Pyke downplays effect of infamous Crows camp
Former Adelaide coach Don Pyke admits the Crows need to work out a way to address the infamous pre-season camp that took place on the Gold Coast in 2018 so that the club can put it behind them once and for all as revelations about what took place continue to emerge.
Speaking on ABC Grandstand, Pyke downplayed the effect of the camp on the team's winless start to 2020 under new coach Matthew Nicks and claimed the club wanted to move on but conceded the Crows needed to find a way to do that while concerns lingered.
“I think it’s probably a conversation that’s due with the club about how do they wish to address this once and for all," Pyke said.
Former players have said the camp broke the trust that existed within the group that reached the 2017 grand final and was a significant reason why the club had underperformed in recent seasons and lost key players to other clubs.
Despite the AFL integrity unit clearing the club at the time, recent revelations published by The Age about what took place have been disturbing.
However, Pyke said context was required to understand the motivation behind some of the activities.
“I think there’s also an issue at the moment with context around some of the things that were done and the purpose behind those that probably hasn’t been tabled,” Pyke said.
"The execution had some gaps and holes and some mistakes were made and that has been addressed."
He said those who argued that the Crows' uncompetitive performance in 2020 was due to the camp were incorrect.
“It’s a long bow to draw," Pyke said.
"I think if you ask some of those guys some of them would go, ‘Well the performance now has nothing to do with what happened on a camp two-and-a-half years ago'."
Former players and Fox Footy analysts Jason Dunstall and Matthew Pavlich conducted a review into the club at the end of last season and the club has appointed a new coach in Nicks, a new football manager in Adam Kelly and a new leadership development manager in Daniel Jackson.
The list has also been turned over considerably with Eddie Betts, Hugh Greenwood, Alex Keath, Sam Jacobs, Cam Ellis-Yolmen and Josh Jenkins departing for other clubs at the end of the season.