Adelaide Crows trial: Wayne Milera, Jake Kelly fire up over tripping incident
Adelaide hard nut Jake Kelly wasn’t happy after being tripped by fellow Crow Wayne Milera during the club’s internal trial on Saturday. See the video.
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Senior Adelaide assistant Scott Burns has played down a late scuffle between Wayne Milera and Jake Kelly in the Crows’ internal trial match over the weekend.
The two Crows came together just before the match ended when Milera tripped Kelly after he had tackled him, with other Adelaide players having to step in to break it up.
Milera headed to Kelly as soon as the siren sounded to shake hands and check in, and Burns said it was just an example of two competitive beasts going at it.
“I thought (the game) was played in really good spirits,” he said.
“It’s a really tight group and what you want is competitive players, and those two are definitely competitive.”
WATCH THE INCIDENT IN THE VIDEO PLAYER ABOVE
It’s the second time in two seasons that things have got heated between Crows players during internal trial games.
Hartigan, now at Hawthorn, was sporting a black eye after the incident.
THE YOUNG GUNS SET TO SHAKE UP CROWS MIDFIELD
– Matt Turner
Two first-year Adelaide hard-nuts and a key forward who few outsiders will have in their Round 1 Crows sides have boosted their chances of featuring in the season-opener after impressive internal trial performances on Saturday.
Draftees Luke Pedlar (pick 11) and Sam Berry (28) shone at West Lakes for the red team, which featured the club’s second-choice on-ballers, while Billy Frampton booted three goals.
Glenelg recruit Pedlar has had an interrupted pre-season due to shoulder management but his toughness is something the Crows need.
He set the tone early of what was a spirited game by bumping an opponent off the ball then setting up a teammate.
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Later, Pedlar shrugged a tackle on the outer side then bounced off headhigh contact from Rory Laird that would have floored many 18-year-olds.
Pedlar also laid several big bumps, including one in the fourth quarter that shepherded Chayce Jones.
Crows defensive coach and senior assistant Scott Burns said the selection committee could probably pencil in up to 16 names for Round 1 against Geelong at home on March 20 but another 16 players were probably vying for the other six spots.
“Our younger mids were exceptional today, they hit in pretty hard and didn’t give the older more experienced mids anything on their terms,” Burns said.
“That draft from last year … four out of the first five – the two mids (Pedlar and Berry) and Riley (Thilthorpe) and Rowey – they’re all built to play Round 1 if they’re fit enough and playing good enough football.
“We’ve been really impressed but at the same time they (Pedlar and Berry) are competing against (Jackson) Hately, (Ben) Keays, (Rory) Sloane, (Rory) Laird, (Harry) Schoenberg, even (Wayne) Milera.”
Frampton played just five games last year after crossing from Port Adelaide but proved a tough match-up for Fischer McAsey on Saturday.
Burns said there was not a lot separating the club’s tall forwards, including Frampton, Taylor Walker, Elliott Himmelberg and Darcy Fogarty.
“We’re really waiting for one or two to jump out and take a key position,” Burns said.
“I thought Tex moved really well early today and was probably the better forward.”
Ben Keays and Harry Schoenberg were among others to play well.
There were two injuries from the game: David Mackay (concussion) and Shane McAdam (corked glute).
Mackay will miss next Saturday’s scratch match against Port Adelaide due to the league’s concussion protocols.
Here are our other key take-outs from the internal trial:
■ Opponents Wayne Milera and Jake Kelly pushed and shoved just before the match ended, only for Milera to head to Kelly as soon as the siren sounded to shake hands and check in. Captain Rory Sloane then came to make sure all was OK and put his arms around them.
“I thought (the game) was played in really good spirits. It’s a really tight group and what you want is competitive players, and those two are definitely competitive,” Burns said.
■ It was a “don’t forget about me” performance from Walker, who has been written off by some critics but looks to have more left in the tank. He kicked three goals and set up several others, moving well and showing poise in possession.
■ Josh Worrell shone and took one of the marks of the day, a gutsy defensive grab, running back with the flight of the ball. He played for the blue side, which appeared to have the club’s second-tier defence.
■ There has been a lot of external talk about Walker and Fogarty not being able to fit in the same side but Crows forwards coach James Rahilly does not agree and the duo are showing they can. They were teammates during the first half and worked well together. In one instance, Fogarty drilled a pass to Walker, who kicked truly.
■ Burns says Adelaide’s coaches have had plenty of debate about where to play Milera but he is lining up through the midfield and at half-forward. Tom Lynch and Jones are on the wing.
■ McAdam came off with his injury in the fourth quarter but in the first he took a huge, leaping mark that excited the crowd.
New season.
— Adelaide Crows (@Adelaide_FC) February 20, 2021
Same Shane McAdam ✈ï¸ðŸ¤©#weflyasone pic.twitter.com/rHmhTNMz00
■ Riley Thilthorpe spent plenty of time in the second half on the wing and showed his versatility and mobility.
■ Ben Davis had some nice moments playing in a backline role for the blue team, including an intercept mark in the second term.
■ Matt Crouch (hip) only played the first half, which was planned. He looked fine while he was out there and should feature against the Power.
■ Sidelined players Mitch Hinge (shoulder) and Brayden Cook (managed) were runners for each side, while Daniel Talia (knee) was coaching from the boundary.
Crows draftee firms for Round 1
Riley Thilthorpe? Possibly. James Rowe? Likely. Four talls? Maybe. Taylor Walker alongside Darcy Fogarty? No problem.
Four weeks from Round 1, new Crows forwards coach James Rahilly concedes he does not know what his attacking structure will look like when Adelaide hosts his former side Geelong on March 20.
But he has given some indication who will be in there.
At his first press conference since crossing from the Cats, where he was head of development, Rahilly tempered expectations around pick No. 2 Thilthorpe debuting in the season-opener while talking up Rowe’s case.
Key forward/ruckman Thilthorpe is coming off a 2020 campaign hampered by groin issues and mature-age Ken Farmer Medallist Rowe has trained fully since winning a SANFL premiership with Woodville-West Torrens.
“Riley missed a little bit (of pre-season training) early so it depends on how he comes through the next few weeks,” Rahilly said.
“His work ethic is massive.
“I had a chat to him as soon as he got here … he has to be patient.
“He works really hard and he wants it now, which is great.
“But there’ll be time for Riley.
“James Rowe, who hasn’t missed anything, is probably a week or two ahead.
“He is going really well – I’m happy to talk Rowey up.
“He’s at an AFL level, I’m very confident.”
One of the main questions Rahilly and the Crows coaches will have to answer is how many tall forwards they field in 2021.
Fogarty, Walker, Thilthorpe, Elliott Himmelberg and Billy Frampton are all vying for spots.
There has been much conjecture about whether Walker and Fogarty can line up in the same attack but Rahilly thinks it is no issue.
“I don’t necessarily see them as similar players like I’ve heard a lot of people say,” he said.
“The big guys (in general) I think it just depends on the balance.
“You’ve got to lock the ball in but part of that is creating a contest with the big boys.”
Rahilly said former captain Walker had been training well and was a really good chance to play.
He said Fogarty was “definitely in the mix” after improving his fitness over a strong summer.
“He needs to be able to cover the ground really well … and I want him to help us win contests ahead of the ball, which he’s been displaying in training,” Rahilly said.
Adelaide’s selection picture will become clearer after its internal trial on Saturday then scratch matches against Port Adelaide and Fremantle.
“The good thing and the hard thing is, it’s a very even group,” Rahilly said.
“There’s a few guys who speak for themselves that’ll get a game but from a whole group it’s quite difficult.
“I wish we had a few more trial games to work it out.”
Defenders Daniel Talia (knee) and Tom Doedee (groin), utility Mitch Hinge (shoulder) and draftee Brayden Cook (managed) will be unavailable for Saturday’s game.
Talia, Doedee and Hinge spent Thursday’s training session running, while Cook integrated with the main group.
Shane McAdam was missing with a head cold.
Walker no guarantee of Round 1 berth
– Liz Walsh
Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks says former captain Taylor “Tex” Walker is relishing the challenge of knowing he’s no guarantee to be in the Crows’ best 22, as the team looks to rebound off the bottom of the AFL ladder in 2021.
“Tex loves that fact (that all positions are open),” Nicks told SEN Melbourne’s breakfast host Garry Lyon.
“We had a great chat (in the off-season) around his footy career and where he feels he’s at, where we as a club feel he’s at and we’re aligned with that.
“Tex will play if Tex deserves a spot in the side and we feel it will make us better, both short-term and long-term.”
Walker will turn 31 in April, and is coming into his 13th season having played 203 games with the Crows.
In 2020 he overtook great Tony Modra to become the club’s all-time leading goal kicker and he has 441 majors to his tally.
But none of that guarantees him a spot on the field.
“Tex, as expected, went away over the break and trained the house down. Forget that age, the number, or when he was born, forget about that,” Nicks said.
“At the moment, he’s performing and he’s doing it because he wants to make these young kids better, so he’s leading by example and he’s dominating a lot of our training.
“When you come to that age around 30, how can we help him perform to his best throughout the year? And it could be that as we start to get toward the latter part there may be some slight management.
“At the moment, every spot’s open, we’ve got kids in their second year, even in their first year, guys like Luke Pedlar, Sam Berry, Riley Thilthorpe, the guys we picked up in the draft, they want a spot … and the more games we can get into these players the better.”
Nicks said he was pleased with where the culture of the club was heading.
“We did a hell of a lot of work last year, in challenging times, to change the priorities that a lot of our guys had, that was making them prioritise others, look after their teammates, get an understanding at a younger age that we play a team game … and together we’re going to be stronger than just an individual,” he said.
“We did a lot of work on that and it took us time, longer than we would have liked, but we got there by the end of the year and we’re slowly shaping this group, both players and staff, around what sort of character, what sort of people we want at the footy club.”
Nicks said he had full faith in the long-term development of the Crows’ side.
“We’re going to have our challenges (in 2021), we’re the youngest side in the comp now, with that comes inconsistency at times, but that’s what we’re training for,” he said.
“It might be that we play a Richmond and we can’t get the job done at this point, but we know in time, as we get more experience, we’ll be challenging the best sides in the comp.”
CROWS MOVE TO LOCK-IN OFF-CONTRACT GUN
– Matt Turner
Adelaide is set to ramp up contract talks with forward Shane McAdam, aiming to re-sign him before the start of the season.
McAdam off contract at the end of the campaign and the Crows are looking to reward the 25-year-old, who has become an important part of the club’s attack.
It is understood he and the club are hopeful of agreeing to the deal in the next few weeks.
McAdam made his debut against Brisbane at the Gabba in Round 4 then finished with 12 goals in as many games and placed seventh in Adelaide’s best and fairest.
He joined the Crows as a mature-age recruit from Sturt via a trade with Carlton ahead of the 2018 national draft.
Hailing from the remote West Australian town of Halls Creek and having played in the WAFL, McAdam is preparing to settle down in Adelaide by buying a house.
He has impressed over summer and looks fit on the training track.
Adelaide has 23 players who fall out of contract at the end of the season, headlined by Matt Crouch, Tom Doedee, Reilly O’Brien, Daniel Talia and Taylor Walker.
The Crows have re-signed three players so far this year: Luke Brown (until the end of 2023), Brodie Smith (2024) and Harry Schoenberg (2023).
KEY CROW IN RACE AGAINST TIME FOR ROUND 1
Crows defender Tom Doedee has reaggravated a groin injury, ruling him out of the club’s internal trial on Saturday and jeopardising his hopes of playing in Round 1.
Doedee sat out of last Thursday’s training session because of the issue but was expected to rejoin the main group this week.
Instead, he hurt his groin again on Monday and the Crows are yet to set a timeline for his return.
Adelaide hosts Geelong in its season-opener in four-and-a-half-weeks on March 20.
“After appearing close to rejoining the main group, Tom has irritated the right groin which had been holding him back for the past fortnight,” Crows head of football Adam Kelly said.
“He will be assessed during the week, after which we will have a clearer picture regarding his return-to-play date.”
It is another setback for Doedee, who has played just 10 games in the past two seasons due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury and hamstring problem.
He is one of four players who will be sidelined for the intra-club match, along with Mitch Hinge, Daniel Talia and Brayden Cook.
Like Doedee, ex-Brisbane recruit Hinge sustained an injury on Monday, dislocating his shoulder.
Scans cleared him of major damage, ensuring he would not require surgery.
Adelaide will manage Hinge conservatively back into full training and assess his likely return date in the next week.
“Thankfully Mitch has completed a very strong pre-season and has a good foundation for the year ahead,” Kelly said.
Fellow backman Talia continues to build his recovery from off-season knee surgery.
He has been increasing his running loads and is expected to return in the early rounds of the season.
First-year half-forward Cook has yet to take part in contact training while he rehabilitates from a 2020 shoulder reconstruction.
Adelaide’s internal trial will be at West Lakes on Saturday from 10.30am.
It will be closed to the public due to COVID protocols.
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