It’s already been another massive week for our footy club and there is still plenty of excitement to come this weekend as we turn our attention to the AFLW Preliminary Final.
Today the team flew to Brisbane ahead of Saturday night’s game against the Lions, and if recent form is anything to go by, it should be another cracking contest.
We have built a terrific rivalry with Brisbane dating back to the very first season of the competition in 2017, and in recent times we have only just fallen short by a grand total of seven points from the last three meetings!
Speaking to our players and coaches during the week, our preparation has been strong and there is certainly no lack of motivation to try to turn the tables on the Lions and book a spot in the grand final.
But regardless of the result, I feel I can speak for all Crows fans in expressing just how proud we are of our AFLW team. Under the guidance of Doc Clarke, the team is contending at the pointy end of the season year after year and should be commended for their remarkable consistency.
Earlier this week, our AFL recruiting and list management team gathered in Melbourne for the National Draft which went perfectly to plan.
We were delighted to land Sid Draper with our first selection at Pick 4, adding genuine speed, strength and agility to our midfield. On top of that, Sid has developed leadership skills as captain of South Adelaide and SA’s under-18 teams, and the fact that he’s a lifelong Crows fan is an added bonus.
Catching up with Sid and his family on draft night, it was clear what the moment meant to them and how excited they are to see him in a Crows guernsey next year.
The second night of the draft was just as special as we officially welcomed Tyler Welsh into the fold.
The AFL’s father-son rule is one of the great things about our game, and to see Scott present Tyler with his old No.17 guernsey on Thursday night was really special.
Tyler is a talented young forward who I know will benefit from having some experienced key forwards alongside him to learn from in Taylor Walker, Darcy Fogarty and Riley Thilthorpe, as he begins his AFL journey.
It’s also been a busy time for our community team, which along with three of our players, visited the APY Lands to deliver our Crows on Country program a couple of weeks ago.
After flying to Uluru the group drove six hours to SA’s most remote school at Pipalyatjara, and the players even completed a running session on the dirt roads in 40-degree heat while they were there.
It’s a good sign of their commitment which extends throughout the playing group who have been regularly training together at Karen Rolton Oval and in the Club gym ahead of the whole group returning for pre-season training on Monday.
Here’s hoping we can cap what has already been an exciting week with a celebration in Brisbane tomorrow!
Go Crows!
Regards,
Tim Silvers
