Crows premiership coach Malcolm Blight will be immortalised in the unveiling of a new bronze statue at Adelaide Oval on Friday morning.
The sculpture will be revealed outside the Victor Richardson gate to the south-east of Adelaide Oval at 11am. Members of the public are encouraged to attend the unveiling.
The South Australian football icon led Adelaide to its maiden AFL premiership in 1997 in his first season at the helm, before steering the Crows to back-to-back flags the following year.
The Crows claimed 41 wins from 74 games under Blight’s leadership, including seven finals victories from eight appearances.
Adelaide’s Club Champion is each year awarded the Malcolm Blight Medal in honour of ‘The Messiah’. He was among eight inductees to Adelaide’s inaugural Hall of Fame event in April, and is also a member of the South Australian and Australian Football Halls of Fame.
Blight began his coaching career with Woodville, then North Melbourne in the VFL, guided Geelong to three Grand Finals before his successful stint at West Lakes, and finished his coaching career at St Kilda. He now holds an advisory role with the Gold Coast Suns.
Blight was equally as brilliant in his playing days.
He notched 163 games with Woodville and won the SANFL’s Magarey Medal in 1972, before embarking on a 178-game career with North Melbourne.
Blight was part of two premierships with the Kangaroos and claimed the 1978 Brownlow Medal before returning to South Australia in the twilight of his playing career.
