Australian Football

Of the footballers to have represented Adelaide during the club's first three decades none has given more value or had a greater all round impact than Mark Ricciuto whose tally of 312 AFL games between 1993 and 2007 made him the Crows' longest serving player to that point (a figure since overtaken by Andrew McLeod and Tyson Edwards). 

Originally from Waikerie, Ricciuto played briefly with West Adelaide before commencing his AFL career when still a few months short of his 18th birthday. Early in his career it was his strength and power which captured the attention, but before long it became apparent that he boasted much more than an average quota of genuine skill as well. In 1997 he was one of the principal factors in a stellar season for the Crows which culminated in the club's first ever premiership. Tragically for Ricciuto, however, he suffered an injury late in the year which forced him to miss the Grand Final victory over St Kilda. Selection as an AFL All Australian for the second time (the first had been in 1994) would have afforded scant, if indeed any, consolation.

The 1998 season saw the player dubbed 'Roo' by team mates and fans produce even better football than the previous year, and this time it was crowned in perfect fashion by participation in the Grand Final defeat of North Melbourne as the Crows went back to back. Selection in another AFL All Australian team was icing on the cake on this occasion, with candles supplied in the form of a first ever club best and fairest award.

Throughout the remaining decade of his career Mark Ricciuto was universally acknowledged as one of the game's supreme talents, a status repeatedly reaffirmed in numerous ways, most notably by his joint Brownlow Medal win in 2003. Other noteworthy achievements included further Crows best and fairest awards in 2003 and 2004, selection in another five AFL All Australian teams, and the club's goal kicking award after booting 44 goals in 2006. Ricciuto also skippered the Crows in his last seven seasons.

Author - John Devaney