Highly-touted forward/ruckman Peter Wright an outside chance to fall to Crows at pick 14

A PLAYER long touted as a top-five draft selection is an outside chance to gleefully fall into Adelaide’s lap on Thursday night.

Peter Wright are both in the frame to be selected at the AFL draft later this month. Please meet them at Moonee Valley football club, which was Peter's junior club. Picture: David Smith

A player long touted as a top-five draft selection is an outside chance to gleefully fall into Adelaide’s lap on Thursday night.

There is increasing speculation gun Victorian key forward/ruckman Peter Wright could be one of this year’s big draft sliders — similar to Croweater Brodie Grundy two years ago — and be available to the Crows with their first selection at No. 14.

The towering 203cm Wright has been rated by AFL talent manager and draft expert Kevin Sheehan as one of the best four players in the draft, along with midfielders Christian Petracca and Angus Brayshaw and key forward Patrick McCartin.

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But it has been reported that most clubs who have a pick before Adelaide are eyeing other players, although Greater Western Sydney — with selections four, six and seven — would find it tough to overlook Wright, who has battled fitness issues and has questions over his contested marking.

The Crows have three key draft needs — a key defender, an outside midfield runner and another ruckman/forward, where Wright, 18, fits the bill.

Adelaide football head David Noble said his club rates Wright very highly and would find him hard to pass him up at 14.

But while describing this year’s draft order as one of the hardest ever to assess, he believes Wright’s name will be erased from the board when the Crows’ first pick arrives.

“I think it’s a low percentage that he’ll fall to us,’’ Noble said.

“It’s an incredibly difficult draft to predict, probably the hardest ever, but a 203cm key forward who can play in the ruck, he’d be hard to let go.

“If you look at the clubs that pick above us, there would be three or four who could do with that style of player. So I think it would be a low percentage that he gets to us.

“But it is that sort of draft where it’s tough to know exactly how it’s going to pan out.’’

Noble described Thursday’s draft on the Gold Coast as “an opportunists draft’’, given the evenness of the draft pool.

“And that’s why we were comfortable to move from (pick) 10 to 14 because of the evenness and unpredictability this year,’’ he said.

“We think there will be some talls there, some good talent there, but as to which ones they are it’s hard to judge at this point.’’

Originally published as Highly-touted forward/ruckman Peter Wright an outside chance to fall to Crows at pick 14