All AFL roads led to Robe this week as Adelaide Crows fans flocked to see local Jordan Dawson bring his team to the South East for a pre season training camp.

Dawson, who played his junior football at the Robe Roosters, currently captains the Adelaide Crows and had a great opportunity to show off his home town to his team mates as the club hosted an open training session at the Robe Football Club.

Dawson was joined by fellow teammates from the region Luke Pedlar, Darcy Fogarty and Mitch Hinge, as well as AFL stars such as Taylor Walker, Izak Rankine and Ben Keays.

After a day of tug of war on the beach, as well as some golf and a game of cricket at the football club on Tuesday, the Crows let fans from around the region meet the players for photos and autographs after training on Wednesday.

Dawson was pleased with the turn out from the local community to watch his side train.

“Obviously I know how much the Limestone Coast region loves its footy, but it’s exceeded my expectations really,” he said.

For Dawson it was a proud moment for his homecoming as he showed his teammates around the region.

“To showcase my town and region to the rest of the club, looking back on my career it’s something that I will be most proud of,” he said.

Dawson was announced as the Crows captain at the beginning of the 2023 season and admits coming back to Robe with the team was the first time the captaincy really sunk in.

“Coming back you remove yourself from footy and the locals treat you as you were when you were a young kid, but coming back with the footy club and for everyone to see where I started is something I’m pretty proud of,” he said.

Dawson was pleased to get to show his teammates a part of South Australia they might not have visited previously.

“It’s great to showcase a different part of SA where probably 90% of the guys have not been down this way,” he said.

For young players in the region it was an exciting opportunity to get to meet their heroes and to show them they too could aspire to one day play AFL football.

Dawson cited a similar experience which gave him the belief he could play AFL.

“I think when I was in either Year 3 or 4, a couple of Crows players came down and that was something that stuck with me my whole life and I think it’s important for kids around the region,” he said.

Dawson well aware of the travel commitments many Crows supporters undertook to watch their team play, so he believes it’s important to give back to the fans.

“Obviously it is a four or five hour to drive for some, as I told the boys some of these kids would not have seen AFL players before and I feel it’s really important to give back to kids and show that you can play AFL if you’re from the country region and it’s something the kids will remember for the rest of their lives,” he said.

“I’m really proud and humbled to be down here and showcase what we are as a club and give them a bit of hope they can play AFL as we have Pedlar, Fogarty and Hingey all from this region which is pretty cool.”