Craig defiant as Crows crumble again - Sports News - Fanatics - the world's biggest events

Craig defiant as Crows crumble again

Roger Vaughan 05/06/2011 08:24:20 PM Comments (0)

The heat has gone up another notch on Adelaide coach Neil Craig, who concedes his slumping AFL team "can't be trusted" to play well consistently.

Adelaide rarely looked a chance on Sunday against North Melbourne, losing by 47 points.

After starting the season with the sense they could return to the top eight, Adelaide only have three wins from seven games.

While Craig could point to his team showing more spirit than during last week's shock home loss to Brisbane, they were still smashed in the midfield.

"We actually have to build some trust with our supporters, so we don't get this up and down and all over the shop (form)," Craig said.

"Trust is only built with the quality of your play, week-in, week-out.

"Clearly at the moment, as a footy team, we can't be trusted to play good footy week after week after week."

After saying last week that Craig had never enjoyed coaching more, he again made it clear after Sunday's match that he is determined to see his team through this crisis.

"I said during the week I've never enjoyed it more - what I mean by that is this is a huge challenge for our footy club, with the squad we have, to build it ... as quickly as we possibly can," he said.

"Last week and, to a certain extent, these sorts of days just increase the resolve."

Craig also remains confident that he has the personnel to develop the next great Crows side.

But he referred to comments by St Kilda coach Ross Lyon last month, that in the end the Adelaide administration will decide whether he continues in the job.

Craig was one of eight coaches coming out of contract at the end of this season, but the Crows made him a member of staff partly to lessen the speculation about his future.

"That won't be for me to decide, will it?," Craig said of his future.

"I've got to have an involvement in it because if I didn't want to do it I'd have a responsibility to say, well, I shouldn't be doing this.

"Clearly you've heard here that I'm keen to continue, but all I can say is the board has only offered me support."

Andrew Swallow and his fellow North midfielders monstered their Adelaide opponents and Craig said that is a major problem.

"We just can't fix it at the moment," he said.

"We had a real good look at it after the Gold Coast game, even though we won that game.

"We'got to put a lot more resource time into because its hurting us badly."

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