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 Royals Jerseys 2019 . Now tied for second in the league in shootout goals, the 24-year-old likes to see what the opposing goaltender has in store before he ultimately lands on a move. Custom Kansas City Royals Jerseys . -- Quarterback Will Finch threw for 252 yards and three touchdowns, and Yannick Harou rushed in two scores as the No. https://www.cheaproyals.com/ . -- Catcher Brett Hayes has agreed to a $630,000, one-year contract with the Kansas City Royals, avoiding salary arbitration. Wholesale Royals Jerseys . The Lightning are 2-0 so far on a four-game road trip, giving the club five straight wins as the guest and improving Tampas away record this season to 11-8-2. Kansas City Royals Store ., and Rudi Swiegers of Kipling, Sask., took sixth spot on Saturday in pairs at the NHK Trophy ISU Grand Prix figure skating competition. This story appears in ESPN The Magazines October 3 Cubs Issue. Subscribe today!IN 2011, A FEW hundred people at a Swedish computer festival saw the first League of Legends World Championship. Now its the event in esports, selling out Staples Center in 45 minutes. On Sept. 29, 16 teams from four continents begin a monthlong quest for the Summoners Cup. First step, the group stage: Four teams enter, two leave -- like the World Cup, but with fingers instead of feet. Heres what to expect.Group A This group contains the tournaments top-ranked team, the ROX Tigers. But some European upstarts, North American mainstays and unpredictable Russians look to make life difficult.ROX TIGERS?- SOUTH KOREA POWER RANKING:?1 Korean teams have won the past three worlds, and ROX is the favorite to be the fourth straight and shed its reputation as perpetual runner-up to compatriot SKT.G2 ESPORTS - EUROPE POWER RANKING: 6 This team dominated Europe in its first year in the top division, but inexperience might prove its undoing. Still, this is as favorable a draw as it could hope for.COUNTER LOGIC GAMING - NORTH AMERICA POWER RANKING: 12 CLG has been erratic all summer but has a history of pulling off dramatic upsets when expectations are low. ROX and G2 would be foolish to count this team out.ALBUS NOX LUNA - RUSSIA POWER RANKING: 16 This wild-card team likes to lure its opponents into a false sense of security before turning the tables with unconventional strategies. Doubtful it can surprise ROX, though.Group B Group B is in some ways the most intriguing. It features the defending world champions, the team that knows how to beat them and the team thats peaking at just the right time.SK TELECOM T1 - SOUTH KOREA POWER RANKING: 3 Reigning world champion SKT has had a poor season by its own lofty standards but should easily boss this group to make it to the quarterfinals.FLASH WOLVES?- TAIWAN? POWER RANKING: 7 This dark horse is the only team in the world that plays better against South Korean foes, having beaten SKT and ROX in the past year. Its key test: a surging Cloud9.CLOUD9?- NORTH AMERICA POWER RANKING: 9 Cloud9 might be a 3-seed, but it sure isnt playing like it. Led by Jeong Impact Eon-young, one of the fields most in-form players, its hot streak might get hotter.I MAY?- CHINA POWER RANKING: 11 I May wasnt supposed to be here. Five monthhs ago, the team was in the amateur division.dddddddddddd Now its at worlds. How far can this Cinderella go? Probably fourth.Group C EDward Gaming is a virtual lock to advance, but the second spot is up for grabs. The remaining three teams are equally matched -- consider this the Group of Life.EDWARD GAMING?- CHINA POWER RANKING: 2 The reigning Chinese champion went undefeated in the summer season and boasts three of the best individual players in the tournament. A top-four finish is in the cards.H2K GAMING?- EUROPE POWER RANKING: 10 H2K, a squad that loves nothing better than a good fight, could become the sensation of the tournament, provided it takes AHQ seriously in the group phase.AHQ E-SPORTS CLUB?- TAIWAN POWER RANKING: 14 Its three straight worlds for AHQ, another team that likes to charge into fights no matter the odds. Expect sparks to fly when it takes on H2K.INTZ E-SPORTS?- BRAZIL POWER RANKING: 15 INTZ was one of the best teams that never made it. Until now. Its strength lies in its unity: The players have been together a whopping two years, a lifetime in esports.Group D Welcome to the Group of Death. Team SoloMid, Samsung Galaxy and Royal Never Give Up all aspire to deep runs into the knockout stage, but at least one will see its dream get pentakilled.TEAM SOLOMID?- NORTH AMERICA POWER RANKING: 4 TSM is the best North American team ever to enter worlds; OK, so two players are Danish. Well take em! Anything less than a top-four finish would be a disappointment.SAMSUNG GALAXY?- SOUTH KOREA POWER RANKING: 5 After winning the 2014 title, Samsungs players left for the wealthier Chinese league. This rebuilt team lacks star power, but a run at the cup isnt out of the question.ROYAL NEVER GIVE UP?- CHINA POWER RANKING: 8 Royal Never Give Up, a finalist in 2013 and 2014, looks strong on paper, but its star-studded lineup has failed to jell in recent months.SPLYCE?- EUROPE POWER RANKING: 13 Splyce has gone from fighting for survival to worlds in just five months. The roster lacks experience, and this big stage is mostly an opportunity to learn for the future.ESPN reporters Adel Chouadria, Tyler Erzberger, Steven Nguyen and Xander Torres contributed to this story. The rankings are by ESPN. ' ' '