THEY razed all four corners of the globe in the search for the Holy Grail.
In Perth, Sydney, Brisbane, Geelong, Melbourne and on their own territory, Adelaide's premiership crusade rumbled onward.
But then - after 152 of a possible 154 quarters of AFL football in the 1998 season - leader Malcolm Blight had one last long interval to resuscitate the flagging defence of the Crows' title.
After a miserable first half finished with Adelaide fortunate to be trailing by just four goals thanks to North Melbourne failing to convert its supremacy into enough six-pointers, most would have expected the paint in the changerooms - blistered by Blight's lashing at half-time of the 1997 grand final - to have felt some more heat.
The reality is that Blight remained composed and upbeat. The game was not over, he reinforced, and deep down he believed the options and versatility at his disposal offered the club a way out.
According to ruckman Shaun Rehn, the coach demanded a lift of five per cent across the board. Mark Ricciuto says he made the point that there was time to make amends.
So what did you say, Malcolm?
“Secret”.
Later he elaborated a little: “We were in a spot of bother. It was probably a bit of humiliation at half-time but we still had the half to get out of it. That was the theme of it.”
But the words were not so important. The actions were. All-Australian defender Nigel Smart, non compos after taking on David King's hip in the second term, went to a forward pocket. Next to him was young ruckman Ben Marsh.
Into the midfield Blight tossed Kane Johnson and captain Mark Bickley, where they joined the wizard Andrew McLeod, while the defence was renovated through the reassignment of Mark Ricciuto, Brett James and Mark Stevens.
“North early were just . . . particularly in tight . . . were winning the 50-50s,” Blight said.
“So what you have to try to do is spread the game open somehow.
“If that's their strength, you've got to actually do something about breaking the game open.”
Soon it was obvious the Crows were willing to run and take risks. They had entered what is, in football language, "the premiership quarter", and were stealing the initiative. After these 30 minutes, Adelaide had its nose in front by two points. And, later still, the anticipated tight finish never eventuated as the Crows skipped away with another six goals.
Of the half-time moves, the switch of Johnson had the most impact. He and McLeod will form a formidable centre-square combination. But Blight's favorite decision was the one that left Matthew Robran at centre half-forward after a barren first half.
“Now, everyone would have been calling for his head,” Blight noted, “but he's just so important to our structure and he actually started to contribute to things.”
The past three Septembers have been kind to the Crows. On September 1, 1996, Blight was annointed as the man to plan for success. Thirteen months later Adelaide had its first premiership. And now football's Holy Grail - the AFL Cup - was about to be carried back to West Lakes.
North's second quarter return of 2.11 became the talking point. But Blight said grand finals were all about taking chances.
“That's true (that North should have been further ahead) . . . but then again they were probably lucky to still be in it at three-quarter time. In these types of games everyone is going to take their turn. When you get your turn, if you don't actually nail it, well that's stiff.”
