play the last seven rounds without pain. The injuries came as a result of McLeod being forced to wear boots made by Adidas, who were a Crows sponsor at the time. Adidas boots didn't fit McLeod's foot shape, so once it became apparent that the shoes were causing his injuries, McLeod started wearing Puma boots with Adidas stripes painted on them. This lasted until he signed an exclusive agreement with Adidas to have them custom-make shoes that would fit his feet from 1998 on. Dual premierships and Norm Smith medals (1997–1999) 1997 McLeod's breakout year came in 1997 under Adelaide's new coach, Malcolm Blight. During pre-season training Blight had the team doing a lot of running, which helped McLeod lose a significant amount of weight. Blight had first seen McLeod in the 1995 game against Hawthorn that saw him kick the winning goal, so Blight played him in the forward line until he had a discussion with Stephen Williams, who had been McLeod's coach at Port Adelaide in the SANFL. Williams said that he had been used at half-back, so Blight had McLeod play there for the rest of the season. McLeod had a standout moment in Round 19 in Showdown II against Port Adelaide, kicking a difficult goal in the final minutes to give the Crows a 7-point lead that they carried to the end of the game. In the preliminary final against the Western Bulldogs, McLeod, who had been playing primarily as a forward or half-back flanker, was placed into the midfield in the second half by Blight in an effort to spark the Crows side, who trailed by 31 points at half-time. It would be the first time in McLeod's career that he would play in the midfield; and, in a thrilling contest, McLeod and the Crows would win the match by two points to reach the Grand Final for the first time in the club's history. In the Grand Final against St Kilda, McLeod would take his first significant step in his journey towards joining the game's elite. Accumulating 31 disposals and 11 marks, he was judged best on ground against the Saints, winning the prestigious Norm Smith Medal while helping his team win the AFL premiership. This was followed shortly thereafter with a gold jacket when he was named as the Crows best and fairest for the 1997 season. Because McLeod's success, the Brisbane Lions