Adelaide Crows, Port Adelaide set for arms race for local AFL national draft talent
DUAL Adelaide Crows premiership captain Mark Bickley says the race is now on for the SA clubs to get up the draft order to select the best local talent in years, but it doesn’t guarantee success.
- Crows trio ready to fire
- Trade intrigue continues
- Wingard could be the next Cyril
- Toughest decision of my life: Chad
EVERYONE wants winners and losers at the end of the trade period. But it’s never that simple.
Often in isolation some trades look lopsided. But the best way to truly assess the performance of Clubs during the trade period is to look at the totality of the ins and outs over the 10-day period.
Hawthorn is a great example. After picking up Tom Scully and Jack Scrimshaw for next to nothing they could afford to make sure the Chad Wingard deal happened by meeting the asking price of Port Adelaide, which included highly-rated Hawk Ryan Burton, a first-round pick (15) and also a second-round pick (35) to sweeten the deal.
So when we look at the two local clubs appear to have done well, albeit much of the success still rests on the ability of both clubs to convert high draft picks accumulated into tangible playing talent through the draft.
PORT ADELAIDE
Having two players who finished in the top six of your best and fairest request a trade is never a great start, particularly when they are in their prime. But it does present you with an opportunity.
Bringing Scott Lycett in as a free agent is a great start. Apart from his salary it costs you nothing and gives Paddy Ryder much needed support.
Burton is clearly in Port’s best 22, his decision making and ball use are exactly the skill set Port need.
Sam Mayes is coming off a disappointing 2018, however 2017 saw him finish fifth in the Lions best and fairest.
Also composed with ball in hand, but it will be touch and go whether he forces his way into the Power team.
Port also shrewdly negotiated it’s way to a commanding position in next month’s national draft. Holding picks five, 10 and 15 in a very strong draft pool.
Importantly pick five has the Power primed to pick one of the three high SA draft targets, most likely North Adelaide’s Connor Rozee, with Eagles key position player Jack Lukosius and West Adelaide speedster Izak Rankine destined to be picked before the fifth selection.
It’s an unfamiliar position having had only two first round selections over the past five years.
Four players were traded out by Port. Wingard, Jared Polec, Jasper Pittard and Jack Hombsch, all of whom played in the Power’s final round loss to Essendon.
After four years of finishing 9th, 10th, 7th and 10th the list needed a shake-up.
The trading of Wingard sends a message and the injection of class with Burton and three high end draft picks sets the Power on a new path.
It may be a case of a small step backwards next year to take a significant stride forward in the coming years as the new talent matures and complements the existing personnel.
ADELAIDE
NOWHERE near as active as the Power, but also didn’t have as many players requesting trades.
Mitch McGovern was the important deal with most feeling Adelaide maximised the outcome.
Pick 13 seemed about right for a player of McGovern’s potential, the Crows also negotiated SANFL mature age recruit Shane McAdam into the deal, which was icing on the cake.
While it’s a speculative pick, West Coast premiership players Willie Rioli and Liam Ryan were both mature age products from the state leagues who paid handsome dividends.
Tyson Stengle presents at almost the same height and weight as Eddie Betts and Crows fans will be hoping the similarities don’t end there.
After plying his trade at Richmond on the rookie list for the last two years he returns home to Adelaide to add some speed and pressure to the Crows forward line.
He came at little cost, pick 68, and will start the season outside of Adelaide’s best 22.
The Crows started with three high picks in the draft (8,16, and 21) courtesy of last year’s trade period and added another (13), to make this the club’s most anticipated draft.
Hamish Ogilvie would be salivating at the thought of using all four picks, but with the introduction of live trading on draft night, the temptation must be there to bundle some, or all of those picks to advance their position.
With Gold Coast holding picks two, three, and six and St Kilda pick four, they appear the most likely suitors.
The clear intent would be get inside of Port Adelaide’s pick five and get access to at least one of Lukosius, Rankine or Rozee.
Overall, the Crows have added some much needed speed but lost a first choice player. They chose not to add ruck support for Sam Jacobs and clearly believe the condition of the list was the problem last year, not the personnel.
Adelaide go to the draft needing to add top end talent for the future.
Speed and class would top the list of attributes required.
With the picks at Adelaide’s disposal and recruiter Ogilvie’s impeccable record with early selections. The Crows fans should be looking forward to draft night.
Attention now turns to the draft and with live trading of picks speculation will abound particularly here in SA.
Most good judges have three of the top five picks coming from South Australia and with the two local clubs holding a plethora of first round picks. Carlton appear likely to take Victorian midfielder Sam Walsh at pick one.
Gold Coast having two and three they are favoured to take Lukosious and Rankine.
St Kilda has four and as yet are undecided. Then comes the Power who have already traded up from 11 to six and then up again to five.
They have their heart set on Rozee, whose stocks have skyrocketed in recent weeks.
There are many big questions still to be answered.
Do Adelaide rate Rozee highly enough to trade multiple picks to get him?
And, if the answer is yes can they broker a deal with the Saints to get their prized pick four to secure him?
Are Gold Coast wedded to both picks two and three?
And what if newly appointed Saints list manager, former Crow, James Gallagher decides to keep pick four and likes the look of Rozee?
So much still to come and not a football in sight.