It was 20 years ago on this day that one of the game’s all-time greats made his AFL debut with Adelaide.
A shy 18-year-old by the name of Andrew McLeod played his first senior game against Melbourne under lights at Football Park in Round Six of the 1995 season.
The wiry youngster had just four disposals for the game as the Crows ran out eight-point winners over the Demons in a low-scoring affair.
Fellow youngsters including Mark Ricciuto (20 possessions, three goals) Matthew Connell (28 possessions, six marks) and Mark Bickley (16 possessions, three marks, three Brownlow votes) all showed promising signs and would become Club greats in their own right.
But no one, not even McLeod himself, could have ever imagined the career that beckoned for the quiet teenager from the Northern Territory.
Originally listed by Fremantle, the Crows secured McLeod through the Trade Period ahead of Season 1995.
While he went largely unnoticed in game No.1 and was promptly dropped for Adelaide’s next two games, McLeod announced himself on the national stage in his second appearance against Hawthorn in Round Nine. ‘Bunji’ slotted a match-winning goal from deep in a pocket to sink the Hawks and send the 40,000-strong crowd into raptures.
Adelaide’s newest star was born.
He played 15 and 19 matches in his first two seasons at West Lakes, but his game went to another level in 1997 under the guidance of incoming Crows coach Malcolm Blight.
McLeod played every game, including all finals, with an average of 17 disposals and capped off the year with a Norm Smith Medal alongside his premiership medallion.
Another 18 games later and McLeod again produced the goods on the biggest stage, amassing 30 disposals and eight clearances to steer the Crows to back-to-back flags and claim a second Norm Smith honour.
So often the spark to will his teammates to victory, it was McLeod’s innate ability to perform when it mattered that set him apart from other players.
Outside of his Grand Final heroics, McLeod is also remembered for almost single-handedly conquering the Western Bulldogs with seven goals in the 1998 preliminary final.
He also nailed an incredible goal on his left foot from a near-impossible angle to seal victory against Collingwood in Melbourne in Round Two, 2005. It was McLeod’s fourth major of the contest.
The humble champion continued to represent the tri-colours with remarkable brilliance and durability throughout his career, racking up five All Australian honours (1998, 2000, 2001, 2006 and 2007 as captain), three Club Champion awards (1997, 2001, 2007) and two top-three finishes in the Brownlow Medal (2000, 2001).
He retired in 2010 as one of Adelaide’s most decorated players and remains the Club’s games record holder with 340 senior appearances.
McLeod spoke of the Crows as being like ‘family’ after he was among eight inaugural inductees into the Adelaide Football Club Hall of Fame.
But Andrew McLeod’s giant legacy all started from humble beginnings on this day two decades ago.
May 5, 1992 – Round Six
ADELAIDE 3.2 5.4 8.8 11.11 (77)
MELBOURNE 2.1 3.5 7.7 10.9 (69)
Goals: Ricciuto 3, Modra 3, McCartney 2, Brown, Smart, Jarman
Best: Bickley, Ricciuto, Connell, Jarman, Hart, Brown
Attendance: 40,406 at Football Park
Andrew McLeod: one kick, three handballs, two tackles.
Andrew McLeod (career)
340 games (Club record)
275 goals (third all-time at Adelaide)
Premiership player (1997, 1998)
Club Champion (1997, 2001, 2007)
Runner-up Club Champion (1998, 1999, 2000)
Norm Smith Medallist (1997, 1998)
All Australian (1998, 2000, 2001, 2006, 2007 as captain)
AFLPA Most Valuable Player (2001)
Runner-up Brownlow Medal (2001)
Third place Brownlow Medal (2000)
Pre-season premiership player (2003)
Michael Tuck Medallist (2003)
State of Origin representative (1997 for the Allies)
Dream Team representative (2008)
International Rules representative (2000, 2001, 2005 as captain)
Jim Stynes Medallist (2005)
Indigenous Team of the Century (2005)
Australian Football Hall of Famer (2014)
Adelaide Football Club Hall of Famer (2015)
