Eager watching for which draft pick Carlton hands to the Crows - for the Liam Stocker deal - has a twist with Bryce Gibbs

Adelaide gave up two first-round draft picks to complete its long-standing wish to have Bryce Gibbs in Crows colours. How does that price tag look today with Gibbs out of favour at West Lakes?

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Bryce Gibbs gives a new twist to the Crows-Carlton draft pick watch from the two clubs’ famous swap of future first-round calls at November’s AFL national draft. It might now be known as the “refund” moment - rather than the bonus - for the Adelaide Football Club.

The Crows’ willingness to pay two first-round draft picks (Nos. 10 and 16) in October 2017 to close the trade for Gibbs, then aged 29, seemed expensive at the time. More so when Adelaide had declined to pay such a price in the 2016 player exchange series with Crows football director Mark Ricciuto saying to agree to Carlton’s demands “would have been irresponsible”.

But the Crows were “close”, as highlighted by their rise to the 2017 minor premiership and AFL grand final (lost to Richmond). Had Adelaide last year ended a premiership drought (from 1998), no-one would critically review the Gibbs’ deal - just as very few today will challenge the Western Bulldogs’ multimillion-dollar move on key forward Tom Boyd, who was the key piece in Footscray’s fulfilled dream to end a 62-year wait for a second VFL-AFL flag.

Some might say, this is a repeat of the Wayne Carey moment at West Lakes in 2003 ... “it seemed a good idea at the time”.

In 2019, Gibbs’ second season at West Lakes, the 2006 No. 1 draftee is in and out of the Crows line-up. At 30 - and after 259 games with honours that include a best-and-fairest title at Carlton (2014) - Gibbs is being sent back to school at the SANFL.

Crows coach Don Pyke has labelled Gibbs’ work as “patchy” and “inconsistent”.

“There are some things we’re working on,” Pyke said, “and if he gets them right he will become a consistent player at the footy club and at the moment he isn’t doing that in those areas.

“It has been a work in progress for him. We’re looking for continual change to get him in to be that rounded player we know and we want him to be and who he wants to be.

“I don’t really want to go into a full debrief of Bryce Gibbs and the ins and outs of what he’s doing well and what he’s not. I’m respectful of him and our relationship.”

It was a strange week in SA-AFL football last week with the question of why two early draftees - Gibbs and Jack Trengove (No. 2 in 2009 at Melbourne) - are stuck in the SANFL at their respective clubs, Adelaide and Port Adelaide.

Why Pyke and Power coach Ken Hinkley cannot put on the table the challenges they have posed for Gibbs and Trengove has confused - and frustrated - so many fans.

Here is the AFL with minute-by-minute analysis of players by seemingly endless statistics, video cuts in the Fox Footy “lab” and opinion from former stars. Everyone assumes Trengove is trapped in the SANFL as Port Adelaide questions his leg speed at a time when the Power is seeking to have its players move quickly to outnumber the opposition at contests - and to set up team defence outside the defensive 50.

Gibbs?

Former St Kilda star Leigh Montagna is more confused, particularly after watching Gibbs’ work in Adelaide’s one-point loss to Brisbane at the Gabba.

“And Bryce Gibbs I thought was very good - he kicked two goals and had 22 disposals, playing on a half-forward flank,” Montagna said. “He laid the five tackles and he had eight contested possessions, so there were only five Crows players that had more contested possessions.

“So I’m not sure if you could say it was his work off the ball, certainly wasn’t his ability to get the ball and hit the scoreboard.

“So for me, this is a really intriguing one … I’m very staggered by this.”

Neil Craig, in his time as Crows coach, made it very clear with his public critique what he expected of a young Taylor Walker to emerge from Norwood to be a regular AFL player at the Crows. Such open scrutiny of Walker’s game did not break the future Crows captain.

Those two first-round draft picks paid for Gibbs in October 2017 will be up for public review too now. And the No. 1 draft pick expected to come from Carlton this year - for that trade that allowed the Blues to claim Liam Stocker - might become tagged the “refund” on the Gibbs deal.

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