Adelaide draft preview: What the Crows need, who’s in the mix and how the night might unfold
Life after Daniel Talia and Taylor Walker is in the back of Adelaide’s mind. So will the Crows opt for Fischer McAsey over Dylan Stephens’ run and class on AFL Draft night? See who’s in the mix.
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At this week’s AFL Draft, there will be no replacing the players who have left Adelaide during the off-season.
Instead, in a talent pool which recruiting manager Hamish Ogilvie describes as “far from the best, but far from the leanest” the Crows will look to continue the club’s list rejuvenation.
“We need to bring in good kids with great attitudes, who are team-first and want to play for the team,” Ogilvie said.
“There’s some really high empathy kids who, if we bring them in, I know are just going to be great people for our club.
“That’s our priority.”
And while the go-home concern is a factor, Ogilvie says “it’s not the be-all and end-all”.
DRAFT HAND
6, 22, 23, 37, 45
WHAT THEY NEED
“Speed, speed and more speed” is what should be on Adelaide’s agenda at this year’s draft, according to respected recruiter Gary Buckenara.
The increased exposure of Chayce Jones and Ned McHenry will help but, without doubt, the midfield needs a new dynamic.
Ogilvie insists, however, Adelaide - in a rejuvenation phase after losing a host of key, veteran players in the off-season – is “not a needs-focused drafting team.”
So, again, it’s likely to be best-available for the Crows at their first selection but, with the age of key pillars Daniel Talia (28) and Taylor Walker (29) in the back of his mind, Ogilvie has a number of young talls on his hit-list.
“We’ll look at best available talent first and then perhaps balance off two picks with some needs,’’ he said.
“We’d love another tall forward and tall back at some stage, we need to plan for that (life after Talia and Walker).
“(And) you’d love to have as many midfielders with speed and power as you can get.”
Ogilvie also believes Adelaide does not “have to find a ruckman for the sake of it”, but with Reilly O’Brien the only full-time ruckman on the list, the big-man depth at the Crows is an issue.
THE TARGETS
FIRST PICK – No. 6
Despite dropping back two places in the order - from No. 4 to No. 6 - after a pick-swap with the Giants, which resulted in the acquisition of a 2020 first-round selection, Adelaide is confident it will still get its man.
“If there are three names there (the club has listed), then I’m sure that when we went with the trade we thought we would get one of them – and we probably still will,’’ Ogilvie said.
“It’s no secret that every club that has a pick in the five-to-15 bracket would have Dylan Stephens in their mix and we’re no different.’
“I rate him highly, but he’s not the only player in our mix.
“There’s (Caleb) Serong’s foot skills and goal sense, (Sam) Flanders’ power out of the stoppage, some of (Luke) Jackson’s ground balls after his ruck work is unbelievable.”
Dylan Stephens
Norwood/South Australia
Midfielder, 183cm, 74kg
Stephens has met with the Crows on several occasions this year and, as a classy, skilful midfielder with a touch a pace, appears the perfect fit for Adelaide.
The damaging left-footer is eye-catching on the outside, but also possesses a terrific ability win the ball on the inside as he highlighted at the Redlegs this season.
He’s been so impressive since moving from Mildura as a 13-year-old that a Norwood insider said Stephens is the best junior talent to come out of the Parade in more than a decade.
There’s plenty of West Coast wingman Andrew Gaff in Stephens’ run, but his class, ability at the contest and finishing around goal is in the Josh Kelly mould.
The pick swap brings Stephens further into play and he should still be there at No. 6, but his selection could mean Adelaide misses out on the two best key-position prospects in the draft. Is he ahead on pure talent, however?
Fischer McAsey
Sandringham Dragons/Vic Metro
Key defender/forward, 197cm, 91kg
With no shortage of suitors - Geelong and Hawthorn in particular - it would almost definitely mean missing out on McAsey, the Sandringham defender most rate as the best key-position player in the pool.
And the Crows have been strongly linked to the contested-marking star, who won Vic Metro’s MVP award at the national under-18 carnival this year ahead of likely top picks Matt Rowell and Noah Anderson.
McAsey models his game on former Crow Alex Keath, the player Ogilvie might be looking to replace, and Bulldogs’ young gun Aaron Naughton.
And, like Naughton, McAsey, who is also clean below his knees when the ball hits the deck, can have an impact at the other end of the ground.
Given the evenness of the top 10-12 after Matt Rowell and Noah Anderson at No. 1 and No. 2, explosive midfielder Sam Flanders, who is in the mould of Melbourne’s Christian Petracca, will be in the mix, as will Robbie Gray-like Vic Country midfielder/forward Caleb Serong.
And if Melbourne, as now expected, take WA big man Luke Jackson at No. 3, Dandenong Stingrays defender Hayden Young - and his precise left-foot - might become the best-available on talent.
THE REST – 22, 23, 37, 45
Sam De Koning
Dandenong Stingrays/Vic Country
Key defender, 201cm, 86kg
The younger brother of Carlton’s Tom, De Koning leads the next group of key-position prospects behind McAsey, which also includes versatile Sandringham tall Josh Worrell.
In his bottom-age year, he was a running wingman before a growth spurt saw De Koning, who now stands at 201cm, dominate the national carnival in defence for Vic Country, earning All-Australian selection at full-back.
The 18-year-old is raw, but De Koning is rarely beaten in the air and outstanding on the rebound for a player of his size.
However, one recruiter believes De Koning won’t be available at Adelaide’s second selection and that’s where the dilemma lies.
Does Ogilvie just lock away McAsey at six if he gets the chance or package up the two picks in the 20s to land De Koning in the first-round as well?
There’s still plenty of scenarios that could play out.
Will Gould
Glenelg/South Australia
Defender, 192cm, 101kg
The back-to-back under-18 All-Australian boasts one of the best junior football CVs in the country, but received some pretty strong feedback on his weight and skinfolds at the Draft Combine, following Glenelg’s premiership celebrations.
But Ogilvie and the Crows, who have long been linked the star Croweater, aren’t worried.
“I’m not too concerned about that, I know Will really well, I know what sort of person he is,” Ogilvie said of Gould, who has been training at the gym of Adelaide’s tackling coach Warwick Raymond.
The Lucindale product delivered with precision from the back-half and knocked around some of his more senior opponents at SANFL league level this season, and has future-captain written all over him.
On what he’s achieved, he’s worthy of a first-round pick, but it appears some clubs are concerned on his potential upside.
The Crows, along with the Power, aren’t as worried.
Gould’s housemate, Eagles ball-magnet Harry Schoenberg, will also be in the mix in mid-to-late second-round, while fellow Croweater Karl Finlay is the outstanding key-position prospect from SA.
The run and long kicking of WA midfielder Jeremy Sharp will appeal, as will the upside of speedy ball-winner Thomson Dow, while Victorian endurance king Jay Rantall is rising up draft boards.
Athletic Calder Cannons forward Harry Jones, who boasts outstanding aerobic endurance, might also be in the club’s thinking depending on what it does early on.
With the Crows likely to have three father-son or NGA prospects in 2020, don’t expect Ogilvie to disrupt Port Adelaide’s plan and place a bid for Jackson Mead.
WORTH THE PUNT
If it doesn’t work out in national draft, mature-age Norwood ruckman Henry Crauford, who has attracted significant AFL interest in his first season in the SANFL, could be worth a punt. He didn’t play any league footy after being recruiting from Mount Burr, but the 204cm big man is strong, can jump and wins plenty of his own ball at the contest and away from it.
LIVE TRADING HYPOTHETICAL
If the Crows package up picks 22 and 23, would there be a club willing to part with a mid-first-round selection?
It might deliver the key-position prospect and midfield speed and class Adelaide craves.