Premiership-winning Hawk Shane Crawford has revealed that he knocked back a tempting offer to join Port Adelaide in the early stages of his career.
The 1999 Brownlow medallist said the Power included several appealing clauses in the contract, including a share in McDonalds.
โI got offered to go to Port Adelaide, when I was a player, I was probably only three years in,โโ Crawford said onย Iโm A Celebrity โฆ Get Me Out of Here!
โPort Adelaide were just starting. They said, โYouโll be the captain of Port Adelaideโ. They said, โWe will give you a five-year contract, weโre going to give you a share in McDonaldโsโ.
โBut I was so connected to Hawthorn. I was like, โS**t, I should be leaving really for the โฆโ I should have left. I couldnโt, but I knew that was a game changer right there.โ
The star midfielder admitted he was seduced by Port's offer where he could have made over double the money he was on at Hawthorn.
โI had all new friends at Hawthorn, I felt like I was very much part of the club,โโ Crawford said.
โThey offered $800,000 a year and back then that was good money, compared with what I was getting at Hawthorn, would have been $300,000 or something, plus leadership, plus McDonaldโs franchise.
โNot regrets but like, it was a pretty good opportunity. If I had have gone there, they came in, they won a premiership.โ
Crawford recalled a time when he felt he needed to get away from Hawthorn in 2005 when he agreed to join the Swans.
However, when Sydney won the premiership that year, the four-time All-Australian had a change of heart.
โI was so over Hawthorn, because we were changing coaches and whatever,โ Crawford said.
โSo I met with Sydney and I first agreed to go. I needed to go and walk away from all the leadership stuff. I needed to go and concentrate on myself and finishing enjoying footy, and I was really excited.
โThen Sydney won their Grand Final about month later, and I said, โIโm not goingโ.
โBecause they won, if they had of lost โฆ Because they won, I just knew it wasnโt the right time to go now.โ
