“When I was told I was the Crows Fan of the Week, I seriously didn't believe it was real.  I couldn't believe out of all the people who entered - I won!”

Sam Mitchell, 15, had a once in a lifetime experience on Saturday being the Crows Fan of the Week for their round 17 match against West Coast. 

Before the bounce, Sam and his friend Matt were given ‘backstage passes’ being able to wait on the ground for the team to run on.

During his experience which he describes as ‘a dream come true’, Sam was able to meet star forward Taylor Walker and watch the team sing the song after the win.  “They were all so excited and happy, and so was I,” he said.

A keen footy fan and critic, Sam thought some of the highlights of the game included, “Patty Dangerfield’s two goals in traffic, Bernie Vince's snap on the left foot, and Rory's (Sloane) good finish after a scrappy phrase with the ball.

“Danger and Thompson really won the game for us in the midfield winning 56 disposals between them.  Those two plus Rory are always working at 100% to get their hands on the ball,” he said.

Sam has been supporting the team since he began following AFL about four years ago and says it all began when he was born - just two days before the 1997 Grand Final.  He is also a big fan of Senior Coach Brenton Sanderson’s saying he, “loves what he has done to our club.

“Sando is a fantastic guy, and I hope he stays with us for a long, long time.”