Adelaide Crows will need a new long-term injury to keep defender Alex Keath in AFL finals frame
ADELAIDE Crows defender Alex Keath is another surprise from the club’s rookie list. But his tenure on the AFL senior list is at risk as Curtly Hampton returns to action.
ADELAIDE’S phenomenal success with the rookie list is creating a dilemma - how to keep code-hopping defender Alex Keath on the Crows senior panel for next month’s AFL finals.
Keath must return to Adelaide’s rookie list - and be ineligible for AFL selection - once defender-midfielder Curtly Hampton returns to action in the next week from a long-term ankle injury.
And there is no doubt top-ranked Adelaide wants all three of its upgraded rookies - Keath, midfielder Hugh Greenwood and forward Jon Beech - on its AFL whiteboard through next month’s promising finals campaign.
Beech, 26, is assured as he was Adelaide’s mid-season nomination for an upgrade from the rookie list for the rest of the AFL season.
Greenwood, 25, will stay on the senior list as the replacement of midfielder Cam Ellis-Yolmen who is recuperating from a season-ending knee injury.
Keath, 25, can only keep his AFL spot if there is a new long-term injury at West Lakes. The emerging option is with key position player Elliott Himmelberg. He is troubled by a serious foot injury that could become classed a long-term injury that requires at least eight weeks to treat.
The need to find a player to replace Hampton on Adelaide’s current long-term injury list is more pressing by the compelling form offered by former first-class cricketer Keath in his four AFL games.
Crows senior assistant Scott Camporeale has emphasised the need to keep Keath on Adelaide’s senior list to work in the defensive system with Daniel Talia, Jake Lever and Jake Kelly.
“He’s a competitor Keathy,” Camporeale said. “He doesn’t want to give his spot up for anyone.
“So I wouldn’t say he’s surprised anyone in terms of what he’s done, but he’s certainly cemented his spot in that back six there and given us a different look as well.
“It’s a great story, these guys are hungry, they want to play in a finals team and hopefully a premiership team,” added Camporeale as the top-ranked Crows prepare to deal with Sydney’s revived attack led by Lance Franklin in Friday Night Football at Adelaide Oval.
Keath was the third rookie the Crows upgraded this season. Adelaide’s SANFL co-captain had his call-up to the AFL list in mid-July forced by injury to the Crows’ key defenders - Lever and Kyle Hartigan, both with hamstring issues - in the lead-up to the home clash with Geelong.
Keath has strengthened his status in Adelaide defence in each of his four AFL games against the Cats, Collingwood, Port Adelaide and Essendon.
Adelaide senior coach Don Pyke has recognised Keath offers “some speed and some competitive spirit that we like”.
Originally drafted by Gold Coast in 2009, Keath was ushered to the Crows’ rookie list - as a “Category B” rookie - last year because he had not been registered in any Australian competition for three years.
Keath had spent that time chasing his other sporting option with cricket as an all-rounder from 2010. This included seven first-class games and 16 one-day domestic games for Victoria and five games for the Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League before moving to the Adelaide Strikers and grade cricket club Prospect.
Keath’s AFL debut last month marked the first time a first-class cricketer had played top-level Australian football since 2002 with Craig Bradley at Carlton.
ROOKIE DILEMMA
UPGRADED rookie defender Alex Keath must fall off Adelaide’s senior AFL list when Curtly Hampton returns to action from a long-term ankle injury.
HOW Crows have used the rookie system this season.
LOST Cam Ellis-Yolmen (knee) on March 16
REPLACED by Jon Beech on April 13
LOST Ben Davis (foot) on March 30
REPLACED by Hugh Greenwood on May 11
LOST Curtly Hampton (ankle) on June 8
REPLACED by Alex Keath on July 18
UPGRADED Beech to senior list as mid-season upgrade on July 20
REPLACE Ellis-Yolmen with Greenwood