Adelaide will play its last AFL game at AAMI Stadium on August 24. In the second of this afc.com.au series, we rewind to the Club’s second and third seasons at Football Park in the national competition.
After the excitement of Adelaide’s first year in the AFL, 1992 was supposed to be the season when the future was so bright, “we need to wear shades”.
But reality hit hard, quickly, with the Crows losing at home to Footscray in the opening round and then falling out of the finals race. Winning away from home again proved difficult, while the home ground advantage was still there but not to the point where it was enough to push the Crows into the finals. Five wins from the last six games lifted hopes for the following year, as did the AFL debuts of players including Ben Hart (who made the All Australian team), Tony Modra and David Pittman. Scott Hodges booted 11 goals against top side Geelong in the last home game.
If 1992 was a year of stabilisation, 1993 was a year with many peaks on the way to a shattering preliminary final loss.
The Football Park highlights reel included Modra’s 10 goals and mark of the year in a comeback win over North Melbourne, Modra’s club record 13 goals against Richmond in a 139-point win and Adelaide’s last round win over Collingwood to clinch a finals spot. A record home crowd of 48,522 watched the Crows’ ninth win from 10 home games but the team then went on the road for the September finals.
1992
12: Adelaide 12.15 (87) lost to Footscray 17.12 (114)
13: Adelaide 23.13 (151) defeated Richmond 17.15 (117)
14: Adelaide: 19.20 (134) defeated Brisbane Bears 11.8 (74)
15: Adelaide 9.10 (64) lost to Collingwood 9.15 (69)
16: Adelaide 21.16 (142) defeated North Melbourne 16.11 (107)
17: Adelaide 14.8 (92) lost to Essendon 21.10 (136)
18: Adelaide 22.17 (149) defeated Sydney 13.4 (82)
19: Adelaide 9.13 (67) lost to Melbourne 18.8 (116)
20: Adelaide 21.6 (132) defeated Fitzroy 7.5 (47)
21: Adelaide 13.15 (93) defeated St Kilda 10.17 (77)
22: Adelaide 24.25 (169) defeated Geelong 11.12 (78)
Top moment: Scott Hodges kicks a club record 11 goals against Geelong in Adelaide’s fifth consecutive win late in the season.
Biggest crowd: 46,540 v Geelong, round 23
1993
23: Adelaide 15.11 (101) defeated West Coast 12.14 (86)
24: Adelaide 15.13 (103) defeated Fitzroy 15.12 (102)
25: Adelaide 12.16 (88) lost to Hawthorn 16.9 (105)
26: Adelaide 19.9 (123) defeated North Melbourne 18.13 (121)
27: Adelaide 15.17 (107) defeated Footscray 8.14 (62)
28: Adelaide 16.19 (115) defeated Geelong 14.11 (95)
29: Adelaide 23.18 (156) defeated St Kilda 8.15 (63)
30: Adelaide 26.15 (181) defeated Richmond 4.8 (32)
31: Adelaide 13.27 (105) defeated Melbourne 6.10 (46)
32: Adelaide 19.21 (135) defeated Collingwood 17.9 (111)
Top moment: Modra takes mark of the year and kicks ten goals v North Melbourne.
Biggest crowd: 48,522 v Collingwood, round 22
