Ever since he first carried the Crows flag to Mount Everest Base Camp sixteen years ago, Jigme Tshering has dreamed of watching his side play on Adelaide Oval.

After seeing his first ever AFL match at the MCG two weeks ago, the 44-year-old from Kathmandu, Nepal was determined to see his favourite side in action.

The founder of the Crows Supporter Group in Nepal stood in the guard of honour as his football heroes took the ground to face the Kangaroos on Sunday.


Jigme in the guard of honour for Adelaide's match with North Melbourne on Sunday

Adelaide may have had less to play for after finals became out of reach, but for Jigme it was the most important game of the year.

“It’s my first time in Australia… I’ve always wanted to come and one of my dreams was to see an AFL match because I’ve been following Aussie rules for the last 16 years,” Jigme said.

“I got introduced to AFL by my friend Bruce when I met him on one of my treks in Nepal in 2002 and ever since I’ve been hooked and Crows has always been my team.”


Jigme and Bruce at Everest Base Camp

The self-proclaimed football die-hard has shared his love for the Crows with everyone he’s met through his work as a guide at the Mount Everest Base Camp.

“Every time I go to Base Camp I take the Crows flag and my jumper and I put the flag up and say we fly as one, we trek as one,” he said.

“We don’t get to see matches in Nepal but I see it online or I get feedback from my friends in Australia.”

At the Club’s open training session on Saturday, he ticked another item off his bucket list when he met long-time hero Eddie Betts.

As a native person of Nepal, Jigme said he related to Eddie’s connection with his Indigenous culture.

“He’s an extraordinary player and I like that he’s one of the native people to Australia as we have a lot of native people in Nepal and I’m one of the Indigenous people,” he said.

It was the perfect ending for Jigme as Adelaide secured the win with a little Eddie magic just before the siren.

The second person to join the Crows Supporter Group in Nepal was Jigme’s four-year-old son Jordan.

“I couldn’t bring him to Australia with me this time but next time I come I’ll bring him and I hope to meet Eddie and the team again next time for Jordy,” he said.

“We fly a flag for the Crows every time they play no matter where we are.”


Jigme and his four-year-old son Jordan