Kenny's heart in the right place

crow87

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Thread starter #1
Full page feature on everyones favourite 'fro in todays 'tiser.
:) His dog is called Callie.

http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/s...-21543,00.html

KEN McGregor admits to being an emotional wreck after Adelaide's dramatic, last-second loss to Hawthorn in this year's elimination final.
Sitting in a corner of the Telstra Dome changerooms, a misty-eyed McGregor was reflecting on the Crows' once-promising season coming to a screaming halt, life without the club's greatest player, Mark Ricciuto, and his own future – which didn't appear to be at Adelaide.
"It was a very emotional time," McGregor, who kicked four goals in a strong display up forward, recalled.
"We'd lost a game we should have won, Roo had played his last match and was in tears and I was thinking it could be my last game for the club I love so much too.
"There was definitely a lot of emotion going on in the changerooms and there were all sorts of thoughts going through my head."
Most of them had out-of-contract McGregor agonisingly saying goodbye to the team-mates he had come to love and the the club he had grown up supporting and spilling blood, sweat and tears for in 145, hard-earned AFL matches.
"At that stage I really wasn't sure If I had a future at Adelaide," McGregor, 26, said.
"I desperately wanted to stay but the signs weren't good and I wasn't sure whether they wanted me anymore or would offer me another contract.
"Being a bit older, being in and out of the side and not knowing which direction the club was going to take, I was definitely worried about things, particularly late in the season when I couldn't get a game. It was really tough."
Crowd favourite McGregor was also dealing with his own demons.
If he wasn't getting a regular game in a side which lacked talls and goalkickers, was it time for him to make a stand, move on and seek greener pastures elsewhere?
"I had to weigh that up," he said. "Were their better opportunities at another club?"
McGregor's manager, Justin Reid, had talks with Victorian clubs the Western Bulldogs and Essendon – who were both keen on adding a versatile key position player to their lists. But, deep-down, McGregor – who the Crows publicly stated was tradeable – did not want to leave.
And when Adelaide chief executive Steven Trigg sat him down in his office and assured him there was a place for him at Crowland, he couldn't put pen to paper quickly enough.
He signed a new two-year contract and now hopes to finish his career at the place he started it, saying he only ever wanted to be a one-club player.
"I didn't want to go anywhere because, to me, the Crows are my club," McGregor said.
"But there were times when I didn't think I'd have much choice and I might have to leave.
"After I had a good heart-to-heart with Triggy and I knew they wanted me to stay it clinched the deal as far as I was concerned.
"I decided this is my club – I've always wanted to be a one-club player – and I didn't want to be seen running away from it.
"The club's been good to me, the supporters have been great and I wanted to repay them by showing some loyalty."
McGregor, who has seen long-term team-mates Jason Torney and Matthew Bode have their careers taken from them after an off-season clean-out at West Lakes, now hopes he can finish his career at Adelaide. "To know I've given my all for the Adelaide Football Club – and the Adelaide Football Club only – will be a great feeling when I hang up the boots," he said. "That will be special to me." McGregor, whose versatility is a key to his game, wants to cement an attacking position next season but also intends to train as a ruckman over summer.
"If a ruck role comes up or someone is injured I wouldn't mind having a crack at that," he said, mindful that the Crows have lost lead ruckman Ben Hudson and the emerging John Meesen to the Bulldogs and Melbourne respectively. "It's something I feel I'm capable of doing."
And another string in the bow for the Crows' Mr Fixit!
 

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crow87

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Thread starter #2
Good to have Ken staying at the club, we could do alot worse than to have 40 blokes in the squad with his attitude.
 

CrowMagnum

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#4
His heart's not the problem, it's his legs.

Can't kick more than 30 metres, couldn't run out of sight in a fog and falls over like a nine pin. His effort in the SANFL finals was pretty ordinary. I just hope he was playing injured otherwise we're in trouble.
 

PCORF

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#5
"It was a very emotional time," McGregor, who kicked four goals in a strong display up forward, recalled.
"We'd lost a game we should have won, Roo had played his last match and was in tears!
It was the worst way possible to end his career. And not even the crowd would cheer him (Roo) off, he deserved alot more. Some Adelaide supporters were abusing their team in frustration. It was not a real game. Roo's last great game was in R22 against the Pies, love beating them up.

For me as a supporter it was one of the worst days in my life. I had no confidence and couldn't believe how frustrated I was. I remember when Torney kicked that great goal I was thinking, oh here we go again! (we'll give up and lose) Look what Lioncelli, Tarrant, Jeff Farmer, and Fevola did to us in recent years, they tore our hearts out. Buddy's dead straight kick can join that list. Yes, his kick was straight through as soon as it left his left foot.

The next day I quickly forgot about the Crows and laughed as the Hawks lost the following week to the Roos. But now that this season is long over I have more belief that we'll get it done in 2008, we can do it!. This team can go a very long way in 2008, it needs to believe in itself. Isn't it about time we start winning some games with last minute kicks?

Turning the clock back. After blowing the 2006 prelim, I was so upset and had no self belief for 2007. The team lacked the self belief just like I did. We suffered a very frustrating loss to St Kilda which caused me to scream in anger as our season looked gone. Somehow we still managed to come from nowhere and make the finals, it was a good achievment in some ways. But reaching week 2 or further from 8th spot would have been better. We should have been in week 2 but as you've heard so many times in sport No 23 was unstoppable.

Kenny has done an excellent job with this club and I think he can do much better, so it was a real bonus when he re-signed with the club. We need to hopefully pick up some decent players in the draft and hopefully not Kepler Bradley or Josh Thurgood. We need a ruckman and a midfielder/forward like player. Kepler Bradley, no way!

Hopefully we'll be written off next year - we'll show you all of what we are really made out of. We'll pull out that elusive 1 point win and really upset those umpires and make everyone jellous! :D
 

James23

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#6
unfortunately i doubt there will be many opportunities for kenny next season.

with bock, gill, welsh, rutten, stevens all taking the KPP spots on the list. then we have the development of sellar, tippett and moran i cant see him getting too many games.

there is no wonder in the story that he mentioned he could possibly ruck next year, because i think he as well realises his chances will be very limited as a CHF/CHB
 

Rookie

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#11
This is a good article, but...

Does anyone really think Kenny could play ruck? Surely he lacks the mobility / height / endurance / leap / and experience? I really struggle to see Kenny playing anywhere but FF.
 

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lacrow

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#12
Fellas,

Perhaps Kenny looks slow... and perhaps he's carrying some injury that we don't know about? Because for a 26 year old, he seemed to lose a lot of pace, jumping ability and kicking ability awfully fast. I gotta believe there's something wrong with him (and hope it's temporary).

A fully fit Ken McGregor is in our best 22, no doubt. Even in his reduced state, he still takes a lot of great contested grabs. Hell, 4 goals in the loss to Hawthorn... what more would you expect from your forward? I mean, even for top forwards, that's considered a good game.

Hopefully he can return to form.
 

Stiffy_18

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#13
This is a good article, but...

Does anyone really think Kenny could play ruck? Surely he lacks the mobility / height / endurance / leap / and experience? I really struggle to see Kenny playing anywhere but FF.
One thing he doesn't lack is endurance.

If he is used in the ruck (and the coaching staff have thrown this one around a bit, especially when we had all the injuries to the ruck) his role would be to negate the taps and provide an option around the ground. No one expects him to be a Dean Cox.
 

macca23

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#14
One thing he doesn't lack is endurance.

If he is used in the ruck (and the coaching staff have thrown this one around a bit, especially when we had all the injuries to the ruck) his role would be to negate the taps and provide an option around the ground. No one expects him to be a Dean Cox.

You would have seen Kenny ruck at Norwood in the pre-season this year Stiffy. It was a real surprise, wasn't it.

He was rucking against the regular Norwood big man - just forgot his name for the moment - and more than held his own at the bounces. But after the bounces, he ran around at will getting kicks like the old-fashioned ruck-rovers used to.

I can see why Kenny made the comment about a ruck opportunity, because overall he'd still do a handy job for us.
 

Stiffy_18

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#15
You would have seen Kenny ruck at Norwood in the pre-season this year Stiffy. It was a real surprise, wasn't it.

He was rucking against the regular Norwood big man - just forgot his name for the moment - and more than held his own at the bounces. But after the bounces, he ran around at will getting kicks like the old-fashioned ruck-rovers used to.

I can see why Kenny made the comment about a ruck opportunity, because overall he'd still do a handy job for us.
I never got to see Kenny play in the ruck as I was returning from overseas. I think I was in Singapore waiting for the connecting flight home when that game was in progress.

I think there is some merit in having Kenny in the ruck. He will not outleap anyone and the best you can hope is for him to negate the taps. The upside of Kenny in the ruck is in general field play where he can run around getting kicks and he is a fantastic mark so having him drop back and play kick behind the play would also be a good strategy.

Having said that, I think there would be others ahead of him in that role and I see Kenny exclusively as a stay at home deep marking forward. Pound for pound, best contested mark on our list.
 

NikkiNoo

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#16
You would have seen Kenny ruck at Norwood in the pre-season this year Stiffy. It was a real surprise, wasn't it.

He was rucking against the regular Norwood big man - just forgot his name for the moment - and more than held his own at the bounces. But after the bounces, he ran around at will getting kicks like the old-fashioned ruck-rovers used to.

I can see why Kenny made the comment about a ruck opportunity, because overall he'd still do a handy job for us.
agree macca as I was at that game too. From memory he actually won a few of the taps too! :eek:
 
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