Adelaide Crows Back to Back ....Sporting Memories
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Another in the Sporting memories series along the Amy Gillett bikeway.
Amy Gillett was a dedicated sportswoman. She competed for Australia in rowing, before changing sports and started riding. Sadly Amy was killed while in Germany on a training ride.
This is another cache along the bikeway. Enjoy you walk or ride along the bikeway.
Adelaide Crows. AFL Premierships - Back to Back 1997 & 1998
With former Woodville and North Melbourne star Malcolm Blight taking over as coach, Adelaide went 13–9 in 1997, finishing in fourth place. Tony Modra was the club's leading goalkicker for the fifth straight season with 84, also winning his first and only Coleman Medal and victimising North Melbourne again with the Mark of the Year in exactly the same spot at the southern end, riding with his knees on Mick Martyn's shoulders and grabbing the ball facing backwards. Adelaide then went on to do what no side had ever done before, winning four consecutive finals to claim their first premiership. The Crows downed the West Coast Eagles at home on a Sunday – the first Final to be played at Football Park – and then defeated Geelong at home on a Saturday night, before defeating the Western Bulldogs and St Kilda in successive Saturday afternoons at the MCG to claim the premiership. The Preliminary Final against the Western Bulldogs was arguably the greatest game in the Crows' history: after losing Tony Modra in the first quarter to an ACL injury, they defied inaccurate kicking and a 22-point three quarter time margin to record a miraculous two-point victory. St Kilda were hot favourites to win just their second Premiership in the VFL/AFL the next week, with that year's Brownlow Medalist Robert Harvey expected to star against an Adelaide side without 1997 All Australians Modra and Mark Ricciuto, and goalsneak Peter Vardy. However, the Crows managed to again defy the critics and a half-time deficit to win by 31 points – one of the great sporting moments in the city of Adelaide, setting off a wild celebration. Utility Shane Ellen stepped into the vacancy left by Modra, bagging five goals for the match, while Darren Jarman booted five of his six goals in the last quarter to put the game beyond doubt. Andrew McLeod's heroics in the midfield and backlines earned him the Norm Smith medal for the best afield.
Adelaide again finished with 13 wins and 9 losses in an inconsistent 1998 home-and-away season and ended up in fifth position on the ladder. The season included their first of three one-point losses to Fremantle at Subiaco Oval in the clubs' history – in which Nigel Smart had the chance to tie the scores up with 5 seconds remaining, but couldn't – and a few other close defeats, but this did not faze them in the finals. Adelaide was beaten badly by Melbourne in the qualifying final but had a second chance and used it well, dominating their way to the grand final. They defeated Sydney at the SCG, and then, in what was expected to be a classic rematch with the Western Bulldogs after the previous year's Preliminary Final, thrashed the hapless Bulldogs by 68 points at the MCG. This set up a Grand Final meeting with North Melbourne who, like the Saints, started the game as unbackable favourites. Adelaide trailed by 24 points at half-time, but a superb comeback in the second half combined with North's inaccurate kicking saw them run out with a 35-point victory. Andrew McLeod again was the Norm Smith medallist, joining his future coach Gary Ayres as one of only two players to have twice won the award, and the only player to have won it back-to-back.
Adelaide Crows 1997 AFL Premiership Team
Malcolm Blight (Coach), Darel Hart (Assistant Coach)
Mark Bickley (Captain), Ben Hart, Peter Caven, Aaron Keating, Shaun Rehn, David Pittman, Matthew Robran, Shane Ellen, Rod Jameson, Andrew McLeod, Tyson Edwards, Clay Sampson, Matthew Connell, Kane Johnson, Simon Goodwin, Kym Koster, Chad Rintoul, Brett James, Nigel Smart, Troy Bond, Darren Jarman
Adelaide 3.8 5.10 11.11 19.11 (125) St Kilda 3.6 7.11 9.13 13.16 (94)
· Venue: MCG
· Crowd: 98,828
· Best: McLeod, Jarman, Ellen, Bond, Pittman, Rehn, Hart.
· Goals: Jarman 6, Ellen 5, Bond 4, Smart 1, Goodwin, Rintoul, Caven.
Adelaide Crows 1998 AFL Premiership Team
Malcolm Blight (Coach), Darel Hart (Assistant Coach)
Mark Bickley (Captain), Nigel Smart (Vice-Captain), Shane Ellen, Mark Stevens, Matthew Robran, Shaun Rehn, Ben Marsh, David Pittman, Ben Hart, Andrew Eccles, Peter Vardy, Andrew McLeod, Matthew Connell, Simon Goodwin, Peter Caven, Kane Johnson, Darren Jarman, James Thiessen, Brett James, Tyson Edwards, Mark Ricciuto, Kym Koster.
Adelaide 3.2 4.3 9.11 15.15 (105) North Melbourne 4.4 6.15 8.15 8.22 (70)
· Venue: MCG
· Crowd: 94,431
· Best: McLeod, Johnson, Jarman, Rehn, Hart, Caven
· Goals: Jarman 5, Smart 3, Vardy 2, James 1, Pittman 1, Johnson 1, Thiessen 1, Ricciuto 1.
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