Adelaide Crows defender Rory Laird lets his footy to the talking

RORY Laird is Adelaide's silent assassin. As quiet as a church mouse off the field, he's making a big noise on it.

RORY Laird is Adelaide's silent assassin.

As quiet as a church mouse off the field, the 19-year-old is making a big noise on it.

"He's not the sexy back pocket that some clubs have got," Crows coach Brenton Sanderson said of the club's latest rookie list success story.

"But he's very rarely beaten."

GRAND FINAL OMISSION HELPS FUEL RORY'S RESOLVE

Small in stature at 177cm, Laird has been a rare shining light in a disappointing season for Adelaide.

In 11 games, the tough small defender has averaged 18 disposals, four marks and three tackles while conceding a total of only five goals against his main opponents.

Three of them came in his second game against speedy Carlton forward Jeff Garlett at the MCG. But as Sanderson notes, Laird is "made of the right stuff".

He is a tough, no-frills defender who lets his football - not his mouth - do the talking.

"He's a tough little bugger and jams a lot into a small, rugged body," said West Adelaide coach Andrew Collins, who has overseen Laird's development at the Bloods.

"He goes hard - and he goes hard for every minute of the game. He understand the game of football, he keeps it pretty simple and he runs in straight lines.

"Whether it's the first minute of the game or your down by 10 goals in the last minute, he'll run in straight lines all day and won't baulk opponents.

"Nothing fazes him and the silent assassin tag suits him perfectly because he's hard but he's got that coolness and calmness under pressure.

"And while he plays hard on the field, when he's off it he's a very respectful, polite and courteous boy who once you get to know him has a cheeky and dry sense of humour.

"That saying about `you'd be proud if he married your daughter', he's one of those.

"He's just a ripper kid but while he's quiet, you wouldn't want to mess with him because I reckon he'd have a really good comeback."

As Sanderson and Collins stress, Laird won't take a backward step when it matters.

The former Scotch College student, who was coached at school by Power defensive coach Matthew Nicks, admits he has a "bit of white-line fever".

"Most of my teammates would say that in the locker room I don't have too much to say but when I'm on the field I like to play aggressively," he said.

"As a small backmen you have to be aggressive at the ball and the man."

Laird, who came through West's junior program and represented SA at the AFL under-18 championships, said he probably played with a chip on his shoulder.

This, he said, stems from being overlooked at the 2011 national draft - Adelaide swooped with pick five at the rookie draft - when clubs told him his lack of height had told against him.

"I guess I need to be aggressive to bring something to the table," Laird explained.

"A lot of recruiters told me they overlooked me at the (national) draft because I wasn't tall enough and that it would be an issue for me trying to get into the system and play AFL.

"I've never been the quickest player or the most athletic so I've felt I've needed to stand out in other ways and have something that gets me into the game, whether that's laying a strong tackle of running down an opponent."

Laird's goalsaving smother against Fremantle in round 10 summed up his desperation.

Sanderson said Laird plays like a player with a point to prove.

"Lairdy's done it the hard way," he said.

"Every player is hungry to play AFL but it's a great feeling when you see a rookie beat the odds, so to speak.

"He didn't get drafted (at the national draft) and those guys typically feel as though they've failed at the first hurdle. But he got himself on to a rookie list and it's a great story.

"This club has a great history of rookies who have gone on to have really good AFL careers and we're hoping Lairdy will be another one of those success stories."

Laird said it had been a "dream" to play AFL and that he had to pinch himself to comprehend how well things had gone for him this year after the heartbreak of once being told he would struggle to make it.

While he is making his name as a hard-nosed backman, Collins says Laird has the potential to become a Jarrod Harbrow-style running utility.

He said Laird had some of the best hands in the business, comparing them to highly-rated Crows teenage midfielder Brad Crouch.

"Rory's hands are like lightning and they are so sure," said Collins. "Him and Crouchy have become the best of mates and I'm just so lucky to have been able to work with them because the two boys have some of the quickest, surest, one-grab hands that I've ever coached.

"Their hand-eye co-ordination is among the elite.

"I'm just amazed by the accuracy of some of his handballing at AFL level for such an inexperienced player.

"And while Crows supporters probably don't realise it yet, Rory's got incredible versatility and could quite easily flip down the other end.

"I used him as a midfield-forward last year, as well as a back, and he's got that ability to go forward and get a goal.

"Adelaide has found itself a real player."