Kane Cornes: Landing Jack Lukosius in a homecoming trade to Adelaide would be the Crows’ biggest recruiting coup since luring Darren Jarman home in 1995
Adelaide is gearing up for one of the most important off-seasons in the club’s history. And a trade to bring home one of the state’s brightest football talents should be their main focus, writes Kane Cornes. PLUS, who makes this week’s winners and losers?
Kane Cornes
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Adelaide is on the eve of its most important list-management decisions since the first Crows squad gathered at Football Park in the lead-up to the 1991 AFL season.
From Friday week, when the free-agency period takes long- serving ruckman Sam Jacobs to GWS, Crows list manager Justin Reid will be in Adelaide Football Club’s hottest seat. More so when there is no senior coach to consult — and football chief Brett Burton remains uncertain of his future as the “external” review focuses on how the Crows’ football department has become so uncertain … to the point where drastic changes are needed to the playing squad.
Even before the season finished, with Adelaide’s poor performance against the Western Bulldogs at Ballarat, the rumblings of Crows players seeking new opportunities at rival AFL clubs were getting louder and louder.
Speculation has become fact. The biggest question today is: How many Adelaide players from the Don Pyke era will be still at West Lakes when his successor arrives?
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So far, Jacobs has declared his intention to move on.
Key forward-ruckman Josh Jenkins — despite having two seasons to run on his five-year contract — admits he must move on. This was made clear by the club when he was told to not appear for his end-of-season exit meeting. This highlights how strained the relationship between Jenkins and the club’s hierarchy has become. Jenkins and his high-profile manager Paul Connors on Wednesday confirmed the 30-year-old would be seeking a trade. They are also prepared to negotiate a pay cut to close the deal.
Small forward Eddie Betts is returning to Carlton.
Defender Alex Keath on Thursday requested a trade to Western Bulldogs, and midfielders Hugh Greenwood and Cam Ellis-Yolmen are out of contract and more likely to find new AFL clubs rather than stay at Adelaide.
Club champion favourite Brad Crouch is no certainty to be at West Lakes while the midfielder chases the riches of a lucrative contract. Crouch becomes a free agent at the end of next season. Adelaide has to consider the merit of trading Crouch today to gain more than the AFL will offer as compensation for losing a free agent next year.
Adelaide should not wait. Reid must trade Crouch now for new talent or early draft picks — and even both if he can close that deal.
While Crouch is an elite ball winner, he is often wasteful and he does not influence games the way the AFL’s best midfielders do. His body also is unreliable — he has managed just 83 games in seven seasons. The uncertainty on his body only will increase with age.
By trading Crouch to Gold Coast, Adelaide is well within its rights to ask for last year’s No. 2 draftee Jack Lukosius, who has not extended his contract with the Suns beyond the mandatory two years signed on being drafted.
Landing Lukosius in a homecoming trade to Adelaide would be the biggest recruiting coup by the Crows since 1995 when Darren Jarman returned home to help the Crows to back-to-back premierships in 1997-98.
Lukosius is the ready-made replacement for Jenkins in Adelaide’s attack. The former Woodville-West Torrens SANFL player would fit in nicely with veteran key forward Taylor Walker and dynamic Darcy Fogarty.
Even with Lukosius at West Lakes, there would still be some gaping holes needing to be filled in Adelaide’s line-up before pre-season training begins in November.
Top of the needs list is a back-up ruckman for Reilly O’Brien and an elite small forward to fill the significant void left by Betts and All-Australian small forward Charlie Cameron, who left for Brisbane at the end of 2017.
Lachlan Murphy has battled admirably but does not have enough weapons to be a viable long-term option.
There are big questions if first-round draftee Jordan Gallucci will make it at the top level.
With Tom Doedee returning from a serious knee injury, the Crows’[ defence is solid. However, some run and dash would make it better.
Collingwood defender Sam Murray, 22, is worth considering. He has cleared his 18-month ASADA ban and is being cut by the Magpies.
Reid’s plan also must focus on stocking up with youth in the November national draft.
The Crows hold picks three, 21 and 26 but this draft call will be bolstered after Adelaide severs ties with Keath and Greenwood. It is a challenging time for Reid and Adelaide, with so much uncertainty hurting the club on and off the field. For a club that has never fallen lower than 14th (in 2011), Crows fans will not accept a full rebuild and bottoming out.
If Reid can snare Lukosius, the very uneasy Adelaide supporter base will have the hope to believe 2020 brings an end to the club’s fall from AFL pacesetter. However, to achieve this, Reid might have to trade Crouch weeks after he is crowned club champion.
It seems Adelaide still has to take some steps backwards to go forwards.
The pressure is well and truly on Reid to prove himself as a list manager.
WINNERS
Nicks next
GREATER Western Sydney senior assistant coach and former Port Adelaide defensive coach Matthew Nicks appears the most likely of the untried coaching candidates to land the next senior AFL coaching job. Don’t rule him out of the Adelaide race yet.
Made of Stone
GLENELG premiership coach Mark Stone has not put a foot wrong since taking the reins at the Tigers in 2017.
Stone’s game style is built around a ferocious attack on the ball, long kicking, fast forward handball and a disciplined 18-man defence. Stone is destined for the next level.
Cazaly classic
FORTY years have passed since Mike Brady released the iconic football song Up there Cazaly.
It remains the most inspiring and uplifting AFL song — nothing comes close.
Mr September
GIANTS stopper Matt de Boer is the player of the finals so far. In the past three weeks de Boer has blanketed superstars Marcus Bontempelli, Lachie Neale and Scott Pendlebury and his match-up against Richmond’s Norm Smith Medallist Dustin Martin in Saturday’s grand final could decide the result.
Swans firepower
SYDNEY will automatically jump into top-four contention next year if it can pull off a trade heist by signing Essendon key forward Joe Daniher.
The prospect of Daniher and veteran Lance Franklin working together in the forward line is tantalising.
LOSERS
Brad’s Dreaming
THE manager of Brad Crouch is reportedly shopping his client to rival clubs with an asking price of $1 million a season. Crouch, who comes out of contract at the end of next season, is worth around $650,000. Considering his injury history a club wold be negligent to sign him for any longer than three years.
Fair Game
HERALD Sun chief football writer Mark Robinson suggested Giants defender Lachie Whitfield should not be targeted in the grand final because of his recent surgery. If Whitfield is out there he is fit and fair game and should expect the extra attention.
Window shut
GEELONG’S premiership window is shut. Veteran stars Joel Selwood, Tom Hawkins, Harry Taylor and Gary Ablett and well into their thirties, while Tim Kelly is leaving for West Coast. The Cats failed to win the signatures of Todd Goldstein and Shaun Higgins meaning a fall down the ladder is likely.
Shane snubbed
RICHMOND’S Shane Edwards did not poll a single Brownlow Medal vote this year despite producing another brilliant season. The umpires are not qualified to decide who wins the game’s highest honour.
Award miss
BRISBANE coach Chris Fagan was named AFL Coaches’ Association Coach of the Year but his Lions bowled out of the finals in straight sets, despite hosting both games at the Gabba. A coach who doesn’t have any success in September can’t be eligible for this award.