Neil Craig 4361390 214621312 2008-05-24T13:00:09Z Morstar 4807135 {{Infobox afl player |image name=Replace this image male.svg <!-- only free-content images are allowed for depicting living people - see [[WP:NONFREE]] --> | | firstname = Neil | lastname = Craig | image = noimage | | birthdate = {{Birth date and age|1956|1|11|mf=y}} | birthplace = | originalteam = | heightweight = | dead = alive | deathdate = | deathplace = | debutdate = [[1973]] | debutteam = [[Norwood Football Club]] | debutopponent = | debutstadium = | playingteams = 319 games 220 goals [[SANFL]] * [[Norwood Football Club]] (1973-1979) 126 games * [[Sturt Football Club|Sturt]] (1980-1986) 134 games * [[North Adelaide Football Club|North Adelaide]] (1987-1990) 61 games | coach = coach | coachingteams = Adelaide (2004-) * 89 games, 57 wins, 32 losses, 0 draws | statsend = Round 8, 2008 | careerhighlights = <BR> * South Australian Football Hall of Fame inductee * [[Norwood Football Club]] premiership player 1975/78 }} '''Neil P. Craig''' (born January 11, 1956) is a former [[Australian rules football]]er, [[sports medicine|fitness advisor]] and is currently the coach of the [[Adelaide Football Club]] in the [[Australian Football League]]. ==Playing career== Craig played a total of 319 games (and 220 goals) in the [[SANFL]], as well as 11 [[State of Origin]] matches for South Australia. He played 126 games for the [[Norwood Football Club]], debuting as a 17-year-old in 1973. He was a part of their premiership sides in 1975 and 1978, before leaving the club after the 1979 season.<ref>[http://www.fullpointsfooty.net/co-cz.htm#Neil%20Craig%20(Norwood,%20Sturt,%20North%20Adelaide,%20Adelaide) Full Points Footy]</ref> Craig played 134 games for [[Sturt Football Club|Sturt]] (captaining the side in 1985 and '86) between 1980 and 1986, and was also captain of South Australia in 1984. He moved to [[North Adelaide Football Club|North Adelaide]], where he finished his career, playing 61 games between 1987 and 1990. At one stage of his career, Craig was pursued by [[Western Bulldogs|Footscray]], a Victorian team in the [[VFL/AFL|VFL]], but declined the offer as he preferred to stay in South Australia.<ref>[http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/common/story_page/0,8033,20331162%255E19761,00.html Crows' imperfect science], [[Mark Stevens (journalist)|Mark Stevens]], [[September 2]], [[2006]], [[Herald Sun]]</ref> At that time there was a great rivalry between the VFL and SANFL, and both competitions considered themselves the best in Australia. ==Post-playing career== In 1991, Craig became the coach of Norwood, a position he held until 1995. In 2002, he was inducted into the [[South Australian Football Hall of Fame]]<ref>[http://www.sanfl.com.au/default.aspx?s=historydisplay&aid=98180 Hall of Fame Inductees Including Career Records], [[SANFL]], accessed [[8 September]], [[2006]].</ref> ===Fitness advising=== Craig hails from a fitness background and holds a [[sports science]] degree.<ref>[http://www.afana.com/drupal/node/139 X-Men Want AFL Pledge | Australian Football Association of North America<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> He has worked with the Australian [[cycling]] team at the [[Olympic Games]], with the [[South Australian Institute of Sport]], as a senior sports scientist.<ref>[[Lachlan Thompson|Thompson, L.]], ''[http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/hsc/bike/article.htm Engineering the World's Fastest Bicycle]'', Powerhouse Museum, accessed [[8 September]], [[2006]]</ref> He has worked under cycling legend [[Charlie Walsh]] at the [[Australian Cycling Federation]] (where he was Sports science co-ordinator)<ref>[http://cache.zoominfo.com/cachedpage/?archive_id=0&page_id=979018061&page_url=%2f%2fwww.sheactive.co.uk%2fitem_detail.html%3fitemno%3d882%26group%3d8%26type%3dsport%26cart%3d110663321817050990&page_last_updated=1%2f25%2f2005+4%3a06%3a36+AM&firstName=Neil&lastName=Craig Sheactive - Scientific Heart Rate Book (on ZoomInfo)]</ref> and also recruited Walsh as part of the Crows' AFL coaching panel.<ref>[http://www.abc.net.au/adelaide/stories/s1655408.htm The Adelaide Crows Neil for their coach Craig :: ABC Adelaide<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> ===Adelaide Crows=== In 1997, he took up the position of fitness adviser and assistant coach in the [[Australian Football League|AFL]] with Adelaide Crows. He is credited with helping devise the fitness regime that led the Crows to back-to-back premierships in 1997 and 1998, where players are trained harder to reach peak fitness during finals matches.<ref>[http://www.injuryupdate.com.au/forum/archive/index.php/t-1032.html Craig still coach of the year? [Archive&#93; - Injury Update Forum<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> He took over the senior coaching position in 2004 as caretaker when [[Gary Ayres]] left the [[Adelaide Football Club]] mid-season, and was fully appointed for the 2005 season, leading the Crows to the Preliminary Final in his first full season in charge. and did it again in 2006, however the Crows in 2007 only finished 8th losing to the hawks in the first Elimination final. ==Trivia== * [[TV]] and [[radio]] personality [[Sam Newman]] regularly calls him [[Craig David]], due to the relatively low profile of Craig outside of Adelaide and the fact that he has "two first names", much like the popular singer. ==References== <references/> {{start box}} {{succession box|before=[[Gary Ayres]]|title=[[List of Adelaide Football Club coaches|Adelaide Football Club coach]]|years=2004-|after=Incumbent}} {{end box}} {{Adelaide player squad}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Craig, Neil}} [[Category:Adelaide Football Club coaches]] [[Category:Sturt Football Club players]] [[Category:North Adelaide Football Club players]] [[Category:Norwood Football Club players]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Australian physiologists]] [[Category:Sports scientists]]