Adelaide will be out to secure its second pre-season premiership when the Club does battle with West Coast in the NAB Cup Grand Final at AAMI Stadium on Saturday night.
The Crows have played in a total of five pre-season deciders, with the only win coming in Gary Ayres' coaching tenure against Collingwood in the 2003 ‘Wizard Cup’, as the competition was then known.
Adelaide’s four other pre-season Grand Final appearances have resulted in losses, to Essendon in 1994, North Melbourne in 1995, Geelong in 2006 and most recently St Kilda in 2008.
The 2003 Wizard Cup was the last piece of silverware added to the Crows’ trophy cabinet.
In a repeat of this year’s performance, Adelaide went through the ‘03’ pre-season competition undefeated to qualify for the Wizard Cup Grand Final.
The Crows overcame cross-town rivals Port Adelaide by a solitary point in week one after forward Chris Ladhams slotted a checkside goal from deep in the left forward pocked at AAMI Stadium to give his side the lead in the dying stages.
Adelaide then headed to Marrara Stadium in Darwin and knocked off this week’s opponents West Coast by 26 points to progress to the semi-finals.
A six-goal haul from forward Ian Perrie helped steer the Crows to a come-from-behind, four-point win over North Melbourne in the semi-final, and sent the Club through to its third pre-season decider.
Adelaide travelled to Docklands (Etihad) Stadium on Saturday, March 15 to tackle the Magpies in the ‘03’ Wizard Cup Grand Final.
The Pies got off to a handy start in front a bumper home crowd of 43,571, kicking the opening two goals of the match but the Crows hit back, kicking 12 of the next 14 goals to be ahead by 32 points at half-time.
Led by superstar Andrew McLeod and dominant ruck duo Matthew Clarke and Rhett Biglands, who won the hit-outs 57-16 against an understrength Collingwood ruck division, Adelaide held off a late surge to run out 31 point winners and secure the Club’s first pre-season flag.
McLeod added to his incredible list of personal achievements, awarded the Michael Tuck Medal for the best player on the ground.
It was highly-publicised recruit Wayne Carey's first game for the Club, while current-day Crows Graham Johncock, Brent Reilly and Michael Doughty were also part of the team.
Match details
Adelaide 0.4.1 1.8.3 1.9.4 2.13 (104)
Collingwood 0.3.2 0.4.4 0.6.7 1.9.10 (73)
Goals 9pts
Adelaide: Andrew McLeod, Rhett Biglands
Collingwood: Scott Burns
Goals 6pts
Adelaide: Perrie 3, Stevens 2, Biglands 2, Carey 2, Edwards, Ladhams, McLeod, Johncock
Collingwood: Didak 2, Tarrant 2, Molloy, Betheras, Williams, Lonie, Woewodin
Best
Adelaide: McLeod, Bode, Clarke, Goodwin, Burton, Edwards, Stevens
Collingwood: Rhyce Shaw, Lockyer, Williams, Buckley
Michael Tuck Medallist: Andrew McLeod (Adelaide)
Captain: Mark Ricciuto
Coach: GaryAyres
Team
B: Ben Hart, Nathan Bassett, Marty Mattner
HB: Graham Johncock, Nigel Smart, Jason Torney
C: Andrew McLeod, Mark Bickley, Tyson Edwards
HF: Ronnie Burns, Wayne Carey, Matthew Bode
F: Brett Burton, Mark Stevens, Ian Perrie
R: Rhett Biglands, Mark Ricciuto, Simon Goodwin
INT: Ken McGregor, Brent Reilly, Michael Doughty, Tyson Stenglein, Chris Ladhams, Matthew Clarke
