Which Adelaide Crows should we pick in SuperCoach 2018?

HOW will Rory Sloane, Bryce Gibbs and Matt Crouch fit together in the new Crows midfield? Our expert assessment plus the rookie defender you need on your bench.

AFTER falling to the Tigers in the Grand Final last year, Adelaide has made some big moves in the off-season. While they lost big names like Jake Lever and Charlie Cameron, the Crows certainly had some good additions.

SuperCoach expert and Crows watcher Paul Dunn gives his thoughts on Adelaide’s best buys, best value picks and the players to avoid as the Crows look to go one step further in 2018.

BRISBANE PREVIEW: LIONS HAVE PLENTY TO OFFER

THE PHANTOM: TOP MIDFIELD PREMIUM PICKS

TOP TIPS: SUPERCOACH WINNER SHARES HIS SECRETS

PREMIUMS

Rory Sloane $605,800 mid

Sloane averaged a massive 132 across the first six weeks of last season before he started to get tagged. Apart from a 177 in Round 10 he didn’t have a great stretch until Round 18, then he came home with a flurry. He won’t be the centre of attention in the Crows midfield after the addition of Bryce Gibbs, and if he can avoid the tag he could have a brilliant season.

Bryce Gibbs scored 208 SuperCoach points against Gold Coast last year. What impact will he have on the Adelaide midfield? Picture: Tricia Watkinson

Matt Crouch $608,300 mid

Crouch had his best season yet, recording an increase on his average of 19 points on the previous season. From Round 11-17 when Sloane struggled, Crouch thrived. From Round 10-21 he didn’t drop below 100. The arrival of Gibbs means that there is now another midfielder for opponents to worry about, however, it is also another midfielder looking to get his 25-30 touches a game. We need to keep an eye on the Crows pre-season games to see exactly how Sloane, Gibbs and Crouch all fit into that midfield.

Rory Laird $550,800 def

Last season saw Laird cap off a great three-year stretch in which he has averaged over 90 in each season, culminating in an average of 100 last year. Any defender that is going to average over 90 needs to be in your side by the end of the year. With Brodie Smith missing for the season with a knee injury, Laird will be the main ball user out of the Crows defence. He is a must-have as soon as you can afford him.

Bryce Gibbs $563,000 mid

Gibbs boasts back-to-back 100 averages in his past two seasons at the Blues, but now he is at the Crows after trying to get there at the end of the 2016 season unsuccessfully. Over the past couple of years he has lifted his average disposals by four per game. At this stage it could be a wait and see on what role he plays at Adelaide and how he fits in alongside Sloane and Matt Crouch. A club change can often revitalise a player, if this is the case for Bryce, he could be in for a big season.

Sam Jacobs $526,300 ruck

His price isn’t high compared to the midfielders, but he is most certainly a premium. “Sauce” averaged 95.7 last season and he was the fifth-highest averaging ruckman. He is also very durable, not missing a game last year. Importantly, he scored over 100 four times in the last six games. He could be a good unique option for your team.

Stand out from the crowd by adding Sam Jacobs to your squad. Picture: Sarah Reed

MID-PRICE RISKS

Brad Crouch $529,100 mid

The Crows have been taking a very cautious path with Brad Crouch through the summer as they want to ensure that the injury-prone midfielder doesn’t have any issues leading into this season. He had his highest averaging season last year and he lifted his disposals by five per game. The downside was he only played 17 games. With his injury history and the fact that the 17 games last season was his best ever, he is a huge risk, but with big risk can come great reward. Buyer beware.

THE PHANTOM: LAIRD, HURLEY TOP DEFENSIVE CROP

PICK ME: IS PATRICK CRIPPS A MUST-HAVE?

Taylor Walker $473,600 fwd

The Crows skipper can have a big game for his team when they need it most, but he won’t always do the same for your SuperCoach side. While he is attractively priced, he averaged just 86 last season and had nine games in which he scored 80 or less, and two of those games were in the 20s. There are more consistent options up forward for you to choose from.

ROOKIES

Darcy Fogarty $153,300 mid-fwd

The Crows took local boy Fogarty with the 12th pick in the national draft. He is a big competitive tall forward who can also run through the midfield. He will find it tough to break into the Crows line-up, but keep an eye on his SANFL form as he may be a downgrade option if he can break into the side.

Tom Doedee $123,900 def

Doedee is highly tipped to take the spot in the defence that has been vacated by Jake Lever. He was a high draft pick for the Crows and spent last year honing his skills in the SANFL. The news coming out of West Lakes is that he is looking the goods to make his debut in 2018. If he is named in Round 1, he should be a lock for your defensive bench.

Young defender Tom Doedee should make his senior debut this year. Picture: Sarah Reed

Andrew McPherson $117,300 def

McPherson is another local player for the Crows and is a medium defender. With Smith out for the year, another injury to that Crows backline could see him a chance to debut during the year, but unless he is named he should be a pass for you for now.

NO-GO ZONE

Brodie Smith $452,100 def

As mentioned above, Brodie ruptured his ACL in the Crows qualifying final win over the Giants and he will miss the entire season.

Hugh Greenwood $465.000 mid

Greenwood was great for us last season as a rookie priced player, but this season he has lost his forward status and is also very awkwardly priced at $465k. He is far too risky to select at that price point. Stay clear.

ADELAIDE’S BEST 22

B: Kyle Hartigan, Daniel Talia, Luke Brown

HB: Rory Laird, Tom Doedee, Jake Kelly

C: David MacKay, Matt Crouch, Brad Crouch

HF: Tom Lynch, Taylor Walker, Richard Douglas

F: Mitch McGovern, Josh Jenkins, Eddie Betts

R: Sam Jacobs, Rory Sloane, Bryce Gibbs

Int: Hugh Greenwood, Paul Seedsman, Andy Otten, Riley Knight

Follow Dunny on Twitter at @pkd73

Originally published as Which Adelaide Crows should we pick in SuperCoach 2018?