Adelaide star Rory Laird has found his place at top level and now focused on Crows’ flag bid

Once-shy rookie Rory Laird is now an All-Australian, Malcolm Blight medallist and a leader at the resurgent Crows. He talks to RICHARD EARLE about his rise, overcoming form woes and his side’s bid for redemption.

Triple threat: Rory Atkins, Rory Laird and Rory Sloane. Pic: Getty Images

Overwhelmed by big personalities on arrival at West Lakes, there was no hint of Rory Laird’s jump from shy rookie to a gold jacket.

“That first year took me a while to get into it,” Laird recalls.

“I was pretty quiet, a little bit nervous. You had (Patrick) Dangerfield and Bernie Vince, all these blokes you see playing growing up.

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“I was a rookie, it is just about getting your foot in the door and putting the hard work in and it can pay off.”

Seven years on, he has found his voice as a dual All‑Australian and Malcolm Blight medallist.

Laird is a world away from Adelaide expressing reservations over his 177cm stature — Eddie Betts stands 174cm — before being taken at No.5 in the 2011 rookie draft.

“It is a massive honour,” he says of his club champion and All‑Australian gongs in a year that delivered a top‑six Brownlow Medal finish.

“It is a bit of me repaying the faith. I was 17 and hadn’t played any SANFL footy and it was good for them to give me a shot at AFL.

Rory Laird had to make it the hard way. Pic: Getty Images

“I will sit down later and think it is a pretty good achievement.”

Laird remains in awe of the Crows’ pantheon of champions, from Mark Ricciuto to Andrew McLeod.

“I spoke to Mum and Dad about it. At the end of my career it will probably hit me, the extent of what a yellow jacket is,” he says. “I know there have been some awesome players and greats who wear it.”

At 25, there’s untold upside in a game style that yielded Laird 19 votes — equal to 2017 winner Dustin Martin — in last year’s Brownlow Medal count.

“I think there is plenty more for me, and that comes from helping out others, especially the leadership side of it, and fine‑tuning things in my game, my kicking, keep taking the game on,” he says.

Laird, who epitomises Adelaide’s team‑first philosophy, was distinguished by a career‑best year when teammates were consumed by a 2017 Grand Final hangover.

“If you ask anyone who loses a Grand Final, it takes a huge toll on you, it is a lot of hard work. You start from November and go to September, and to get there is a huge achievement,” he says of Adelaide’s inglorious slip from its Grand Final loss against Richmond to 12th.

Laird is bullish about the Crows’ 2019 prospects. Pic: Sarah Reed

“It has completely flipped this year with how we have bought into training, what we are doing, just the vibe and enjoyment, it comes back to that. The talent is still there. We are looking to get back on track.”

Laird recorded 40‑plus possessions in four games last season, averaged 32 a game and rated in the top 10 for rebound 50s.

He collected club champion votes in the 20 games played either side of missing Rounds 12-13 with a fractured hand.

“It is probably me knowing my limits with my kicking, being a bit more attacking coming out the backline. It is trying to find the balance of not trying to turn it over too much,” the 121‑gamer says.

“I am pretty good at hitting targets with my hand.”

The secret to consistency is embracing the unrelenting grind of an AFL season, he says.

“There are injuries, fatigue, a lot of players find it hard,” says the ground‑ball king, who is ranked No.1 for defensive-half crumbs with 71 since 2017.

“I have a structured routine that goes into getting my body as well prepared as I can be.

“It is also about finding time to stay fresh, get away from the club, I switch off pretty well. I am a massive American sport fan. Just that balancing act is what I credit for consistency.”

It took Laird until Phil Walsh’s tenure as coach in 2015 and wise words from key defender Daniel Talia for the penny to drop on the sacrifices required of elite players.

Teammate Daniel Talia helped Laird reach new heights. Pic: Sarah Reed

“I had the second‑year blues in 2014, was out of the side a bit,” recalls Laird, who has finished in Adelaide’s top three across club champion voting in three of the past four seasons.

“I latched on to a few blokes, like Daniel Talia, in terms of the recovery and process it takes to get ready for games.

“I credit a lot to Phil Walsh in 2015, the self‑confidence, letting me play in my natural position down back. From there, knock on wood, you stay consistent. The last couple of years have gone really well.”

Laird has been compared with an NFL quarterback given his innate ability to select high-percentage options but that undersells his prowess in winning the ball in

50‑50 contests.

“It helps having the game in front of you to do what I do best, which is read the ball, get positions to defend, attack and support teammates,” he says.

Laird believes Adelaide’s No.1 defence ranking by Champion Data is vindicated following the emergence of Wayne Milera and “Mr Fixit” —Tom Doedee.

Only Hawthorn’s 2018 Brownlow medallist Tom Mitchell and Crows teammate Matt Crouch have averaged more possessions over the past two years, which underlines Laird’s elite trajectory.

Rory Laird has gone from rookie to AFL star. Pic: Sarah Reed

A Crows midfield overly reliant on Matt Crouch and Rory Sloane has proved an issue for coach Don Pyke.

Laird “would” welcome more engine room time but believes he’s best used in the rebound defender role that Brownlow medallist Gavin Wanganeen redefined in Essendon’s 1993 flag.

“If they do need me to pinch‑hit I am capable,” says Laird, who soldiered on in the absence of fellow half‑back and injured best mate Brodie Smith last year.

“I have had stints in there a bit through 2017, last year for five or 10-minute bursts. We have a really good dynamic. ‘Smithy’ can play in there, Milera has played in there, Bryce Gibbs rotates through.

“If we can get blokes rotating and keep fresh numbers, it will be really beneficial, but I am happy to play a majority of time back.”

AFL rule changes to be implemented this year are tailor-made for fast movers with big motors who can cause mayhem through precision delivery if given latitude. Enter Laird.

“There are a few minor things that have been changed this year, but there is more space for forwards as well,” he says.

“I will try to build on what I did last year.”

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