Adelaide chairman Rob Chapman is pleading for “clean air” from the AFL community to permit searching reviews of his club.
Chapman says while there’s a sense of urgency to complete the review, the Crows can’t afford to rush and “muck it up”.
After missing the finals in consecutive years, the Crows have formed a four-member panel to perform an external review of all operations at the club.
Hawthorn legend Jason Dunstall is in Adelaide to head the panel which also includes Fremantle great Matthew Pavlich plus a sports psychologist and a sports scientist.
Review findings could prompt the ousting of coach Don Pyke and football manager Brett Burton among others, while in an unrelated move Taylor Walker has stepped down as co-captain.
Chapman admits the Crows made mistakes since losing the 2017 grand final.
“We know we have deserved some of the things (criticism), we have kicked a couple of own goals,” he told Adelaide radio station 5AA.
“(We’re) happy to own it, happy to wear it.”
But he appealed for calm amid the Dunstall-led review and also a separate review from internal club staffers.
“We are asking for a bit of clean air,” Chapman said.
“And if people don’t want to give it to us that’s fine, but we have a plan.”
Chapman categorically denied reports Adelaide’s playing group had been given a survey as part of their feedback.
He initially forecast the Dunstall-led review would take five weeks but now believed results would come sooner.
“I don’t suspect it will take that long, how much less than the five weeks, I’m not sure,” Chapman said.
“We want to do it properly. But I think all concerned want to get it done and let’s nail what these key themes are and then lets deal with them really, really quickly.”
Negotiations with players soon to fall off contract and potential recruits would continue ahead of the review findings.
“You can’t just pause your football club,” Chapman said.