As he fronted the media beside Crows CEO Steven Trigg one final time, outgoing Adelaide coach Neil Craig spoke professionally and gracefully, just as he had done throughout his tenure at West Lakes.
Craig has been at Adelaide a long time, having been appointed as fitness coach in the premiership years of 1997-98 under coaching great Malcolm Blight.
He served willingly under his predecessor Gary Ayres from 2000-04, before officially replacing Ayres as the senior man in charge from 2005.
With his distinct and valuable insight in sports science, Craig was able to build an Adelaide team that was structured, well drilled, extremely fit and highly disciplined.
His coaching record, which was of the best in the competition, accurately reflects this.
Neil Craig’s coaching record
- Appointed coach round 14, 2004 (replaced Gary Ayres)
- Coached: 166 games
- Won 92 lost 74
- Winning percentage: 55 percent
- Contested five finals series in seven years
- Best finish: Third in 2006
- Worst finish: 11th in 2010
Unfortunately, 13 wins in his last two years in charge hurt Craig, and ultimately led to his resignation.
Last Friday’s blockbuster against St Kilda proved to be Craig’s last game in charge, as Adelaide were humiliated by 103 points.
The Crows kicked just three goals, and the loss was the worst result in their history since their introduction into the AFL in 1991.
His right hand man, dual Adelaide premiership skipper Mark Bickley takes over for the remainder of the season to prove his rights for the job next year.
Bickley, along with another former skipper in Simon Goodwin, also enters the race for the coaching job at West Lakes.
Goodwin is fresh out of the game and is currently at assistant coach at Essendon, where he is highly regarded and has been given rave reviews with how he conducts himself and coaches the Essendon midfield.
Other South Australian coaching prospects include former Crow Nathan Bassett, who is coaching Norwood in the SANFL, and current West Coast Eagle assistant Scott Burns.
All of Bickley, Goodwin, Bassett and Burns are all local South Australians and logical choices, but the Crows should look outside their home state when deciding on their coach for 2012.