Craig has received some harsh criticism in the wake of his side’s heartbreaking semi-final loss to Collingwood, but none more important than that from his own players.
Last Wednesday, the Crows’ players and coaches met at West Lakes for an all-in review.
Craig refused to give away much of what was discussed but said the whole process had been intimidating.
“The players gave each other some really good feedback about their expectations and what they want. They also gave the coaching group and myself some things that they want us to tidy up on as well,” Craig said.
“We need to be pretty candid with each other otherwise we don’t progress.”
One issue raised by both the players and the external media was Craig’s handling of the match defining third quarter against the Pies.
The Crows led by 26 points at half time, but went defensive in the third term as the momentum shifted Collingwood’s way.
Craig’s approach, which involved putting men behind the ball and maintaining possession, ensured Adelaide was still in the game at the last change but also meant the club had little chance of creating its own scoring opportunities.
Craig conceded he needed to find a “new mechanism” to handle the ebbs and flows of the modern game.
“The criticism has been, ‘what happened in the third quarter and why does it get away from you?’ It was probably the same reason the game got away from Collingwood in the first quarter in a lot of ways,” Craig said.
“That quarter was looking like a 10-goal quarter against, so we had to make sure we stayed in the contest. We didn’t want it to be a four or five goal margin at three-quarter-time in those conditions.
“The criticism is that we might have stemmed the tide, but that we were never going to score so how do you get back in the game? I think to a large extent that’s a valid criticism.
It wasn’t only Adelaide’s experienced hands that voiced their concerns at last week’s open and honest assessment.
The club’s emerging players also demanded more recognition from the senior coach.
“The guys who are playing in the SANFL probably get neglected too much from me,” Craig said.
“They don’t expect a half-an-hour sit down about their games because they get that elsewhere, but they do want for me to say, ‘I saw you play on the weekend. You played at centre half-back for Woodville-West Torrens and I thought you did a great job with the way you did this and this’.
“That’s all they need and if I was a player in that position, I’d want that as well. I take that on board and I’ve certainly been guilty of [not doing] that.”
