As Mitch and Jeremy McGovern prepare to take the field as opponents for the first time on Saturday night, afc.com.au revisits some brotherly battles involving Crows players.

Andrew and Darren Jarman are the most famous siblings in Adelaide’s history. But the pair started out as adversaries.

Andrew’s first appearance for the Crows, which was also the Club’s inaugural AFL game, was against younger brother Darren’s Hawthorn at Football Park.

The brothers played against each other for five years before Darren joined the Crows and they became teammates for one season.

Another future Crows premiership player was on that losing Hawks team in Round One, 1991.

Matthew Robran’s AFL career was inextricably linked with that of his younger brother, Jonathon.

Matthew played seven games for Hawthorn before seeking a trade home to South Australia.

Remarkably, the Hawks used the draft pick they received from Adelaide for Matthew to draft Jonathon, who played 75 games for the Hawks and then eight for Essendon.

Matthew, a centre half-forward, and Jonathon, a key defender, were direct opponents on a couple of occasions.

“I remember one game, Jono was standing the mark while I was lining up for goal. He was quoting ‘Caddyshack’ to try and put me off!” Matthew said.

“We played on each other from start to finish that day, and there was another game where we competed against each other in the ruck for a while.”

Troy and Shane Bond were regular opponents in Showdown contests in the late-1990s.

Troy was a goal sneak for the Crows and the younger Troy was often tasked with stopping his sibling in his role as a small defender for Port Adelaide. Troy saw it as a clever tactic by the Power.

“Port would either put Shane or Gavin Wanganeen on me. It was tough playing on your brother, but Gavin was like another brother to me,” Bond said.

“I think Port did it to try to put me off my game, but you just had to try to block it out and play your natural game.

“It was hard for the family. They barracked for both teams and then didn't really know what to do when we played each other. I guess they just wanted to see us both do well.”

The James and Bassett brothers shared similar experiences.

Brett James played 42 games for Collingwood before joining Adelaide in the same year (1997) that sibling Roger made the first of his 147 appearances for Port Adelaide.

Both went onto play in premierships for their respective sides – Brett with the Crows in 1997 and 1998 and Roger for the Power in 2004. 

A week after Adelaide’s ‘97’ flag, Brett and Roger played together in a premiership for SANFL club Norwood.

Scott Bassett only played 15 games for Port Adelaide, but one was a big win over older brother Nathan in the Showdown of Round Three, 2001.

Aaron Keating, who famously played in a premiership for the Crows in only his third AFL game, also managed to cross paths with brother Clark briefly.

One of Aaron’s six career games was the ‘97’ season opener against the Brisbane Lions where Clark went on to play 139 games, including three winning Grand Finals (2001, 2002 and 2003).

Ricky O’Loughlin, who played nine games for Adelaide in the early 2000s, lined up against brother and Sydney Swans champion, Michael, once in Round 12, 2000. Ricky got the bragging rights against the premiership player and 300-gamer, with the Crows scoring a comfortable 50-point win.

The loyalties of the van Berlo family were tested when Nathan and brother Jay, who played 32 games for Fremantle, locked horns twice in eight rounds in 2010. The brothers split the points, one win each.

The Talia boys, Daniel and Michael, have also played on opposing teams twice so far in their careers.

Adelaide’s brotherly battles
Troy Bond v Shane Bond (Port Adelaide)
Andrew Jarman v Darren Jarman (Hawthorn)
Brett James v Roger James (Port Adelaide)
Matthew Robran v Jonathon Robran (Hawthorn)
Nathan Bassett v Scott Bassett (Port Adelaide)
Aaron v Clark Keating (Brisbane Lions)
Ricky O’Loughlin v Michael O’Loughlin (Sydney Swans)
Nathan van Berlo v Jay van Berlo (Fremantle)
Kurt v Joel Tippett (Gold Coast)
Daniel Talia v Michael Talia (Western Bulldogs)