Surf’s up!
Former Crow Rob Shirley took avid surfers Rory Sloane and Phil Walsh to one of his favourite surfing spots on the team’s last day on the Eyre Peninsula. The trio headed to Flatrock in Coffin Bay about 45 kilometres north-west of Port Lincoln to catch a few waves. Not for the faint-hearted, the swell was big but the boys made it back to shore in once piece. Shirley, who played 151 games for Adelaide, now resides in Cummins and was a guest at the Club’s official Community Camp dinner.
How many do you do?
Reilly O’Brien made the most of the buffet on his first ‘away’ trip with the team. During a Q&A session at a school visit, details of the big man’s big appetite emerged. The 201cm, 98kg, ruckman loaded up at breakfast before Sunday’s NAB Challenge game. He wolfed down 10 Weetbix with sliced banana, as well as four pieces of toast and baked beans. The rookie nicknamed ‘Rob’ clearly wasn’t deterred by a bad buffet experience the night prior, where he ended up consuming apple crumble with sour cream instead of full cream thanks to a few mischievous teammates. O’Brien might have to stick to this winning diet after a promising debut against North Melbourne.
10 out of 10
Patrick Dangerfield, Luke Brown, Rory Laird and Harrison Wigg also had an interesting dining experience during the Club’s AFL Australia Post Community Camp. On Tuesday afternoon, the players were hosted by several different businesses, who support the local football league. Some of the boys were wined and dined at nearby restaurants or hotels, while Taylor Walker enjoyed lunch on a yacht. The owners of the local Mitre 10 came up with the unique idea for Dangerfield, Brown, Laird and Wigg to have lunch in store. The boys sat ‘on display’ at an outdoor table near the entrance of the store as they tucked into a big platter of salad, cold meats and rolls. ‘Danger’ gave the owners 10 out of 10 for originality.
Hook, line and sinker
It’s lucky Danger had a good feed at Mitre 10 because the fish weren’t biting that arvo. A group of players, including Dangerfield, Brodie Smith, Sam Jacobs, Andy Otten, David Mackay, Cam Ellis-Yolmen and Jake Lever, went out fishing on a luxury, 47-foot boat capable of towing a boat the size of Dangerfield’s own. The boys only caught three legal-sized fish, with the honour of biggest fish going to novice fishermen Lever. Ellis-Yolmen and Dangerfield kept themselves entertained on the quiet seas by re-enacting a famous scene from Titanic.
Hosts with the most
A big thank you to everyone at the Port Lincoln Hotel for accommodating Crows players, coaches and staff during our visit. Rooms were at a premium after the Club booked out nearly the entire hotel, meaning a number of players were required to share. Draftees Mitch McGovern and Harry Dear enjoyed a throwback to their school camp days, sleeping in bunk beds. Fortunately, there were two sets of bunks in the room, so there were no arguments over who got the queen-sized bottom bunk.
Mayor Eddie
You’d be hard-pressed to find a more popular person in Port Lincoln than Eddie Betts. The home-town hero couldn’t go anywhere without being mobbed by adoring fans keen to say ‘Hello’ or get an autograph or photo. Betts stayed behind to sign every autograph after the Club’s coaching clinic on Monday night. At training on Tuesday morning, students from the Port Lincoln Primary School lined the fence and chanted, ‘Eddie Betts, Eddie Betts, Eddie Betts’ whenever the forward ran past. The players followed suit, chanting for the ball when Eddie had possession at training. Rookie Keenan Ramsey was also a fan favourite, mobbed by kids at the coaching clinic.
