AFL Trades 2022: Adelaide Crows outline plans for exchange period

Adelaide has one huge trade target in its sights, but a number of Crows players could be of interest to rival clubs. Who’s staying and who’s going?

Matt Crouch of the Crows.

Adelaide is extremely unlikely to make any more additions outside of Izak Rankine this trade period, Crows list manager Justin Reid says.

But the future of several currently listed Crows players remains uncertain.

Rankine wants to leave Gold Coast and return to Adelaide to become a Crow.

“We are tight for list spots, we have gone to the draft quite heavily in the last four years,” Reid said.

“So it is a balance with the acquisition of a Jordy Dawson and now Izak and going to the draft as well.”

Rankine will be a big in for the Crows, but don’t expect many to follow him in coming to West Lakes this off-season.

Here’s the state of play for the Crows.

Izak Rankine

For the second year in a row the Crows are going to lure an extremely talented young player back to Adelaide.

After it was expected Rankine would sign a new deal at the Suns, he changed his mind to return to Adelaide, with the Crows the team he wanted to be at from the outset.
Reid said the two clubs were still discussing how the trade gets done.

“We still need to work through a deal, but it is fantastic for Izak to want to come home,” Reid said.

“He’s got strong family ties, and he grew up in a Crows guernsey. He loves the football club.

“So to bring him back to the football club and have him play his role is really exciting.”

Izak Rankine will be a big inclusion for the Crows. Picture: Michael Klein

Jack Graham

The former South Australian under-18 captain has told Richmond that he won’t try and move to his home state this off-season.

This came after Graham toured Port Adelaide and met with Power senior coach Ken Hinkley and footy boss Chris Davies.

Reid said the Crows had not spoken to Graham, 24.

“We look at all South Australians and we keep a close eye on them, but, no, we haven’t spoken to Jack,” he said.

Caleb Poulter

The young midfielder who hails from Ardrossan in SA is still without a deal at Collingwood.

Reid said the Crows list squeeze meant they were somewhat hamstrung in who they could target outside of Rankine.

“We’ve got some of our own players out of contract that we need to work through ... we will look at ways to make our list better, but we are invested in our existing list and we are quite tight for list spots, so there may not be the flexibility there,” he said.

Matt Crouch

Has been shopped around the competition after being dropped three times during the year, but it looks likely now that Crouch will stay at West Lakes.

“We are always having open dialogue with all our players on the list and their managers, and Matt is contracted so we expect him to be at the footy club next year,” Reid said.

Matt Crouch has fallen out of favour at the Crows. Picture: AAP Image/Sam Wundke

Fischer McAsey

The former No.6 draft pick revealed on Friday to television crews at Adelaide Airport as he flew to Melbourne that he had held discussions about a trade to a Victorian club.

But Carlton has officially withdrawn its interest in the key defender and Reid said he was confident McAsey, who hasn’t played at AFL level since his debut season in 2020, would be at West Lakes next year.

“Tall players take time to develop, Fischer hasn’t still been able to do a full pre-season yet and we expect Fischer to be at the football club next year,” he said.

Lachie Sholl

Sholl didn’t play an AFL game from Round 10 onwards this year.
Carlton was interested in the young wingman, but the Blues are now set to get Blake Acres from Fremantle.

Reid said it was unlikely there would be too many contracted players leave the Crows this off-season.

“It is a pretty settled environment (at the club), which says a lot,” Reid said.

“We certainly haven’t had any players come and tap us on the shoulder and say that they want to move on for other opportunities.

“Because we are a young group, they can see the journey that we are on.”

Lachie Sholl was on Carlton’s radar. Picture: Michael Klein

Billy Frampton

Frampton is one player on the way out. He will join Collingwood, the third club of his career after coming to the Crows from rivals Port Adelaide in 2019.

Reid he hoped a deal for Frampton would be straightforward.

“Hopefully, it should be, but we are working through that so there is no deal done yet,” he said.

Draft picks

5, 23, 77, 95

The Crows first round pick, likely to be at No.6 after a bid for Brisbane father-son Will Ashcroft, will be on the table to secure Rankine from the Suns.

Outside of that, the Crows will need enough picks to get a father-son of their own in Max Michalanney.

Reid said if the Crows do give up their first-round pick for Rankine, they could try and get back into the draft in some way.

“It just depends, there is a lot still to play out in the trade period,” he said.