AFL: Crows legend Andrew McLeod has revealed how good mate and fellow superstar Mark Ricciuto stitched him up early in his AFL career.
The Crows line up for the national anthem during the 2017 AFL finals series.Source:AAP
The Adelaide Crows are reeling from fresh accusations surrounding the infamous 2018 pre-season camp that continues to haunt the under-fire club.
The latest claims follow an explosive report earlier this month that detailed the extreme measures taken during the camp, run by Queensland-based consultancy group Collective Minds.
The camp has rocked the proud club, resulting in a series of players requesting trades to rival clubs as the Crows have spiralled from grand finalists in 2017 to basket-cases in 2020.
The Crows are the only team yet to win a game this season.
It has previously been reported some players felt betrayed after personal secrets of childhood trauma were divulged to the club and then used as a form of abuse directed at players during a confronting team building exercise.
The Herald Sun has now revealed further troubling accusations of players being pushed to breaking point with a torrent of traumatic psychological challenges.
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The report revealed the claims of one insider, who says he can recall that some players were told the playing group needed to form a bond “so tight that if a teammate slept with your wife it would be OK”.
The insider says it is hard for players to remember exactly what occurred on the camp.
“We were in such a state of confusion,” he told The Herald Sun.
“It was like a trance, there were times where we would come-to two days after and say, ‘What did we just do?’.
“It’s hard to remember exactly what we did or what was said and we were in different groups.”
The Crows have fallen apart since.Source:News Corp Australia
It is just one of countless troubling accusations levelled against the club over the camp that is still casting a shadow over the team almost three years later.
The Age previously reported players broke down in tears this year when speaking about their experiences on the camp.
Former coach Don Pyke has previously said he regretted pushing his players too far with the Adelaide Crows in a statement saying aspects of the camp did miss the mark.
“It’s important we acknowledge we made some mistakes — that is what humans do,” Pyke said. “In our drive to improve in our program both in our physical and mental side, in hindsight, seeking gains, maybe we pushed too far. And that I regret.”
The departures have piled up in the wake of the camp with Pyke, head of football Brett Burton and assistant coach Scott Camporeale all departing.
Several players were quick to locate an exit from the club with Eddie Betts, Mitch McGovern, Curtly Hampton, Josh Jenkins, Hugh Greenwood, Alex Keath and Cam Ellis-Yolmen all walking out following the camp.