AFL Rich 100: How the Adelaide Crows have used their salary cap ahead of Izak Rankine move
The Crows have plenty of cash in reserve with only a few players on big dollars. And their thrifty salary cap spending leaves them with some decisions to make.
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One thing that’s become obvious about the Crows’ list strategy is they aren’t unnecessarily splashing money.
They dug a bit deeper to ensure Jordan Dawson joined them instead of Port Adelaide last year, but the deal – believed to be worth about $3.2 million across five years – wasn’t outrageous.
Dawson is one of only four Adelaide players who made this year’s Rich List, joining the club’s best-paid star and reigning club champion Rory Laird, captain Rory Sloane and No.1 ruckman Reilly O’Brien.
SCROLL DOWN TO SEE THE FULL RICH 100 AND THE POWER’S TRADE PLANS
Veteran Brodie Smith was among those to narrowly miss the cut.
That brings us to the Crows’ pursuit of Gold Coast forward Izak Rankine, who is out of contract and seemingly headed back to South Australia this off-season.
Rankine is a West Adelaide product who grew up supporting Adelaide and has obvious strong family ties in his home state.
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The industry is abuzz that the Crows presented the young star, who is enjoying a career-best season, with a five-year contract worth up to $800,000 per annum.
Essendon made a mid-year pitch to Rankine with those terms – possibly even a tad higher, depending on whom you believe – that Bombers list boss Adrian Dodoro thought would be enough to dislodge him from the Suns.
This sort of money would instantly put him in Laird territory, but the reality of Adelaide’s offer appears to be more modest in length and remuneration.
The truth will shake out soon enough, given Adelaide’s and Gold Coast’s season will both come to an end next weekend, but Rankine is strongly tipped to cross to West Lakes.
The Crows are as organised as any club as far as their re-signings are concerned.
Elliott Himmelberg, Billy Frampton, James Rowe and rookies James Borlase, Ben Davis, Tariek Newchurch and Brett Turner – Adelaide’s mid-season draftee – are the only players without a deal for 2023.
Rowe has played 34 games in two seasons but none since being the medical substitute in round 18, and it is worth noting he plays the same position as Rankine.
The Crows already locked away promising talents Josh Rachele, Riley Thilthorpe and Jake Soligo until the end of 2025, as well as 24-year-old dasher Wayne Milera.
But their thrifty salary cap spending should leave plenty of cash for the next 12 months, when they have significant decisions to make.
Sloane’s five-year contract expires at the end of next season, while Tom Doedee, Darcy Fogarty and Shane McAdam will be among the top re-signing priorities.
Matt Crouch and Luke Brown will be free agents, Paul Seedsman sat out this season with concussion symptoms and is out of contract next year, as are young trio Jordon Butts, Nick Murray and Harry Schoenberg.
The biggest watch is on the progress of some lightly played and, in some cases, polarising young guys, including Chayce Jones, Fischer McAsey, Jackson Hately and Josh Worrell.
Jones and McAsey are top-10 picks who have had their ups and downs, with the latter not appearing at senior level in two years and now playing in attack rather than defence.
Breakout seasons could dramatically change their financial future but Adelaide’s list management crew has positioned the club well enough to handle any twists and turns.
WAR CHEST HAS POWER EYEING HUGE MOVES
War chest doesn’t even do it justice.
As Port Adelaide prepares to make significant changes to bounce back into premiership contention, the free agency and trade period slogan should be ‘Ready to Launch’.
Because the Power’s exceptional list management means that they have salary cap space much bigger than many other clubs who have pushed for premiership contention in recent years.
Even before they move on Karl Amon instead of matching a monster free agency deal elsewhere.
SCROLL DOWN TO READ THE AFL RICH 100
And their second-highest paid player for this year only rolls into the list at No. 75, in former West Coast ruckman Scott Lycett.
Next year, the club’s new breed will populate the list with Connor Rozee, Zak Butters and Xavier Duursma having signed new deals that kick in for 2023.
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But Port Adelaide has the inclination to launch at Western Bulldogs midfielder Josh Dunkley and it also has the salary cap space.
Ditto for its search for a new first-team ruckman, with the Power interested in Collingwood’s Brodie Grundy, but unsure whether he would be prepared to head back over the border.
As the Power roared up the ladder following a 0-5 start to the season, there was a belief that even if they missed on trade targets, they could save their money for a 2023 assault on Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera or Kysaiah Pickett.
The Power had reason to believe they were good enough, even without fresh off-season acquisitions.
Clearly, the Power need to get busy right now in preperation for what could be Ken Hinkley’s final year and after his own concession that the Power are good but nowhere near great.
The Power didn’t throw big money last year at departing Sydney wingman Jordan Dawson, who went to the Crows and is featured in the early 50s of the rich list on a hefty salary.
But in hindsight, he might have been exactly what they needed, especially given they will be happy to let wingman Karl Amon depart for a $650,000 per year offer at Hawthorn for a quality free agency compensation pick.
The Power have Charlie Dixon in the last place of the Rich 100 on just over $600,000, and former captain Travis Boak missing out (he is on between $500,000-$600,000), with Robbie Gray yet to decide his future, but due a pay cut if he does play on.
North Melbourne’s Jason Horne Francis is contracted to 2023 and surely won’t move this year, but given his links, with step-father and former Port Adelaide player Fabian Francis, surely the Power will at least ask the question.
The answer will surely be no, and if Alastair Clarkson arrives at Arden St, it will be no again in 12 months’ time.
But the Power have the cap space to be bold and adventurous.
That is exactly what Adelaide are doing in throwing a monster $800,000-per-season deal at Gold Coast’s Izak Rankine.
It might be raiding yet another expansion club - and it might not be the best decision for Rankine given the pressure he will be under to perform - but it is exactly what the Crows should do with their expansive cap space.
The Crows have an elite midfield pair in the top 50 of the Rich 100 and have Dawson and ruckman Reilly O’Brien in the list of 51-100, with Brodie Smith just outside the top 100.
They cannot only offer significant wages, they can pitch to the likes of Rankine that the hardest work has been done in the first 44 games of an AFL rebuild.
So don’t be surprised if the Crows secure Rankine and still have cap space to get dangerous in the trade period as they seek to strengthen their reserves of talent.
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