South Australian footy legend Graham Cornes has leapt to the defence of the Adelaide Crows in the wake of more criticism pointed towards the club.
Crows great and board member Mark Ricciuto spoke on his Triple M breakfast radio show this week regarding the reasons behind some of the recent departures of players to other clubs.
Some have applauded Ricciuto for being so open but others feel the explanations were inaccurate which has further muddied the waters at West Lakes.
The club’s inaugural AFL coach Cornes feels the Crows are damned if they do right now.
“For years now people have been saying, ‘why are these players leaving Adelaide?’,” Cornes said on SEN Breakfast.
“I thought he (Ricciuto) gave great clarity as to why they weren’t able to retain or didn’t want to retain several players. What is wrong with that?
“In one instance the club has always been criticised for a lack of transparency. Now here’s a board member who gives great clarity as to why these players have left the club and you can’t argue with what he said.
“As soon as he does, he’s criticised for being so open. The club can’t win.”
Cornes continued: “What is wrong with that clarity?
“If you lived in America and you’re a professional athlete… We follow so many of the American customs with our Australian Rules footy. What is wrong with having your contracts made public?”
There have been myriad other issues surrounding the Crows dating back to the infamous pre-season camp following the 2017 Grand Final defeat which, according to Cornes, some have been reported unfairly in Victoria.
“The local media hold them accountable, there’s no doubt about that, but at least they’re balanced,” he added.
“What we get from the Victorian journalists who just see them as a sitting duck.
“It just astounds me that repeatedly you’ve got a Victorian journalist that jumps up with a far-fetched story or an exaggeration that the club has to defend.”
Listen to all of Garry and Tim’s fascinating chat with Cornes below: