Adelaide expected to get early leave pass from Gold Coast hub as another youngster set for debut
The Crows want to bring the third game inside their Gold Coast hub back to Adelaide Oval on July 5. And youngster Will Hamill will debut on Sunday after an injury to Wayne Milera.
AFL
Don't miss out on the headlines from AFL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- Thanks for your honesty, Roo: Cornes
- Crows their own worst enemy
- How to get the most out of your Advertiser digital subscription
Footy could be back at Adelaide Oval in two weeks with the Crows keen on bringing the third game inside their Queensland hub against Fremantle on July 5 home.
With the State Government opening its borders to Queensland from midnight on Friday, the Crows will on Saturday fly to the Gold Coast for what is now expected to be just an eight-day stay with two games against the Suns and Brisbane.
They will then return to Adelaide and either fly back to the Gold Coast to play Fremantle at Metricon Stadium or host the Dockers at Adelaide Oval given it is their ‘home’ game.
Port Adelaide arrived on the Gold Coast on Friday and last night said it expects to remain there for the entirety of its three games against Fremantle, West Coast and Brisbane which is an ‘away game’ on July 4.
The AFL is yet to announce the next phase of fixtures but the government’s latest steps in easing travel restrictions mean a fly-in, fly-out model is almost certain. An AFL spokesperson said the league was currently working with clubs on travel arrangements for the fixtured games in Queensland.
The Crows will field a third debutant in as many games this weekend when defender Will Hamill replaces the injured Wayne Milera to play Gold Coast on Sunday.
Milera was sent for foot surgery on a stress fracture on Friday and is expected to miss two months of football in a cruel blow to the Crows’ on-field revival.
But it has opened the door for Hamill, who impressed in his first season of SANFL footy last year, to join Fischer McAsey and Ned McHenry as AFL debutants for the Crows in the first three rounds of 2020.
CHAPMAN DEFENDS ROO
The latest development comes as Adelaide chairman Rob Chapman backed football director Mark Ricciuto who has come under fire this week for comments he made about former players and their salaries at rival clubs.
“The government, the AFL and us have worked really collegiately and are still working through it,” Chapman said of his club’s travel plans.
“But either way this is going to be good news for us.
“Clearly that’s (Fremantle) a game we’d like to see played at Adelaide Oval, but we’re all in this together and we’ll work out what’s best for the competition.
“The players are up for anything and are ready for it, but I reckon this is a win for them because they can spend more time at home.
“So even though nothing has been confirmed, I’d like to think we’ll definitely be up there for eight days and play Gold Coast and Brisbane, and by then we’ll have negotiated with the AFL perhaps to come home.
“Then there’s a (decision) whether we go back up there or do we play at Adelaide Oval?
“The AFL have been very good, they recognise the WA and SA clubs are probably carrying a disproportionate amount of the pain in terms of the early structure and I’m confident they’ll make it up to us which would mean more games at Adelaide Oval and great news for fans.”
Chapman said Ricciuto had not offered to stand down from the board or his role as football director and nor had he been asked to following his public comments on Triple M which divided opinion this week.
““I speak to Roo most days, no one can question his passion or love for the footy club, but we do have a policy of not talking about other clubs and players from other clubs,” Chapman said.
“His defence of us which I love, should have been more generic, without the detail.
“I agree we’ve got to stand up and defend it (football club), but with the specific instance of talking about players from other clubs it should be done more generically.
“Plus it’s history, we’ve got to look forward, we listened to the outcomes of the external review, agreed there needed to be significant change to personnel and we acted upon that.
“We have good people there with no connection to the past - Matthew Nicks, Adam Kelly and Dan Jackson - and I’m really confident in them to deliver on this new plan which we are only eight months into.
“Maybe we haven’t done a good enough job of communicating it, but take your mind back to last year - we threw everything at 2017, had two bad years, an independent review, a plan came from it, change, and we’re going to see that plan through.
“And part of that is for me to transition at the end of this year, but this is a good board doing good things.”
Chapman is yet to speak with Andrew McLeod in person after McLeod repeatedly took aim at the football club’s culture and lack of authenticity.
“Others have (spoken to him) and I’m confident of that occurring in due course,” he said.
“I bear no grudge against Andrew McLeod and I’m all ears.”
He also said new coach Matthew Nicks, whose game plan has been criticised externally after a 75-point Showdown thrashing, had the respect and backing of everyone at the club.
“Matthew Nicks has done his third presentation to the board and it has been elite, his ability to communicate to the board as to what our current position is and what we can expect and where we’re going to end up is first class,” Chapman said.
“I know he has the respect of everybody internally and we know where we’re at, and I’m really confident he’s going to see it through.
“Adam Kelly as well, we’ve uncovered a gem, and Dan Jackson is doing some great stuff that we’ll see the benefit of over the longer journey.”
HAMILL IN, MILERA OUT
Hamill, 19, was selected with Pick No.30 in the 2018 national draft from the Dandenong Stingrays in the TAC Cup.
“Will has shown consistent improvement in his defensive action and he is an exciting talent who has elite speed,” Adelaide’s head of football Adam Kelly said.
“We see him as a key part of our future and he has earned the opportunity off the back of impressive training and match simulation performances.”
Milera reported foot soreness on Thursday and when scans revealed a stress fracture he was sent to have surgery on Friday.
“Wayne is such an important team member and this setback is obviously disappointing,” Adelaide’s medical boss Steve Saunders.
“In the past he has proven to be a total professional with his rehabilitation and we look forward to seeing him work hard to optimise his recovery.
“Surgery is scheduled for this afternoon and as soon as Wayne has recovered from the operation, we will facilitate his travel to join the rest of the team on the Gold Coast if required.”
Hamill is the only inclusion to the Crows team after selectors opted against wholesale changes following the 75-point Showdown loss to Port Adelaide.
High-flying forward Shane McAdam was reportedly close to his AFL debut but will have to wait despite impressing in the scratch match against the Power last weekend.
McAdam, Myles Poholke, Kyle Hartigan and Elliott Himmelberg have all been named as emergencies to play the Suns at Metricon Stadium.
“Coming off a performance that’s not to the level we need it to be, it has been a confronting assessment of the game and a look at the detail as to why we were not at the required level,” Kelly said.
“The difficulty in selection is making an assessment on what really is a one-off performance - with the form of Round 1 some 12 weeks prior having little relevance.”