When the Cheshire emerges...

I haven't really kept up with as much Adelaide news in a year as I have this WEEK with the story that most of Adelaide had been reluctant to hear: Kurt Tippett has decided to leave the Crows. He's flying out.

Bye bye

Now, over the last few days I've had discussions about this with my dad as well as trying to explain it to my colleagues, and I feel like getting my two cents out there today.

Went on to the Adelaide Now website where they have the most easily accessible coverage, and discover that, lo and behold, someone's making some death threats on Twitter. All in jest of course, tying in with the release of Taken 2 (which by the way you'll see my review for tomorrow night).


However jokingly or not that was written, it's a bit extreme.

What everyone in Adelaide seems to have a beef about is the fact that this is a real sort of betrayal. Not in the sense that he's leaving the club itself - that happens, it's life - but his reasons for it. He cries homesick for a year and then decides that clubs like Sydney and Collingwood are also potential new friends, leaving Brisbane and the Gold Coast as distant maybes.

And you know why? MONEY. It makes the world go round and he's likely going to take the opportunity at the expense of his reputation in Adelaide and beyond.Tippett was on $700,000 at the Crows as (apparently) our highest-EVER paid player. We were going to bump it up for him to $800k. But clearly if a $1 million pay cheque is on the horizon, something's ticking in his head. The Swans are offering $1 million a season. His parents probably said to him he should man up and go where the money is instead of going from a club on the verge of a premiership to clubs that have no hope for at least five years.

Print coverage courtesy of mum

Then the plot thickened when his younger brother announced he was also leaving Adelaide after having played in the SANFL. It screamed the 2011 situation of Jack Gunston who went home to mummy in Victoria after the Crows also nurtured him. That's the thing with Tippett - we took him in as an 18-year-old who had a basketball background and made him the athlete he is today. And for him to go about his departure in such a bad way hurts.

I say that with full respect to the club and the players. I would've felt gutted if this is what I received as a parting goodbye.

Again, courtesy of mum (legend)

I think Patrick Dangerfield put it best when he tweeted: "Disappointing day for the AFC. Club has done everything it could. But you have to want to be apart of where we are going. #2013 we r coming!"

Something tells me they're pretty disappointed.

***

The Big Footy forums have produced 64 pages of discussion, including comments such as this one:

"Speak for yourself brother, if he goes anywhere but to a Qld club he is a low, dirty dog and I will have zero respect for him!!

"Fair enough if he goes to a Qld Club for lifestyle or family reasons, I'll just look forward to Daniel Talia giving him a footballing lesson next year but!!"

And that's the long and the short of it. Go to a Queensland club, and it'll be much easier to swallow as well as possibly retaining a smidgeon of respect. Defect to a Sydney or Melbourne team, and face the wrath of Roo as well as many general fans (not just Crows supporters) who would see him for what he really could be. The drama is warranted because of the deeper hole Tippett has dug for himself.

It's disappointing mate. You were one of my favourites.