Crows’ unlikely duo packing a midfield punch

HUGH Greenwood and Cam Ellis-Yolmen are the unlikely midfield duo who might have saved the Crows’ season from spiralling into disaster. See how the unsung pair stack up against the AFL’s top contested possession-winning combinations.

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ONE is a former basketballer who didn't make his AFL debut until age 25.

The other missed the entire 2017 season following a knee reconstruction after playing just 14 games in his first six years on the Crows’ list.

Together, unlikely duo Hugh Greenwood and Cam Ellis-Yolmen might have saved Adelaide’s season from spiralling into disaster.

With 25 Crows out of the 44 on the club’s list (39 senior and five rookies) reporting an injury this season and nine first-choice men missing from last week’s victory against the Western Bulldogs, big-bodied midfielders Greenwood and Ellis-Yolmen have stood tall among the carnage.

Crow Cam Ellis-Yolmen shows Richmond’s Toby Nankervis who is boss in the grand final rematch in round two. Picture: David Mariuz (AAP).

They had never played an AFL game together until this year but have been two constants — game and performance-wise — in a season where Adelaide has been physically smashed from pillar to post.

“They have been absolutely fantastic,’’ teammate, ruckman Sam Jacobs said of the first-time midfield pairing that has played a massive role in Don Pyke’s team posting an against-the-odds 6-3 record and being entrenched in the top four.

“The way the year has panned out, with so many injuries and having a lot of first-choice players unavailable, they have been great and helped us have a squad that has kept us very competitive.’’

In an unprecedented injury run that has had Adelaide reviewing some of its training practices, ace midfielders Rory Sloane (foot), Matt Crouch (hamstrings) and Brad Crouch (groin) have largely been absent.

Brad Crouch hasn’t played at all while All-Australian Sloane has missed five games and is likely to be sidelined for at least another month.

Reigning club champion Matt Crouch has missed four matches with two separate hamstring issues.

Number Crunch for Cam and Hugh

But former NBL basketballer Greenwood and Ellis-Yolmen, who was cut from Adelaide’s senior list at the end of last season before being redrafted as a rookie, have used the opportunity to step up remarkably to fill the void.

In one of the club’s feel-good stories, they have used their powerful physiques — Greenwood is listed at 191cm and 92kg and Ellis-Yolmen at 190cm and 97kg — and insatiable appetite for the hard ball to become the Crows’ leading contested ball combination.

Greenwood, 26 and drafted as a rookie in 2016, is averaging a team-high 13.44 contested possessions a game.

“I really love the physical aspect of the game, it’s a weapon of mine and helps me get picked each week,’’ he said.

Ellis-Yolmen, 25, is ranked second with an average of 12.2.

The pair’s total of 25.66 ranks them ninth in the league among the top contested possession-winning combinations.

Fremantle stars Nat Fyfe (18.33) and Lachie Neale (13.89) are first with a total of 32.22.

Illustrating their effectiveness is that Greenwood and Ellis-Yolmen have an elite or above average rating in five of seven key categories for a midfielder.

Hugh Greenwood breaks away from a pack of Power players during Showdown 44. AAP Image/David Mariuz

Left-footer Greenwood is elite for pressure points (63.8) and tackles (7.2) and above average for contested possessions, ground ball gets (9.9) and clearances (5.2).

Ellis-Yolmen ranks above average for contested possessions, pressure points (55.3), tackles (5.7), goals (0.7) and ground ball gets (9.9).

No player in the league wins a greater percentage of their possessions in a contest than Greenwood (75.2 per cent) while Ellis-Yolmen sits 10th in that category (56.1).

Greenwood’s pressure point rating ranks him third in the competition behind Essendon’s Devon Smith (73.5) and Brisbane’s Dayne Zorko (71.5).

“What they do is give us a bigger look in there (the midfield),’’ Jacobs said, also noting the on-ball influences of former Carlton star Bryce Gibbs in his first year at the club and veteran Richard Douglas.

“They both have big bodies, have been given some high-quality time in the midfield and have made the most of it.’’

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