Emotions ran high on Saturday morning when Adelaide Crows players and coaching staff signed the "Close the Gap" petition to reduce the 17- year life expectancy gap between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and other Australians within 25 years.

The Club's Aboriginal players, Andrew McLeod, Graham Johncock, Jonathon Griffin, Ed Curnow, Jared Petrenko and Jarrhan Jacky (Tony Armstrong was not at training) led the way, watched by a large contingent of Aboriginal teenagers from communities across outback South Australia.

All Australian captain Andrew McLeod said it was a topic very close to his heart and it was nice the Club had got behind the cause in support of the Aboriginal players.

"Closing the Gap is a challenge that Australia can meet," McLeod said.

"We need to be active and lead the way in our community.

"We can help publicise the current inequality of indigenous health in our country and make sure it is a statistic that is erased sooner rather than later."

In December 2006 over 40 key health organisations in Australia joined forces by publishing a letter in The Australian to request that governments take action against the 17 year life expectancy gap.

Since then and including the inaugural National Close the Gap day on September 18 last year, more than 90,000 Australians have signed the pledge.

Huge gains have been made in life expectancy for Indigenous people in New Zealand, Canada and the USA over the last ten years, with the life expectancy gap falling 30% to 6 to 7 years.

But so far Australia has failed to make similar progress on Indigenous health, which is currently the worst in the developed world.

It was a big day out for the teenagers who are part of the Wiltja program and live in Adelaide during school term time and attend Woodville High School.

The communities they are from included: Armata, Ernabella, Fregon, Murputja, Pipalyatjara, Watarru, Indulkana, Kenmore Park, Mimili, Oak Valley, Yalata and Oodnadatta.

The group were special guests at training where they joined the team on the ground after training for a kick, followed by an exclusive tour of the Crows training facility.

And on Sunday they were guests of the Club at the Crows 17- point NAB Cup quarter final win over Fremantle at AAMI.