Crows fitter than Tigers: GrahamBy Harry Thring and AAP
2:15pm AEDT Monday, December 10, 2012ADELAIDE is fitter than Richmond. That is the assessment of Tiger-turned-Crow Angus Graham who admits he has plenty of hard work ahead of him if he's to catch up to his new teammates' fitness levels.
The 25-year-old, who crossed from Richmond during the Gillette AFL Trade Period, admits he is "three or four weeks" behind the Crows, which is in part due to the fact that Richmond failed to make the finals.
However, the 201cm giant is confident he can reach parity with the Adelaide players' fitness levels within a month - even if it means training over the Christmas break.
"The fitness of the group probably surprised me, coming from Richmond. As a core group as a whole I think [the Crows are] a lot fitter group than what I'm used to," Graham said.
"I've probably had three or four weeks longer break so I'm probably still trying to catch up."
Graham - who joined the Crows amid the club's acrimonious split with the big forward - said he did not want to be known as the club's insurance policy for Kurt Tippett.
He managed just one game at Richmond last season, and only 48 for the Tigers since being picked up in the 2005 rookie draft.
But the Crows swooped on Graham mainly as depth to cover for Tippett's forward-ruck position.
http://www.afl.com.au/news/2012-12-10/graham