A broken jaw for Kurt Tippett means he will not be able to take the field for Sydneys semifinal against Adelaide at the SCG on Saturday. It also means that for once the Crows will be facing a highly rated opponent without having to contend with a player once counted among their number.Alongside Tippett, Patrick Dangerfield (Geelong), Jack Gunston (Hawthorn) and Phil Davis (Greater Western Sydney) were all Adelaide draftees, learning their trade in the AFL and showing enormous promise before choosing to leave the West Lakes nest that had nurtured them. Had that quartet remained in Adelaide, the Crows first 22 would be the envy of the league, but as it is they haunt the club like the ghost of Christmas past, come to visit Ebenezer Scrooge.As with Scrooges Yuletide introspection, their departures led to questions about how the Crows functioned, and about Adelaide as a place. While interstate recruits invariably discuss the go home factor with potential clubs at draft screening and in their early days after arrival, Adelaide seemed more affected than most.This had a history going back numerous years before the Dangerfield generation. The likes of Kane Johnson, Chris Knights, Jonathon Griffin and Nathan Bock all fled the Crows when presented by opportunities either for a home posting or a rich contract to set them up for life after football. Bocks departure to the Gold Coast was compounded when Davis, the man groomed to replace him, elected to accept the entreaties of GWS.Plenty of contention surrounded Gunstons desire to return to Melbourne right at the moment he looked to be maturing into a forward of considerable skill, and the Hawks have read the benefits of Adelaides earlier nurturing work. Hawthorn supporters have taken to singing You wish you had Jack Gunston to the tune of We Wish You A Merry Christmas: nary a Crows supporter or administrator can fail to wince at that one. In the same year Gunston left, the re-signing of the unassuming wingman David MacKay was looked upon as something of a minor miracle.Of course it was Tippett who but epitomised Adelaides sheer frustration about retaining players. In a saga daubed across newspaper back pages for far longer than anyone at West Lakes would have liked, the salary cap transgression designed to keep Tippett in Adelaide for the short-term, cost the club enormously in terms of draft penalties and staff bans, before the Swans were able to pick him up for no gain by the Crows. It remains the most embarrassing chapter in club history.The lesson learned at the time was twofold. First, there seemed little point in stretching the rules to accommodate players who did not want to remain in Adelaide. Secondly, the market pressure created by the addition of Gold Coast and GWS to the AFL had allowed players to be far more aggressive in chasing home pastures or bigger contracts. The Crows had been caught in a major storm, and hurt themselves further by trying to swim against the current.Since then, smoother waters have been sought and largely found. Ironically, the circumstances in which Adelaide have settled their list down and become more successful at retaining players actually revolve around the bonds formed by draftees from outside South Australia. Daniel Talia, who joined the Crows in the same year Tippett signed his fateful three-year contract extension in 2009, summed up how things had changed -- Adelaide is now a desirable place in which to grow together.Its funny, a lot of the guys at the club now are from interstate and I feel like thats really bonded us closer, Talia (Calder Cannons) said of a group featuring the likes of Rory Sloane (Eastern Ranges), Rory Atkins (Calder Cannons), Tom Lynch (St Kilda) and Josh Jenkins (Essendon). With the events of last year were a really tight knit group and our cultures one of our strong points.Weve got a great culture and guys want to hang around and be a part of that. Weve got a core group who are 18 to 25 and we dont have many senior guys other than Thommo [Scott Thompson] and Dougy [Richard Douglas] and those kinds of guys. Were all growing up together, playing footy together and developing as a group. Its a really exciting time to be around the club and guys want to be a part of that, says Talia.Many of the old headlines were dredged back up by Dangerfields decision to return home to Geelong at the end of 2015, a decision he had made some months before but kept quiet. However it is now possible to view his exit as something of an outlier to a wider trend, for young interstate players of promise to decide that Adelaide isnt just the place to be for a football education, but as a club to make your home.Certainly, and with more games of footy and the more we play together I feel like the more were going to improve, Talia said. Its an exciting time, an opportunity for our group to play some good footy and win finals. We dont just want to make up the numbers, we want to go the whole way.Added to the sense of togetherness at Adelaide is the fact that the team have not been built through the pick of the national draft, nor the generous concessions offered to new clubs elsewhere. Instead this is a group carefully compiled from lower draft choices, rookie draft selections and trades. Contentions that the Crows lack the star power of other clubs may actually be a strength: they know they must work for each other to be a chance, whether on the field or at contract time.Crows re-signed in the past two years: Brad Crouch, Daniel Talia, Brodie Smith, Josh Jenkins, Rory Atkins, Mitch McGovern, Tom Lynch, Rory Sloane, Sam Jacobs, Richard Douglas, Rory Laird, Luke Brown, Jake Lever, Charlie Cameron, Jake Kelly, Kyle Hartigan, Riley Knight, Reilly OBrien Clearance Nike Lunar . Now, correct me if Im wrong but I saw one official distinctly pointing at the net indicating a good goal but after an inconclusive review they overturned the goal. Shouldnt the ruling on the ice (good goal) stand after an inconclusive review? Why was this overturned? 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The trick now for Virginia Tech is not believing the hype.Fresh off a 49-0 victory against Boston College that matched their largest victory margin in an Atlantic Coast Conference game, the Hokies welcome East Carolina this weekend.The Pirates (2-1) figure to be especially motivated after a 20-15 loss to South Carolina in which they had four trips inside the Gamecocks 20-yard line that yielded nothing because of three turnovers and a missed field goal.As we move forward, we have to understand that those things we did from a mistake standpoint, we were able to see that very easy on tape, first-year Pirates coach Scottie Montgomery said this week.Sometimes when you lose games, guys want to look around and try to figure out why we lost.This week, it was very clear why we lost.The Hokies (2-1), meantime, posted their first shutout since 2012 and limited the Eagles to 124 yards.And they have history on their side in the series -- as motivation. The Pirates have won the past two meetings, each time by a touchdown, so the Hokies know they are a formidable opponent.Its a great team they have our respect, defensive tackle Ricky Walker said. Were just getting ready to face these guys. ... They have our respect. Were just looking forward to playing them Saturday inside Lane.Hokies first-year coach Justin Fuente asks his team to break the season down into 12 one-week challenges, to dismiss the past and focus on the future.Its an approach that seems to resonate with his team. It helps that East Carolina has won six in a row against teams from the Atlanttic Coast Conference.ddddddddddddI think it starts with us, Hokies linebacker Tremaine Edwards said. We have to prepare this week, come out to practice each and every day, prepare like a team, prepare to go get a win, prepare to go 1-0.Fuente knows the Hokies rout of Boston College can present a challenge going forward.Thats why you see upsets every week. Thats why you see disappointing performances, because these kids have other things that are going through their lives as well, on top of the football games, he said.You have exams and girlfriends and family members and all sorts of things, so maintaining your focus week in and week out, the emotions, the ups and downs, the bottom line is there are some games you play on an emotional high and some games where you have to work really hard to get up for.But we lay the groundwork that its 12 one-game seasons, and regardless of the outcome, you have to turn the page and throw your focus into the next game is the only way I know how to do it.Approach every Tuesday the same: the same level of intensity, the same demanding demeanor that we have on the practice field.Were not going to settle for anything less than our guys best. And thats what I told them yesterday, in so many words.If you think this Tuesday is going to be any different than last Tuesday, youre wrong. 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