Opinion

Sydney's Milos Ninkovic tries to prevent a cross from City's Denis Genrau during the round 25 A-League match between the Sydney FC and Melbourne City FC at Allianz Stadium in Sydney, Saturday, April 1, 2017. (AAP Image/Dean Lewins) NO ARCHIVING, EDITORIAL USE ONLY

Sydney leads with imports, conditioning

JUST as Adelaide did in the first season of the A-League, Sydney FC is setting the pace. And John Kosmina expects the Sky Blues to soar to double glory.

T-birds mustn’t let young get restless

AFTER a horror season, the Thunderbirds must take steps to stop local talent from slipping away to bolster rivals — and playing youngsters is the way to do that, says Natalie von Bertouch.

Reds must create cult of personality

THE AFL’s Port Adelaide is great at developing it, Liverpool’s global fans demand it and Adelaide United is a millions of miles away from attaining it. Culture that is. Val Migliaccio explains.

Now will the fans unite against racism?

IT was a powerful moment, one that should have happened eight months ago when the Port Adelaide indigenous AFL players wanted to stand arm-in-arm with their Crows brothers to support Eddie Betts.

Crows not stuck in the middle

MIDFIELD transformations generally don’t take place in the space of a pre-season. Unless you are Hawthorn and are prepared to trade two aging premiership heroes and a heap of draft picks.

Time for the Reds to look local

AFTER a season of major disappointment, it’s time for Adelaide United to end its boardroom battles and appoint a local coach, says John Kosmina.

Spinning out of control will haunt O’Keefe

IT’S time for Stephen O’Keefe to stay on the wagon. Add alcohol and the knockabout bloke mates love - and the successful Test career O’Keefe craves - sadly disappear.

Victor will be quick to claim bragging rights

THERE was something all too familiar about the Crows in the first quarter of last week’s match against Hawthorn. The intensity was lacking. The midfield was getting smashed. Disposal was erratic.

Who’s to blame for rule change mess?

OLLIE Wines has joined the chorus of players and fans begging for an end to the AFL’s constant rule changes. But if he wants change, it’s not the league bosses he needs to talk to, says Michelangelo Rucci.

Why I became a Showdown recluse

SHOWDOWN — the game that stops a state and suffocates the players. Yes it’s brilliant — but it's a week of media and fan focus like no other.

Bickley: Debut I’ll never forget

MAKING your coaching debut is daunting at the best of times, but Mark Bickley stepped into the Adelaide Crows role during Showdown week.

Nobody laughing at ‘organic growth’ now

CROWS list management boss Justin Reid copped plenty when he failed to deliver Bryce Gibbs, then said the club’s list could deliver ‘organic growth’. Now he is owed an apology, says Graham Cornes.

AFLW popular but not yet elite

THE AFLW has been a success — partly because of a level of coverage other female sports can only dream of — but it has plenty of work to do before it is an elite competition, says Natalie von Bertouch.

Eagles weren’t only ones getting high

‘HE that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone’. It’s time for those demanding the crucifixion of West Coast over its (past) drug culture to ponder that Biblical message, says Michelangelo Rucci.

Smith, Head will learn from mistakes

THEY were trying outcomes against rare backdrops from Dharamsala’s Himalayas to Alice Springs but Steve Smith and Travis Head have sewn seeds for success and retribution.

Don’t honour a hero by insulting a legend

SPORT Minister Leon Bignell’s fervour to honour Crows sensation Erin Phillips is understandable. His decision to insult an SA football great in the process is not, says Michelangelo Rucci.

Keep the lid on please, Power fans

COOL your jets Port Adelaide supporters, one win doesn’t make a season. That’s Warren Tredrea’s advice to the Alberton Army after Saturday’s ruthless 28-point thrashing of the Swans in Sydney.

SANFL needs its own voice

GONE are the days when Hall of Famer Ian Day would call an SANFL reserves games, the mini-league and league match in a Saturday marathon. Long gone.

Expectations a mental game

WHAT goes on in the minds of AFL footballers? It may be a dangerous place to venture, but we are told so much of sport is played “above the shoulders”.

What will Crows fans do Saturday?

BY now Crows fans have put the highlighter pen or circle through their Sunday Mail “watch” guide on the television programs of the week. And yes, the rundown for Saturday afternoon on Channel Seven is correct. There is no misprint.

Why did Crows pass the (Powell-) Pepper?

AFTER an impressive debut, Sam Powell-Pepper is looming as a draft steal for Port Adelaide, which remarkably picked up the big-bodied midfielder at No. 18, says Kane Cornes.

Underdogs show mind does matter

WIN the mind games and success may well follow — that’s the lesson out of inspiring upset victories by the “believers” at Port Adelaide and Essendon, says Michelangelo Rucci.

Many questions remain about Socceroos

THERE is much to ponder about the Socceroo’s draw with Iraq in ordinary conditions in Tehran, not the least of which is the possibility of non-qualification for next year’s World Cup, says John Kosmina.

AFL may go back to go forward

THE AFL may well act to stop teams from flooding stoppages and creating ugly congestion on the field. It should also slash the number of interchanges to help that process, says Dwayne Russell.

The moment which made my career

THE disappointment hit me like a sledgehammer. Sitting through the 2006 draft at the Ardrossan Newsagency — the only place that had internet in the local area at the time — and not hearing my name called was devastating.

Fun ‘n’ games for athletes in grand finales

THE squeals of injustice were amusing as the AFL women’s grand final transferred from the Gabba to Gold Coast at the behest of colourful Gabba curator Kevin Mitchell jnr.

Eagles must be stripped of flag: Cornes

WEST Coast’s 2006 premiership — after an amazing prelim final comeback — still irks suspicious Crows fans. Now, with revelations about the Eagles’ drug culture (then), the club must lose its flag, says Graham Cornes.

Stormy outlook for some coaches

AFTER collecting dust for the past three years, the AFL’s harshest barometer — the “Coach Pressure Index” — has regained relevance with questions and doubts about many mentors, says Michelangelo Rucci.

Truly in a league of their own

THE success of the AFLW competition has surprised even its most enthusiastic pre-season fans. The Crows are delighted with the performance on and off field. Michelangelo Rucci looks at what comes next.

Crows, Power must take Doggies’ lead

SINCE grand final day, 17 coaches have been pondering just how the flag-winning Western Bulldogs made such a remarkable rise. Mark Bickley examines lessons SA’s two teams must learn from the Bullies.

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457 crackdown to put ‘Aussies in Aussie jobs’

A SURPRISE crackdown on foreign workers will “ensure that Australian jobs are filled by Australians wherever possible”, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says.

Rent dispute closes Unley restaurant

THE doors of a longstanding restaurant in Adelaide’s inner-south have been shut because of a dispute over unpaid rent.

Shark victim died ‘doing what she loved’

BREAKING: The 17-year-old victim of a shark attack in Esperance, WA has been named, with her family saying she died doing what she loved.

SA duo are hopping to it

A PAIR of Adelaide Hills beer aficionados are hoping their hops business will help reinvigorate an industry once common in the area.

SA boaties launch lawsuit

BERTH owners at the Wirrina Cove marina have launched a class action against its operator questioning the expenditure of more than $1 million and accusing its owner of using their money for “its own benefit”.

SA shoe business makes strides

SOUTH Australian family-owned retailer Spend-less Shoes has increased its footprint once again, opening the doors at its 200th store.

SA’s mixed report card

AN economic report has had an each-way bet on the business outlook for South Australia, with a “bunch of good news” to be offset by “demons to grapple with”.

Lawyers competing on contract clauses

“A CANCER of the financial services industry” is how Middleton Securities principal partner David Middleton describes contractual non-compete clauses. His comments come amid ongoing court action against two of his former colleagues at Prescott Securities.

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