PHIL Walsh’s power at the Adelaide Football Club is under question after twice being forced to compromise to the Crows players in his first month at West Lakes.

But inaugural Crows mentor Graham Cornes says Walsh’s inability to get his team leadership group to embrace a booze ban says more of the players than the coach.

media_camera Crows captain Taylor Walker and coach Phil Walsh. Picture: Roy VanDerVegt

It also strengthens the image of player power at West Lakes where coach Brenton Sanderson was sacked last year after being supposedly undermined by the Crows player base.

Cornes writes in his Advertiser column: “That a new coach could not get his previously under-performing players to embrace a no-alcohol policy as he tried to lift them from a black hole of mediocrity in an indictment of their professionalism.”

Walsh at least twice had to compromise with the Crows players on critical decisions in the off-season - the vote on their captain and alcohol.

There had to be a second ballot on the captaincy - ultimately handed to Taylor Walker - after the Adelaide players challenged Walsh’s criteria for judging their skipper.

And Walsh this week revealed his wish for a booze ban was rejected by the players.

Cornes, a non-drinker like Walsh, says the alcohol ban would have been a “small sacrifice to make to ensure maximum performance.”

“Yet, the Crows players were not prepared to make it,” Cornes writes.

But the merit of a no-alcohol policy was brought into question. Leading sports medico Dr Peter Larkins noted there was a recovery aid to keeping injured players off alcohol.

“(But) more than 72 hours out (from a game),” Larkins said, “having one or two beers is not going to impact you medically.”

Walsh notably took up the alcohol issue with the Crows players after admiring how the Port Adelaide team had benefited from a policy designed by captain Travis Boak and his leadership group.

“I was extremely impressed with the alcohol policy at the Port Adelaide Football Club,” Walsh said. “(It is) very strongly (led by the players).”

That policy is understood to demand no Power player have alcohol unless the team is on at least an eight-day break.

Port Adelaide defence coach Matthew Nicks confirmed the Power had stayed clear of a total alcohol ban at Alberton.

“No player will drink when he is injured,” Nicks said. “They understand that if you do drink, it does not help you recover. That’s the professional part of the players’ preparation.

“We’re careful to not say you can’t drink at all. During the longer breaks - the seven or eight-day break - a drink at dinner with your family, that’s okay.”

The alcohol issue returned to the AFL agenda this week when several Gold Coast players breached coach Rodney Eade’s no-booze edict after the Q-Clash derby with Brisbane on Saturday.

The fall-out has cost four Suns players - Harley Bennell, Trent McKenzie, Danny Stanley and Brandon Matera - the chance to play against the Crows at Metricon Stadium today.