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http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,22168941-21543,00.html
ADELAIDE captain Mark Ricciuto might be grateful he is only answering questions on his right foot supposedly having a broken bone.
It has, strangely, deflected questions on whether the Brownlow Medallist has already decided to retire at the end of the season.
Ricciuto has denied - by his words and by hopping on his right foot - that anything more than a strained ligament to his right ankle is keeping him on the sidelines.
But his future in AFL football - that seemed settled as finished at the end of the season by a pre-game interview with Crows commercial manager Phil Harper on Radio FIVEaa on Sunday afternoon - is far from resolved.
This is despite Harper's on-air remark: "We could be seeing the end of the 'Roo'."
And notice that Ricciuto has negotiated a deal with a Melbourne-based production company to collate and market his career highlights for a DVD to be released on his retirement.
"Definitely not," said Adelaide chief executive Steven Trigg yesterday when asked if Ricciuto had already declared his time is up.
"He has not given us any indication - nor has his management."
Ricciuto, 32, is out of contract with the Crows at the end of the season.
He has been working to one-year deals with Adelaide. Trigg says the question of Ricciuto's future at West Lakes is to be asked and answered at the end of the year, and not before then.
"It is not unreasonable to anticipate Mark has the right to play again next year," Trigg said. "But the question mark is will his fitness let him down?
"Let's see what happens in the next month with his fitness.
"Clearly, the right time to speak with Mark is at the end of the season - and we would not want to answer the question before then."
Ricciuto has played in just six of Adelaide's past 21 games. He missed the last four of last season when struck down by Parvo virus.
Ricciuto's start to this season was wrecked by a back complaint that delayed his start until round 10.
His run of six consecutive games was broken by the sprained ankle he suffered against St Kilda on July 13 at Telstra Dome.
Adelaide coach Neil Craig has listed Ricciuto as less than a 50-50 chance to play against Port Adelaide in Saturday night's Showdown XXIII.
The intriguing question is how Craig will review Ricciuto's fitness issues considering his decision to delist 32-year-old defender Ben Hart at the end of last season.
Hart played 13 of a possible 24 games last year when he was sidelined by a broken arm, a hamstring strain and an Achilles tendon strain.
Craig's decision has been vindicated considering the fitness curse has followed Hart in his return to the SANFL with North Adelaide.
Working to Ricciuto's advantage is Adelaide's need for his leadership and match-breaking presence in attack - if only Craig can be assured the captain's fitness issues are purely bad luck.
Lets hope Roo goes around next year.
He has been inspirational and if we fall from the finals this year and he did retire it would be a sad way to end his brilliant career.
As the goose says above, it may be hard to keep him on based on fitness /decision to give Benny the flick.
All Bow To The Great Man
ADELAIDE captain Mark Ricciuto might be grateful he is only answering questions on his right foot supposedly having a broken bone.
It has, strangely, deflected questions on whether the Brownlow Medallist has already decided to retire at the end of the season.
Ricciuto has denied - by his words and by hopping on his right foot - that anything more than a strained ligament to his right ankle is keeping him on the sidelines.
But his future in AFL football - that seemed settled as finished at the end of the season by a pre-game interview with Crows commercial manager Phil Harper on Radio FIVEaa on Sunday afternoon - is far from resolved.
This is despite Harper's on-air remark: "We could be seeing the end of the 'Roo'."
And notice that Ricciuto has negotiated a deal with a Melbourne-based production company to collate and market his career highlights for a DVD to be released on his retirement.
"Definitely not," said Adelaide chief executive Steven Trigg yesterday when asked if Ricciuto had already declared his time is up.
"He has not given us any indication - nor has his management."
Ricciuto, 32, is out of contract with the Crows at the end of the season.
He has been working to one-year deals with Adelaide. Trigg says the question of Ricciuto's future at West Lakes is to be asked and answered at the end of the year, and not before then.
"It is not unreasonable to anticipate Mark has the right to play again next year," Trigg said. "But the question mark is will his fitness let him down?
"Let's see what happens in the next month with his fitness.
"Clearly, the right time to speak with Mark is at the end of the season - and we would not want to answer the question before then."
Ricciuto has played in just six of Adelaide's past 21 games. He missed the last four of last season when struck down by Parvo virus.
Ricciuto's start to this season was wrecked by a back complaint that delayed his start until round 10.
His run of six consecutive games was broken by the sprained ankle he suffered against St Kilda on July 13 at Telstra Dome.
Adelaide coach Neil Craig has listed Ricciuto as less than a 50-50 chance to play against Port Adelaide in Saturday night's Showdown XXIII.
The intriguing question is how Craig will review Ricciuto's fitness issues considering his decision to delist 32-year-old defender Ben Hart at the end of last season.
Hart played 13 of a possible 24 games last year when he was sidelined by a broken arm, a hamstring strain and an Achilles tendon strain.
Craig's decision has been vindicated considering the fitness curse has followed Hart in his return to the SANFL with North Adelaide.
Working to Ricciuto's advantage is Adelaide's need for his leadership and match-breaking presence in attack - if only Craig can be assured the captain's fitness issues are purely bad luck.
Lets hope Roo goes around next year.
He has been inspirational and if we fall from the finals this year and he did retire it would be a sad way to end his brilliant career.
As the goose says above, it may be hard to keep him on based on fitness /decision to give Benny the flick.
All Bow To The Great Man
) but I hope he gets another contract for next year and see how he goes with a solid pre season and early comp under his belt before anyone decides to do anything stupid like retire early.
