AFL Draft 2020: Adelaide Crows ‘open-minded’ on trading the club’s first ever No. 1 pick, Academy prospect James Borlase in the dark
Will the Crows take James Borlase in the draft? The Academy prospect himself isn’t even sure. It comes as list boss Justin Reid discusses trading the prized first selection.
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James Borlase barracks for Port Adelaide but models his game on Adelaide full back Daniel Talia and is no closer to knowing whether the Crows will take him with their priority access in next month’s national draft.
The son of Port Adelaide Magpies great Darryl, Borlase does not qualify under the father/son rule with the Power and is instead zoned to Adelaide as a next generation academy prospect because he was born in Egypt.
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Borlase told FIVEaa he had spoken to the Crows twice in the lead up to the December 7 draft but they have given the Sturt and Prince Alfred College defender no assurances they will match a bid for him if it comes.
“I’ve had a couple of interviews with them and they haven’t given away too much at this stage,” Borlase said this week.
“I think they’re waiting for the trade period to end and the salary cap and list sizes to be finalised, after that we’ll get more knowledge of whether they want you or not, but at this stage we’re just waiting.”
Borlase said his parents didn’t have a preference for where he played if it means he gets an opportunity at the top level.
“I think they’re just happy to see me chasing my dream of playing AFL and hopefully get an opportunity at whichever club it is,” he said.
“He (dad) thinks it’s pretty interesting but has really supported me this year and everything that’s come with it.
“I’m a Port Adelaide supporter, I think dad would kick me out of the house if I supported anyone else as a youngster.
“I can play at both ends of the ground but prefer playing in defence, I think I play a mix of Daniel Talia who can lock down and also a bit of (Jeremy) McGovern who can intercept, I feel I have a good balance of the two.
“I’ve been pretty happy (this season) playing with some fully grown men at Sturt as well as with my mates at school, it’s been a good balance I feel.”
reece.homfray@news.com.au
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Could the Crows trade the No. 1 pick?
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Adelaide has not ruled out trading the first pick one in its history for a “godfather offer”, saying it is unlikely to part with the selection but the club needs to remain open-minded.
The Crows will enter next month’s draft with their strongest ever hand, led by the opening call, as well as the ninth, 22nd, 23rd and 40th choices, and have never chosen before pick six.
They are expected to take either West Adelaide forward/ruckman Riley Thilthorpe, Perth spearhead Logan McDonald or Murray Bushrangers midfielder Elijah Hollands at one, but list manager Justin Reid says the club will consider rivals’ packages for the top selection.
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Teams can deal picks from Saturday until the Monday before the draft and on the night itself.
“I think it’d be unlikely (to be traded) but if there’s a godfather offer … you always have to listen,” Reid said.
“You’ve always got to be open-minded.”
Reid would not reveal who the club was eyeing with its first pick but said bidding on Western Bulldogs Next Generation Academy prospect Jamarra Ugle-Hagan was a “real possibility” and three or four players were in the mix.
He said the club was also open-minded about trading some of its other selections to move up the order this year or improve its hand in 2021.
Adelaide tried to trade pick 40 for GWS midfielder Jackson Hately but discussions fell through.
Giants football boss Jason McCartney criticised the Crows for their offer, saying clubs had to do what was right for themselves but should do it in a “respectful manner”and pick 40 was “far off the mark”.
Reid said although the Crows went into negotiations with the Giants “with good faith” and spoke “five or six times” on Thursday, they ran out of time as GWS completed deals for Jeremy Cameron (Geelong) and Jye Caldwell (Essendon).
Hately, the 14th pick in 2018, will now join Adelaide via next month’s pre-season draft.
“We were really respectful in the process and we don’t shy away from how we went about our business,” Reid said.
“You don’t go in with that intent to walk someone (to the pre-season draft) and that was never our desire.
“We certainly felt firm on what we thought the value was and obviously GWS thought otherwise.
“(Hately) is a great individual with character and leadership, and will add some depth through the midfield.”
Adelaide opened up list spots on Friday by delisting Jordan Gallucci, Myles Poholke and Ben Crocker.
Half-forward Gallucci was drafted at pick 15 in 2016 but lined up in just 27 games for the club and had a season-ending achilles injury this year.
Midfielder Poholke, who was taken with the 44th selection in the same draft, featured in 16 matches, while ex-Collingwood forward Crocker added seven to his career tally in his sole campaign at the Crows.
Veteran David Mackay has re-signed on another one-year deal, which Reid said was a reward for the 32-year-old’s influence on younger teammates and his performances in recent seasons.
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Crows answer big question on Matt Crouch’s future
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One has left so what now for the younger of the Crouch brothers?
After first looking at a move away from Adelaide in 2019, a year later Brad Crouch sealed a “no-brainer” move to St Kilda on the long-term deal he craved.
And after copping it from fans for not following through with their vow to match any Saints offer that did not trigger Pick 2 in compensation for the 2019 Club Champion the questions are set to come again for the Crows about whether a Crouch will fly the nest at West Lakes and should Adelaide keep him with Matt’s contract expiring at the end of 2021.
These questions around the younger Crouch have popped up before, largely from pundits commenting on the Crows fall from grace since the 2017 Grand Final.
And while it is early days the Crows seem to like the idea of Matt Crouch sticking around at West Lakes.
His manager, Alex McDonald who used to represent Brad, and the club have started talks around his future at the club post 2021.
Adelaide’s priority is getting through the upcoming draft period with the best hand in its history as the Crows continue the rebuild, so the chats are preliminary in nature and no offer has been tabled to Crouch’s representatives.
But The Advertiser has been told the club is keen to progress talks with 2017 Club Champion after a mixed 2020 for the former All-Australian.
A member of the leadership group under Matthew Nicks, Matt was dropped by the rookie senior coach for Round 4 and then copped some serious heat from AFL greats Nick Riewoldt and Jason Dunstall for what they said looked to be a perceived desire to just get touches of the ball rather than impact games.
But key figures at the Crows were pleased with how Crouch responded to this criticism and finished this season as Adelaide’s engine-room, so often pummelled in 2020, roared into action and Nicks’ side was able to win three games in a row.
They have also been impressed with the 25-year-old’s leadership in the midfield.
Crows list manager Justin Reid said as much on SEN SA on Friday in the wake of the trade period.
“Matt is in our leadership group so we would love Matt to extend out (his contract),” Reid said.
“What he has been able to bring to the group this year, he got dropped earlier this year but the way he was able to come back from that and the footy he played in the back-half of the year.
“I was that proud of Matt of how he handled that and worked through that, he is part of our future and he is aware of that so we will continue to work on that with Matt.
“We would certainly look to extend out and from the conversations I’ve had with Matt and his manager that is certainly the trend where it is heading.”
And while there is just over a year between the ages of Brad and Matt, the younger Crouch’s durability also makes him a more appealing player to keep from a Crows’ perspective in the rebuild.
Since he came to the club with the 23rd pick – interestingly the compensation the club has received for Brad this year – of the 2013 Draft, Matt has played 125 games and before 2020s shortened season had not played less than 17 games since his second year at Adelaide.
Brad on the other hand has played 95 games for the Crows and has missed two seasons altogether through injury, with questions coming regarding his durability since it emerged he was after a five-year deal.
In September former Crows senior assistant Scott Camporeale said on ABC Grandstand this would make keeping Matt around at West Lakes more appealing.
“If it was Matt who is a bit younger and has consistently played footy at a high level and still has plenty of years in him and been robust – since he’s come in he’s hardly missed a game – he would be different (to whether the Crows should keep Brad),” he said.
Camporeale also said the two Crouch brothers played better together, one of the key ammunitions for arguments as to why the Crows may have wanted to package them up together.
Both Crouch brothers have said while they love playing together, it doesn’t define them as players.
In February Matt himself said “I don’t think we are a package, we are individuals”, and after Brad’s move to St Kilda was finalised he posted on his Instagram while he will miss having his brother at West Lakes it was time “to go head to head”.
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While in his final interview on his regular spot on FIVEaa in Adelaide, Brad said the Crouch family were going to enter unknown territory.
“It will be interesting, it’s pretty hard because mum and dad are a bit split as well,” he said.
“But we have been lucky to play together for so long, which has been an awesome experience and mum and dad will cherish that forever.
“It has never really happened (him and Matt playing against each other).”
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