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Inside the Game: Taylor Walker, Patrick Cripps, Cameron Zurhaar, Liam Baker — the clutch players of the AFL

The most clutch moments of AFL history are among the most memorable. From “Leo Barry, you star” to Barry Breen’s match-winning behind, those who step up in the biggest moments are remembered through history.

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Footy is often a game of millimeters despite being played in a glorified paddock.

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Whether it’s the luck of the bouncing oval ball or brilliantly executed skill, the ability to pull through when the going gets tough is critical for teams with September dreams.

Just look at Collingwood this year — their 15 wins this year have been underpinned by 10 wins in their 11 games decided by less than two goals.

About a quarter of all games are decided by two straight kicks or less.

Some believe that teams do well late because of good coaching, on-field leadership and training. Others believe it’s a little more down to luck.

How do games change when they heat up late, and who has stood up the most in close games recently?

Clock is ticking

Winning possession is at the core of football. This year, for every 100 times a team wins the ball in a game they score about 71 points. That rises to 91 points from 100 won center clearances, and drops to 30 points from kick-ins.

Where a team wins the ball matters a lot as well. Teams score three times as many points from the ball won in the front half of the ground compared with the defensive half.

Time also matters. Teams generally score more heavily early in quarters — with the exception of the first 10 minutes of a game.

In the fourth quarter of games where the margin is two goals, teams score at just 67 points for every 100 times they win possession. In time-on in the last quarter, that drops to just 65 points per 100.

The potential reasons for this are many: Teams with a lead late in close games tend to try to shut up shop, and try to take time off the clock.

Late game fatigue also plays a role, along with the mental weight of late game football and the weight of the footballing world sitting on the shoulders of 44, mostly young, players.

However, some players thrive when their team needs it the most.

circle of trust

Adelaide AFL star Taylor Walker roars and punches the air in celebration after kicking a last-minute goal.
Taylor Walker’s last-minute sealer against the Bulldogs was the Crows’ spearhead’s sixth clutch-time goal in two seasons.(Getty Images: AFL Photos/Dylan Burns)

Clutch time is hard to define. Just 333 minutes of football — shy of two minutes per game — have been played this year where the margin was less than 12 and the clock had passed the 20-minute mark in the last quarter.

Given the large number of players on the field, it’s often hard to stand up late, when it counts. No player has scored more than three goals in clutch time across either of the past two seasons. Taylor Walker’s six goals over the two seasons is the most of any player.

A bit more can be gained from looking at games where the margin was less than 12 points any time in the last quarter.

One name, at a club near the bottom of their rebuilding cycle, has shouldered the biggest burden in late games in the past two years.

Cameron Zurhaar is an imposing beast of a player — not quite the height of a key forward, but with speed and power to burn. His ability to compete both in the air and on the deck makes him more dangerous as the going gets tough.

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North Melbourne may not be in contention right now, but if they continue to develop, Zurhaar has the potential to be a matchwinner in big games.

A North Melbourne AFL player runs away with his arms wide in celebration as Richmond players stand abandoned in the background.
Cameron Zurhaar showed against Richmond that he can be a match-winner for the Kangaroos.(Getty Images: AFL Photos/Michael Willson)

To score, you have to have the ball, and certain players rise to the occasion. More skilful users and experienced players tend to shine in late game situations as teams look to their most-dangerous players.

There appears to be a subtle shift in dynamics in most teams, such as from Jarryd Lyons to Lachie Neale, or Tom Mitchell to Jaeger O’Meara. In raw terms, Patrick Cripps steps up the most for his team late in games, signaling his importance to him for the Blues.

The player who wins more stoppages at the death, compared to the rest of the game, is a less-heralded name: Liam Baker.

A Richmond player looks inboard and handballs while a Melbourne defender tries to close in.
Liam Baker’s speed and agility make him a key asset for the Tigers.(Getty Images: Quinn Rooney)

The young Tiger isn’t an imposing player but he is quick and agile, finding momentary creases in the opposition’s defence.

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When games become stagnant late it is often those with the most speed and initiative who can break through them, such as Baker can.

Zurhaar and Baker, just like Barry and Breen, aren’t their clubs’ biggest stars but they are making a name late in the game, when the nailbiters are won.

scared of skill

A number of happy Collingwood AFL players have a group hug in the middle of the MCG after a game.
Collingwood’s run of wins in close games has been exciting for fans. (Getty Images: Darrian Traynor)

Collingwood’s rise up the ladder from bottom to top two in has been exhilarating to watch.

The Pies’ run is reminiscent of Port Adelaide last year. Port rode a 5-0 record in close games to second place on the ladder and snag a Preliminary Final appearance.

At the time, the club, its players and supporters put down the success down to the hard work undertaken to prepare for the year.

“We have done a lot of work across a lot of sessions — watching a lot of vision — to put ourselves in the best possible positions to win those close games,” Butters told the Port Adelaide club website last year.

A Port Adelaide player goes down on his haunches with a hand over his face after the final siren.
Port Adelaide seem to have lost the knack of winning the close games in 2022.(Getty Images: Daniel Pockett)

This year, Port have won just two of their nine close games. It is the opposite journey taken to that of Collingwood, who won just one of six close games last year.

Collingwood have also stated that they have put a lot of work into how to win in close games.

It’s likely true that all 18 teams use a disproportionate amount of time to work on late game scenarios — and with good reason: All wins are worth four points, and close games are the easiest to flip over.

There’s undoubtedly some skill and strategy to how teams approach tight games. However, when looking at how these results shake out over a long period of time, the pattern is harder to discern.

That’s not to say that the hard work put in at training doesn’t help — it could help tilt the coin slightly in favor of the team that prepares better.

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Taylor Walker speaks on Adelaide Crows pre-season camp, former captain, fractures in playing group, Eddie Betts, Josh Jenkins, Bryce Gibbs

Adelaide veteran Taylor Walker says it’s “upsetting” to hear the distress past players feel towards the infamous 2018 pre-season camp, but insists he did everything he could as captain at the time to address “fractures” within the group.

The Crows in a lengthy open letter to the club’s fans on Monday night apologized to Eddie Betts, Josh Jenkins and others who had a “negative experience” at the controversial camp following last week’s shock new revelations — revelations that prompted the AFLPA to indicate it’ I’ll reopen its investigation into the event.

Reflecting on the fallout at West Lakes in 2018, Walker acknowledged it was a turbulent period at the club despite his best efforts.

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“I can put my head on the pillow at night, and put my hand on my heart and say that I did everything I could,” he told Triple M.

“I knew something was not right post the camp, I knew blokes weren’t feeling that great about it, there were fractures within the group like some of the boys have said… and I was having one-on-one meetings, I was having some confidential meetings at my house to try and work out exactly the path to take, and I can honestly say that I did everything I could to try and fix it.”

Walker leads the Crows out the race alongside Betts (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Media/Getty Images)Source: FOX SPORTS

Betts and Jenkins were among the former Crows to last week detail their distressing first-hand experiences at the Gold Coast Coast-based camp in 2018 that led to several players, including Betts, and officials to depart the club in the following years.

Walker maintains that he still took a “positive experience” away from it, but admitted it was tough hearing his ex-teammate’s disturbing accounts.

“Yeah I sit here as captain at the time of the footy club, and those boys being past players… not great to be honest. It’s quite upsetting to hear that those guys are still feeling the effects of the camp,” Walker said.

“What I will say is that, the camp, a lot of people took different things out of it and I personally, I’ve said it, I took a positive experience out of it… but that does not take away from the feelings of hurt that those boys are going through at the moment.”

Adelaide overcame the intense spotlight on the club last week to defeat the West Coast Eagles by 16 points at Optus Stadium.

And Walker suggested the scrutiny hadn’t affected the vibe at the Crows, estimating “10-2o per cent” of people who attended the camp remained at the club.

“Our mantra is prioritizing others and we’re certainly doing that to the best of our ability,” he said.

“As a footy club we still have to work through this, because sitting here you don’t like hearing that past players are feeling that way,” he said.

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Brodie Grundy Port Adelaide, Collingwood contract, Elliott Himmelberg Fremantle, Jordan De Goey St Kilda

Another rival club has been linked to Brodie Grundy, while St Kilda’s interest in his teammate hasn’t cooled.

Plus Fremantle is keeping tabs on a fringe Crow.

Get the latest player movement news and updates in AFL Trade Whispers!

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NEW SUIT FOR PIES STAR

Port Adelaide has emerged as a suitor for Brodie Grundy should the star ruck wish to be traded at season’s end, reports 7NewsMelbourne.

Multiple reports have indicated Grundy’s management are preparing to be asked by Collingwood about the possibility of trading the dual All-Australian, even though he’s contracted to the club until the end of 2027 on a deal worth around $1 million per season.

Collingwood coach Craig McRae last week declared on Fox Footy’s AFL 360 he wanted Grundy at the club next season, but remained tight-lipped on whether he was up for trade.

The Giants reportedly have interest in Grundy – speculation that grew last month when Grundy’s manager was seen meeting with Giants football boss Jason McCartney, where the dual All-Australian’s future was reportedly discussed.

But 7NewsMelbourne reported the Power was also keeping tabs on Grundy’s situation.

McRae evasive on Grundy & De Goey trades | 01:54

“Port Adelaide is interested in where Grundy is going to end up and his trade status at the end of the year,” reporter Tom Browne told 7NewsMelbourne. “But at this stage the Power don’t see Grundy leaving Victoria

“If Grundy approves, Collingwood is expected to gauge his trade interest post-season.”

Power premiership player Kane Cornes last month flagged his old club as an appropriate destination for Grundy should he be prepared to move home, telling SEN Breakfast the Power could “absolutely use” Grundy and adding: “He’d fit in at Port Adelaide and take over from Scott Lycett.”

DOCKERS ‘IDENTIFY’ FRINGE CROW TO POSSIBLY FILL CHASM

Crows forward Elliott Himmelberg has been identified by Fremantle as a possible trade acquisition, reports SEN SA.

The Dockers are bracing to lose goalkicker Rory Lobb, who’s expected to request a trade at season’s end despite still being contracted to Freo.

Himmelberg, 24, kicked bags of four goals in Adelaide’s wins over the Power and Tigers earlier this season, but has struggled for senior game time this year with Riley Thilthorpe, Taylor Walker and Darcy Fogarty the preferred key-position combination.

Subsequently, Fremantle is reportedly keeping tabs on Himmelberg, who’s kicked 38 goals from just 37 games since being taken with Pick 51 in the 2016 draft.

Busy off-season looms for the Dockers | 00:56

“Fremantle are putting together their list of how they overcome the issues of what they’ve got in attack, or don’t have in attack,” veteran journalist Michelangelo Rucci told SEN SA’s The Run Home.

“And the player that they’re identifying – I stress identifying, so they’re doing their due diligence – is Elliott Himmelberg at Adelaide. He’s out of contract, they think he’s the fit for them.

“We know he’s a tall player who can play forward and ruck – they want him as a forward. They desperately need to shore up their attack.

“He is growing with interest at Fremantle.”

SAINTS INSIST DE GOEY INTERESTED HASN’T COOLED

St Kilda coach Brett Ratten insists his club’s interest in Jordan De Goey hasn’t waned, even though the board has yet to approve a pursuit of the Collingwood free agent.

It was revealed earlier this week the Saints’ board had asked the football department for more information about De Goey, who’s out of contract at season’s end and eligible for free agency.

The Age reported the board wanted clarity around how De Goey would fit within the club’s playing list, as well as its leadership and values.

St Kilda Saints press conference | 06:25

But Ratten denied that it was a sign that the club had cooled on its pursuit of De Goey, saying it was perfectly normal for the board to ask questions about the star Magpie before potentially recruiting him.

“It doesn’t matter if we’re employing new staff members or players, we have to run things past the board and they have the right to challenge and ask questions and see where we’re at with it,” Ratten said.

“He’s very talented but we’re still working through that.”

Geelong has also been linked to De Goey.

— with NCA Newswire

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AFL reacts to Eddie Betts ‘betrayal’ at Adelaide Crows pre-season camp

The AFL community has reacted with disgust after former Adelaide footballer Eddie Betts published a confronting recollection of his experience at a pre-season camp with the Crows in early 2018.

The leadership camp, following the Crows’ 2017 AFL Grand Final loss to Richmond, thrust the club into the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.

A number of players and officials left the club in the wake of the camp, and now Betts has detailed behind-the-scenes information in his upcoming autobiography The Boy from Boomerang Crescent.

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The four-day camp on the Gold Coast left Betts feeling “like a piece of me was brainwashed”, with excerpts being reported by Nine Newspapers.

Betts alleged that confidential information he shared in counseling sessions had been misused, writing that the camp misappropriated sensitive Aboriginal cultural rituals.

Following the ordeal, the three-time All-Australian Betts said he approached the Crows and voiced his concerns with the camp, only to be dropped from the leadership group three weeks later.

Betts said the camp had a major impact on his form and left the star forward questioning his place in the game. He left the Crows and returned to Carlton at the end of 2019 before retiring at the end of 2021.

Adelaide board member Mark Ricciuto, who represented the club for 15 seasons, responded to the damning allegations on Wednesday morning.

“He’s been one of the greats of the club,” Ricciuto told Adelaide’s Triple M Breakfast with Roo, Ditts and Loz.

“Player welfare is always number one no matter what’s going on, you always want everyone to be happy, so it’s very sad.

“I think the club has been on record at times to say that they acknowledge that it wasn’t handled perfectly. It had all good intentions but didn’t go perfectly.

“We all love Eddie and hopefully Eddie is getting over that… certainly the club moved on from that and are looking towards the future and have made a lot of ground since back then. It has come up in Eddie’s book and that is fair enough.”

Betts’ revelations have angered the footy community. Former Swans star Ryan Fitzgerald, who is a huge Crows fan, tweeted: “Really uncomfortable to read. Particularly the insensitivities around Eddie’s past of him. He is such an integral part of the AFC and their history, so rejected that he left feeling like that.”

Ex-Melbourne captain Garry Lyon also reacted. “When you read those words from Eddie, there is no debate about how it impacted on him,” he told SEN Breakfast.

“He talks about the Indigenous players, the cultural differences or sensitivities that weren’t adhered to. That’s Eddie … and that’s unequivocal, right? You can’t argue with any of that.

“Everyone’s own experiences have been caught up in this and from an Indigenous point of view, a lot of it since Eddie said that cultural sensitivities weren’t adhered to – and that is very, very real.

“In the end, it was untenable. We talk about the atmosphere and environment … take apart who you agree with and you don’t agree with, the fact of the matter is it split the club down the middle. When you get the (Rory) Sloanes and the (Taylor) Walkers, who have their recollection, and then you’ve got Eddie and others I would imagine… no wonder it destroyed that joint.

“You’ve got a section of the football club – and I’m not just putting this at the feet of Walker and Sloane, there may be others in the same boat – saying, ‘I got so much out of this, it was good’. And then on the other hand, right at the other end of the scale, you’ve got, ‘No, it ripped me apart, it ripped my relationship apart’.

“No wonder then from a footy club point of view and trying to stay together and on the same page, it ended up where it was.

“If you are told, whether you’re black or white or otherwise, ‘These camp people want to speak to you and they say to step aside from everyone else privately and we want you to have a conversation where you are open and vulnerable’ … And I go, ‘OK. In terms of building me as a better player and a leader, I’ll share and I’ll give you these really sensitive things that, to me, are important’. Then to have that thrown back in my face, that’s not cultural for me.

“How it affects me and someone else might be different based on culture, but that’s a betrayal for me.”

speaking on SEN SA Breakfastformer Port Adelaide star Kane Cornes questioned Adelaide’s leadership, calling out Crows star Rory Sloane for his public remarks after the camp when he said it made him a better husband and a better father.

“The question is, all of the people who have defended the camp and have said nothing went on, including the Crows fans, including Mark Ricciuto, including the club, what do they do now? Details have come out, Eddie Betts was abused about his mother, ”Cornes said.

“The saddest thing for me, the two most popular players at Adelaide are Tony Modra and Eddie Betts. No one made the Adelaide Oval stand up when they went near the football in Crows history like Eddie Betts. No one has been more popular.

“That’s the echelon that Eddie Betts is held in. To read how he was treated by his own football club, of which he is an icon, that was the saddest part for me.

“We do now have a blow-by-blow account which is pretty harrowing that your most popular player in club history was treated like an animal on this camp.

“I think it’s embarrassing for Rory Sloane and Taylor Walker to now hear that that was a rehearsed line and that they were all told and indoctrinated into saying it had made them a better father and husband and child. And to see Eddie Betts relay that that was actually rehearsed, it does not paint Rory and his leadership of him in great light.

“There’s a lot of egg on the face of Crows supporters, the footy club and a few players that were there.”

The Crows were cleared of any work health and safety breaches after an independent investigation into the training camp by SafeWork SA.

Read related topics:Adelaide

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Izak Rankine Adelaide Crows, Ollie Henry Collingwood contract

A Suns star is still off-contract—and the Crows are preparing to pounce.

Plus the intriguing contract situation surrounding a young Magpies forward.

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CROWS KEEPING TABS ON SUNS STAR

Adelaide is making a major play for homegrown forward Izak Rankine in what would be one of the biggest coups of this year’s trade period.

Gold Coast officials have long been confident of retaining Rankine after already re-signing fellow South Australian Jack Lukosius, as well as Ben King, Ben Ainsworth, Elijah Hollands and Mac Andrew.

The Suns are also expected to soon ink Lachie Weller on a four-year contract.

Rankine, who was drafted from SANFL club West Adelaide with the No. 3 pick in the talent-laden 2018 class, is out of contract at season’s end but is not a free agent.

The Crows would likely need to part with their first-round draft selection, which is currently No. 4 after their weekend win over Carlton, if they convince Rankine to leave, but that may be only the start of what was required.

However, the 22-year-old’s contract status, and the possible threat of Adelaide grabbing him in the pre-season draft, could complicate any potential negotiations.

Izak Rankin of the Suns. Picture: Russell FreemanSource: Getty Images

The Blues did exactly that with ex-Gold Coast footballer Jack Martin three years ago after discussions between the clubs broke down, heavily front-ending his deal to ward off other suitors.

Essendon already made a lucrative pitch to Rankine’s management this year to try to lure him to Victoria, with the young star’s career-best season catching rivals’ attention.

His agent, Garry Winter, of W Sports and Media, was previously on Adelaide’s board, and it could be worth up to $800,000 per season for Rankine to become a Crow on a long-term deal.

Rankine’s three-goal performance against West Coast on Sunday was his seventh match with multiple majors in 2022, along with averaging 14 disposals and six score involvements.

He would be a significant upgrade on rebuilding Adelaide’s small forward corps and could form a deadly duo with last year’s first-round draftee Josh Rachele.

Rachele’s 17 goals rank fourth at the Crows – behind tall targets Taylor Walker (42) and Darcy Fogarty (22), as well as spring-heeled forward Shane McAdam (18) – while Ned McHenry and James Rowe have each kicked only 10.

They sit in the bottom four on the ladder and for scoring, so Rankine would provide an excellent boost ahead of a season where Matthew Nicks’ team hopes to take a leap.

Suns keep finals hope alive | 01:25

Adelaide’s list management team met with Melbourne goals neak Kade Chandler, another South Australian, during last year’s trade period before he decided to stay at the Demons.

The Crows were linked with Western Bulldogs midfielder Josh Dunkley for many months but it’s now believed Port Adelaide would be the South Australian club he would join if he left the Kennel.

Dunkley’s girlfriend, Tippah Dwan, plays netball for the Adelaide Thunderbirds.

Asked last week about the delay in Rankine re-signing, Gold Coast coach Stuart Dew said they were “still confident” he would be at the club in 2023.

“There’s always a process. Things happen at different rates and different speeds,” Dew said.

“A number of contracts we’ve done have actually taken longer, so as long as the conversations are happening, that’s where the confidence comes from.

“It’s when it goes quiet (that you get concerned), and it’s certainly not like that – the dialogue’s still there.”

—NCA Newswire

HENRY, PIES ‘NOT OVERLY CLOSE’ TO FRESH CONTRACT

Collingwood and young forward Ollie Henry are “not overly close” on signing a new deal, but both parties remain confident a contract will be signed soon, reports SEN’s Sam Edmund.

Henry has had a promising yet rollercoaster 2022 season with the Magpies so far, booting 21.15 from 14 games. He started as the sub against Freo in Round 10 but came on to kick 4.1, while he was the unused medical sub against the Adelaide Crows in Round 18 and has spent the past two weekends in the VFL, booting 4.2 and 3.1 respectively.

The 20-year-old is uncontracted beyond this season. In May I told AFL Media he wasn’t in a rush to sign a new contract but declared he was “loving his time at Collingwood”.

Goodwin and Fagan discuss trade rumors | 03:43

Edmund reported on SEN Breakfast on Tuesday that talks between Henry’s management and the Magpies were ongoing, adding they’d met “in the last week or two”.

“Not overly close at this stage at Collingwood, but I think this one gets worked out. Both parties expect that to be the case,” Edmund told SEN Breakfast.

“The Pies want him to stay and Henry wants to stay, but with (Dan) McStay coming in there’s some things to work out around what his future looks like on game day.”

“I think they’ll get there, no real reason to think otherwise at this stage. It just needs to be worked through with the pieces coming back the other way like Dan McStay and the like.”

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Eddie Betts book, excerpt about Adelaide Crows training camp, trade to Carlton, Don Pyke

Melbourne champion Garry Lyon says it’s no surprise an infamous pre-season camp “destroyed” Adelaide after reading Eddie Betts’ confronting recollection of his experience.

An excerpt from Betts’ upcoming autobiography, ‘The Boy from Boomerang Crescent’, was released on Monday night via The Age in which the triple All-Australian labeled the camp “weird” and “completely disrespectful”.

Several players, including Betts, and officials departed the club in the years following the pre-season leadership camp, which foxfooty.com.au revealed details of in March that year.

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In the most damning first-hand account of the 2018 camp yet, Betts claimed private details shared in a counseling session during the camp were misused, while sensitive Aboriginal cultural rituals were misappropriated.

“There was all sorts of weird shit that was disrespectful to many cultures, but particularly and extremely disrespectful to my culture,” he wrote.

Betts also wrote he was told he would “come back a better husband and father, a better teammate” after the camp – terms veteran players Taylor Walker and Rory Sloane used when defending the four-day event.

speaking on SEN Breakfast on Wednesday morning, Lyon said he was stunned by Betts’ account, but added it provided important context as to the turmoil that followed at the Crows.

Rory Sloane and Eddie Betts during an Adelaide Crows game in 2019. Picture: Scott BarbourSource: Getty Images

“When you read those words from Eddie, there is no debate about how it impacted on him. He talks about the Indigenous players, the cultural differences or sensitivities that he were not adhered to. That’s Eddie … and that’s unequivocal, right? You can’t argue with any of that,” Lyon told SEN Breakfast.

“And then you read this from Taylor Walker: ‘The camp that we went on as a footy club, personally I found one of the most beneficial and rewarding camps I’ve ever been on as an individual. I encourage any of my mates, family members to do the same. Our footy club, like most other AFL clubs, are trying to get an edge over (other teams).’ Rory Sloane: ‘I can speak about what I got out of it personally. I absolutely 100 per cent came back from that camp feeling like a better husband, a better son and a much better teammate than when I was before. For me, the experience was unbelievable.’

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“Now, clearly, everyone’s own experiences have been caught up in this and from an Indigenous point of view, a lot of it since Eddie said that cultural sensitivities weren’t adhered to – and that is very, very real.

“In the end, it was untenable. We talk about the atmosphere and environment … take apart who you agree with and you don’t agree with, the fact of the matter is it split the club down the middle. When you get the Sloane’s and the Walker’s, who have their recollection, and then you’ve got Eddie and others I would imagine… no wonder it destroyed that joint.

“You’ve got a section of the football club – and I’m not just putting this at the feet of Walker and Sloane, there may be others in the same boat – saying ‘I got so much out of this, it was good ‘. And then on the other hand, right at the other end of the scale, you’ve got ‘no, it ripped me apart, it ripped my relationship apart’. No wonder then from a footy club point of view and trying to stay together and on the same page, it ended up where it was.”

Eddie Betts was a star for the Crows. Picture: James ElsbySource: Getty Images

Essendon legend Tim Watson said he was shocked by the claims of cultural insensitivities during the camp.

“Given what they did at that camp you would think the planning that went into that – as part of that planning from a football club perspective – they would’ve said to these guys: ‘OK, what is it that you’re planning to do?’ And you would expect them to outline all the different areas that they were going to go, how they were going to go about it, what their objectives were – all those sorts of things,” Watson told SEN Breakfast.

“So you would think somewhere in there, there would be somebody representing the Adelaide Crows and there would be somebody there as part of the Adelaide Crows group who would understand the cultural sensitivities for some of those Indigenous players if they were to present the camp in the way that it was obviously presented. At that point, you would think somebody would say ‘no, you are going into territory now that we shouldn’t venture into’.”

Lyon said Betts’ belief his private details he shared were then misused during the camp was a “betrayal”.

“I’m just reading the excerpt, so I haven’t read the whole book. But if you are told, whether you’re black or white or otherwise, ‘these camp people want to speak to you and they say to step aside from everyone else privately and we want you to have a conversation where you are open and vulnerable’ … And I go ‘OK. In terms of building me as a better player and a leader, I’ll share and I’ll give you these really sensitive things that, to me, are important’. Then to have that thrown back in my face, that’s not cultural for me,” Lyon said.

Crows surprise Blues at Adelaide Oval | 01:31

“How it affects me and someone else might be different based on culture, but that’s a betrayal for me.”

After kicking 310 goals across six seasons with Adelaide, Betts was traded back to Carlton at the end of 2019 to finish his career.

Four-time Power best and fairest winner Kane Cornes dubbed Betts one of the two most popular players to ever represent Adelaide alongside Tony Modra. So for Cornes, to “read how he was treated by his own football club – of which he is an icon of – that was the saddest part for me”.

Cornes said he would be fascinated by how the Crows, as well as South Australian media personalities, would respond to the Betts book.

“The question is, all of the people who have defended the camp and have said nothing went on… what do they do now?” I have asked on SEN SA Breakfast.

“How are they going to deal with that? Because we do now have a ‘blow-by-blow account’, which is pretty harrowing that your second or most popular player in the club’s history was treated like an animal, really, on this camp.”

Cornes added: “There’s a lot of egg on the face from Crows supporters, from the footy club and a few players that were there.”

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