Son-of-a-gun Jackson Edwards has finally become a Crow
UPDATE: ALL 18 AFL clubs have passed on the pre-season draft, paving the way for Jackson Edwards to become the Crows’ second father-son selection.
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JACKSON Edwards’ long and agonising wait to become a Crow is over.
The AFL said on Monday there would be no pre-season draft after all clubs declined to participate. That means son of a gun Jackson Edwards automatically will join his cousin Ben Jarman in being a father-son pick at Adelaide.
While the Crows rolled the dice on the son of 321-game club great Tyson Edwards by not selecting him in Friday’s national draft, they have strategically played their cards well.
When the Crows officially lodge paperwork to take him as a rookie, Jackson automatically becomes their player.
Hometown rival Port Adelaide had publicly expressed interest in Edwards in the lead-up to the national draft but opted for five other players, four kids and mature-age Glenelg speedster Dom Barry.
This left Adelaide in pole position to claim the left-footer, renowned as being super-professional in his approach to the game. List analyst and four-time Hawthorn premiership forward Gary Buckenara says he was shocked that Edwards slipped through the main draft, where the Crows hit paydirt by getting gun South Australians Darcy Fogarty and Andrew McPherson at picks 12 and 40 respectively.
Adelaide national recruiting manager Hamish Ogilvie denied his club had taken a punt on Edwards slipping through to the rookie draft.
“We don't make those decisions lightly and we don’t make them without information. We’ve still got to get through the pre-season draft, if there is one, but it’s not a fluke that we could be in a position to get him. There’s a lot of work (recruiting intelligence) and a lot of hard conversations that have to go into that, but we're not there yet.
“Let’s get through the pre-season draft and we’ll see how we go, but we certainly didn't make the decision (to overlook him at the national draft) without any information.’’
Buckenara described Edwards, who played SANFL football for Glenelg this year and is a nice size at 186cm, as having good skills and being a good decision-maker.
The major query on Edwards is his lack of pace, but there are plenty of outstanding slow midfielders in the AFL.
Adelaide also has committed to redrafting Cam Ellis-Yolmen as a rookie after it delisted him at the end of the season following a knee reconstruction that cost him his entire 2017 campaign.
Ellis-Yolmen, 24, has played 14 games for the Crows since being recruited in 2011.
The Power will add to its collection of experienced talent when it secures North Melbourne small forward Lindsay Thomas today.
It has made a commitment to him after he left the Kangaroos with a year to go on his contract after kicking 325 goals in 205 games.
Port also has been linked to delisted 27-game Lion Michael Close, 23.
andrew.capel@news.com.au
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