Former Port Adelaide captain Warren Tredrea has published a brutal assessment of the struggling Adelaide Crows, saying the club has suffered a “horrible fall from grace”.
“Adelaide’s football department has gone from the envy of the AFL to a basket case in under nine months,” Tredrea writes in The Advertiser.
“Winning can mask many things and right now the Crows’ poor leadership and decision making has been laid bare…
“Coach Don Pyke and inexperienced football manager Brett Burton are under the pump.
“They’ve clearly underestimated their players fragile mental state following last year’s 48-point grand final walloping by Richmond.
“It’s not as simple as blaming injuries as the reason for their demise, it goes much deeper than that. And while they’re a reality, they’re never an excuse.
“The Crows are still fielding a highly competitive team with experienced players each week.”
Tredrea said controversies surrounding the club’s long injury list and pre-season mind training camp were “preventable, unwarranted distractions the players have had to deal with”.
“On field it’s no surprise the playing group looks mentally shot, lacks spark and appears unwilling to play desperate hard football that was a given from the Crows in 2016 and 2017.
“Pyke and Burton must be willing to put their hands up and admit they got it seriously wrong, with the once premiership favourites caught in footy’s mire.”
This is sure to go down well with Crows fans … former @PAFC skipper Warren Tredrea writes Adelaide has gone from the envy of the AFL to a basket case.https://t.co/I8IPeuAlM0#weflyasone pic.twitter.com/mByvPzAGGe
— SuperFooty (AFL) (@superfooty) June 20, 2018
