Hi everyone,

Well, how good was that?! Sunday's match was without doubt one of the most enthralling and emotional sporting contests I have attended, let alone been involved in! This was not just because of the build-up, the record crowd, the opposition, the swings in momentum during the match or the final result, but also for the courage shown by Quinn Walsh to present the best player medal named in her dad’s honour. The emotion-charged minute’s applause post-match was both phenomenal and memorable.

Claiming the four premiership points was also critical as we push towards September and it was also a fitting salute to Walshy, who no doubt would have loved the fact the boys went out there and got the job done. Many in the industry are describing it as the most entertaining game of the season - another fact that would not have been lost on the man himself.

We are fortunate to have talented, dedicated and hard-working staff right across the organisation and in particular, a group of coaches who have all stepped up and chipped in where necessary over recent weeks to continue to drive the elite standards that contributed to the Showdown victory. Scott Camporeale deserves special praise for his calm transition into the demanding role of Senior Coach, while John Worsfold has slotted in well as Coaching Director, where his experience and expertise is already proving invaluable. But everyone has done their bit.

A massive thanks to those of you who were able to find a ticket and get along to Adelaide Oval on Sunday. While we were outnumbered, you certainly made your presence heard and felt. I popped across the river to the live site at Elder Park prior to the match and was thrilled to see a large crowd building. To think that we ended up with more than 10,000 Crows supporters there is further proof that you are the most passionate and loyal fans in footy.

The support and care extended to our Club and the Walsh family from across the country in recent weeks has been nothing short of extraordinary. The AFL community, particularly our members and fans, as well as clubs and officials from rival sporting codes, have been outstanding with genuine offers of assistance and well wishes. Thank you - it has been appreciated. We really do fly as one!

We are determined to build on our encouraging on-field start to the season, so once the Club song was sung (very loudly!) last weekend our attention quickly turned to Saturday’s home match against Gold Coast.

This has been an emotionally draining period for everyone, particularly the players and coaches and this weekend presents the first opportunity for our Crows family to come together and just focus on footy. Over the past few weeks there has been several formal and informal tributes to Walshy which have given us all a chance to reflect both personally and collectively on his significant contribution to our great game. As such, on Saturday we will allow our players to return to the normality of a regular match day experience. We will however, highlight some of Phil's special moments with our Club (including some memorable quotes and comments) in a video package that will run during the half time break. I am sure you will take some time for a personal reflection as the tribute plays on the big screens.

Finally, we are well underway with the process of sorting, documenting and storing the huge number of items that formed part of the floral tribute outside our Club. They include notes, cards, jumpers, scarves, hats, flags and soft toys, some of which will be appropriately displayed at West Lakes in the future.

Once again, thanks for your support. It has been touching and greatly appreciated. I look forward to seeing you turn out in force on Saturday as we try to knock off the Suns.

As I said earlier, we really do fly as one.

Thanks

Andrew.