a greater understanding of science, technology, engineering and maths principles. Last year’s pilot program led to 80 percent of the participants gaining employment or further study.
I’m never one to look too far ahead but it’s worth noting that one of our greats Taylor Walker plays his 250th AFL match in Round 13. I encourage all of you to be at the game against West Coast at Adelaide Oval and hopefully we can celebrate Tex’s milestone in the best possible way. If you need added reason to get along, it will also be our Emergency Services Match where we pay tribute to volunteers and employees who work across the police, and metropolitan and country fire services, among other departments.
In the meantime, we need to get the job done against the Suns tomorrow night and that’s where our focus lies. Go Crows!
Regards,
Tim Silvers
