Tom Lynch is a wanted man at Adelaide Crows, but the club could be better placed letting him leave

THE Adelaide Crows face an intriguing decision between retaining Tom Lynch and trying to snare early picks in the upcoming ‘super draft’, writes Kane Cornes.

Adelaide has tabled a three-year contract extension to keep Tom Lynch, but he will be sought after by Victorian clubs. Picture: Getty Images

WOULD Adelaide comfortably watch Tom Lynch walk to another club at year’s end?

With the Crows set to finish towards the top of the ladder again in 2018 they need to find a way to snare early draft picks for what the experts are saying is the best crop of draftees in a decade.

Woodville-West Torrens product Jack Lukosius is the most exciting talent this state has seen since Matthew Pavlich was taken by Fremantle with pick No.3 in 1999.

Lukosius is the best 17-year-old in the country right now and is likely to be taken with the first pick. He might be out of reach for the Crows but the high-end talent doesn’t stop at Lukosius.

Speedy West Adelaide forward Izak Rankine is another South Australian on the Crows’ radar but would certainly cost them a top-five selection.

Jack Lukosius is the most exciting SA draft prospect since Matthew Pavlich, according to Kane Cornes. Picture: Roger Wyman

Victorian twins Ben and Max King measure in at 203cm and are being coached by AFL Hall of Fame goalkicker Matthew Lloyd at Haileybury College. Lloyd rates both as certain top-10 picks.

Adelaide has tabled a three-year contract offer for Lynch, the terms of which are underwhelming for a player of his ability who’s in the prime of his career. The club is happy for him to stay provided it is on their terms.

Considering Adelaide already has 23-year-old Mitch McGovern and 18-year-old Darcy Fogarty commanding key posts in the forward six, perhaps they feel Lynch can be squeezed out.

The Crows hold Melbourne’s first-round pick in 2018 as a result of the Jake Lever trade last year. They could also be compensated with another first-round selection if free agent Rory Sloane decides to leave at season’s end. Should Tom Lynch exit also, he would certainly command a first-round pick, potentially giving Adelaide four first-round selections in the upcoming super draft.

Lynch’s early morning flight from Adelaide to Melbourne last Saturday morning had the footy world talking.

It was later revealed the 27-year-old spent the day looking at real estate in his home city before returning to Adelaide that afternoon.

At Round 10, he appears in no rush to re-sign and is rightly attracting interest from several Victorian clubs happy to pay him a reported market value of $2.4 million dollars over four years.

As always Adelaide remains tight-lipped on its future plans but some shrewd trading could see the club secure its future for the next decade and set up more sustained success.

But will the Crows fans be happy and patient enough for the club to lose more experienced stars and potentially add years to the already two decade-long premiership drought?

Richmond’s Josh Caddy has been in sublime form this season. Picture: Michael Klein

WINNERS AND LOSERS

Winners

1. Resilience

COLLINGWOOD’S Matt Scharenberg has been restricted to only 23 of a possible 98 games since being drafted with pick six in the 2013 draft. Finally free from persistent knee, foot and hamstring injuries he’s played the last nine games in a row averaging 22 possessions across half-back. The talented South Australian is full of heart and a joy to watch.

2. Roaring at the ‘G

RICHMOND has won 14 straight games at the MCG which is frightening for any team facing the Tigers at the home of football come September.

3. Red-hot Dees

THE footy world still had doubts about Melbourne, with the sceptics saying the Demons hadn’t beaten anyone of quality. It’s about time we gave them the credit they deserve. They are a massive premiership threat.

4. Midfield minutes

WHEN Richmond’s Josh Caddy was traded from Geelong in 2016 he cited more opportunities in the midfield as a main motivator for the move to Punt Rd. Despite his strong ambition, Coach Damien Hardwick uses him sparingly through the midfield but with a premiership medal around Caddy’s neck and 23 goals from his eight games this season, he’d hardly be complaining. He was best-on-ground with six majors against St Kilda on Saturday.

5. Injuries a secret no more

AFL football boss Steven Hocking has vowed to crack down on clubs telling mistruths about their injury lists. Hopefully a certain club at West Lakes takes heed of the message. The fans will be the winners.

The season is becoming a giant mess for GWS after another loss on Saturday night. Picture: AAP Image

Losers

1. Silence

NOW that Port Adelaide and Adelaide sit ninth and tenth on the SANFL ladder there is eerie silence from the usually vocal whingers that detest their existence in the SANFL as they believed both AFL clubs would dominate the competition. The Crows are yet to win a game and Port suffered its third biggest defeat ever at the Alberton Oval against North on Saturday.

2. Committee overload

I WONDER how the newly formed ‘competition committee’ felt when it was revealed AFL footy boss Steven Hocking engaged several prominent AFL stalwarts including Malcolm Blight and Mike Sheahan to form a separate group with the aim of fixing the look of the game?

3. Giant disappointment

SATURDAY night’s loss to Essendon sees the Giants stoop to – on the ladder. After trailing by only five points at three quarter-time they allowed Essendon to pile on six goals to one in a demoralising last quarter that has all but quashed their finals chances. Something is seriously wrong in the west of Sydney.

4. Crows crunched

ADELAIDE had done a marvellous job through adversity in 2018. It appears the injury crisis has taken its toll. The Crows face a tough three weeks against GWS, Fremantle and Hawthorn and must win two of those three to stay in touch before the bye.

5. Seeing double

RICHMOND coach Damien Hardwick labelled the goal review an embarrassment on the game. More responsibility must be given to the goal umpires to trust their judgment rather than relying on the reviews which are often inconclusive and time-consuming.