Which of the two South Australian AFL clubs is ahead in the development of young players?
It’s almost three years since Crows list manager Justin Reid viewed the Adelaide squad as in good shape with “organic growth” to come. How does this stack up at the Crows and Power?
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Remember that hopeful theme of “organic growth” Crows list manager Justin Reid created amid the disappointment in Adelaide not landing a trade for Carlton midfielder Bryce Gibbs in 2016?
A minor premiership and grand final appearance less than 12 months later stopped one Adelaide radio station from mocking the “organic growth” concept at West Lakes on a seemingly endless loop.
Essendon goalkicking great Matthew Lloyd has a practical way to assess an AFL football club’s annual progress in avoiding the fall to mediocrity.
“The question I ask,” said Lloyd, “when I look at a coach and how well they are coaching, I look at who has improved and who is developing.”
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Organic growth.
As Reid and his Port Adelaide counterpart Jason Cripps prepare for a hectic trade period in October — with Reid expected to work some major deals to revitalise the significantly older Adelaide squad — the question of how the Crows and Power lists have developed since 2017 are most relevant in reviewing the work of coaches Don Pyke and Ken Hinkley.
Lloyd asked — with his question loaded with the suggestion organic growth has stopped at West Lakes — “who is the best young players coming through at the Crows or who has enhanced their reputation?”
It is a good question, not only at Adelaide but also Port Adelaide, particularly when one of the major reasons for keeping Hinkley at Alberton next season should be based on his development of talent to stop the Power from a repeat of the “basket case” era from 2008-2012.
Since “organic growth” was put on the agenda in Adelaide in November 2016, there have been disappointing stories at both SA-based clubs on development — and there have been heavy hits with defections by fast-improving talent.
At Adelaide, the Crows have been denied the fruits of their sharp recruiting of pacy forward Charlie Cameron (from the rookie list to Brisbane now), defender Jake Lever (Melbourne) and switch-hitter Mitch McGovern (Carlton).
But no longer at West Lakes from the 2017 list are Jono Beech, Harry Dear, Dean Gore (one of the “gains” from the Patrick Dangerfield trade), the father-son hope Ben Jarman, Troy Menzel, Matthew Signorello and Harrison Wigg. Not everyone makes it in the AFL.
At Port Adelaide, there has been more “shipping out” than development failures. From the 2017 squad, Brendon Achee went to West Coast; once-dominating ruckman Matthew Lobbe (Carlton); Tom Logan (St Kilda); Jarman Impey and Chad Wingard (Hawthorn); and Jared Polec (North Melbourne to take up the “godfather” offer of $5 million across five years).
The project players that did not work from 2017 were Emmanuel Irra, forward Jesse Palmer and Will Snelling, who has found his lifeline back to the AFL in the mid-season draft at Essendon.
But, to answer Lloyd’s question, who has “come through” or enhanced his reputation as an AFL player at Alberton or West Lakes in the past 18 months? Who has developed “organically”?
At Adelaide, the list has injured defender Tom Doedee, the most-impressive Wayne Milera, new No. 1 ruckman Reilly O’Brien, defenders Jake Kelly and Alex Keath from the rookie list and small forward Lachlan Murphy. This list should ultimately include No. 12 draftee Darcy Fogarty who will be a key piece of the refit of the Adelaide attack when it needs to replace co-captain Taylor Walker and Josh Jenkins.
At the Power, there are defenders Darcy Bryne-Jones, Tom Clurey and the versatile Dan Houston; newly re-signed ruckman-forward Peter Ladhams and midfielder-forward Karl Amon, who — after being left untouched in the trade market last year — is having his best-ever season.
And Hinkley has backed in his big-three young draftees from November, Connor Rozee, the arrow man Xavier Duursma and Zak Butters.
Adelaide’s fall from pacesetter in 2017 to being on edge as an AFL top-eight finalist and Port Adelaide’s image of being trapped in “no man’s land” around ninth spot does spark the question of whether the Crows and Power can find their next premiership charges with “organic growth” at home … or in raids on opposition clubs in the annual trade market?
The answer is such list management needs to be done in both fields with Adelaide definitely needing to become the major mover and shaker in October’s trade market.
Organic growth? Matthew Lloyd needs to accept there are plenty of green shoots at West Lakes and Alberton.