Australian Football

Neil Craig enjoyed a noteworthy eighteen season league career with three clubs during which time he played a total of 321 SANFL games, plus 11 for South Australia. A skilful, hard running footballer, he commenced with Norwood in 1973, and two years later was a member of the club’s first senior premiership team for a quarter of a century. When the Redlegs again went top in 1978, Craig was close to best afield in a stirring, come-from-behind Grand Final victory over Sturt. In 1980, after 126 games for Norwood, he crossed to Sturt where he added another 134 games in seven seasons, skippering the side in 1985 and 1986. He also captained his state against Victoria in 1984. His final port of call was North Adelaide, where he played 61 games in four years.

Towards the end of the 2004 season Neil Craig was appointed coach of AFL club Adelaide and in a highly promising first full season in charge the following year he led the side to the minor premiership and in 2006 as far as the preliminary final. After that, the 2007 season was a major disappointment as the Crows only just managed to qualify for the finals before having their premiership aspirations immediately derailed by Hawthorn. It was a similar story twelve months later, albeit with Collingwood inflicting the coup de grace on that occasion.

Under Craig, the Crows reached the finals for five consecutive years, for a finals' coaching record of three wins and six losses. Craig resigned mid-season 2011 after a 103-point loss to St Kilda. He left the club as the longest serving coach in the Crows' history. He has subsequently been involved with Melbourne, Essendon, and Carlton in various coaching and development capacities.

Author - John Devaney