Adelaide Crows unlikely to sign Darren Burgess, but looking set to land ex-Port Adelaide physio Tim Parham
Adelaide is looking less likely to pry former Port Adelaide fitness boss Darren Burgess from Melbourne – but the Crows are a big chance of landing the ex-Power guru’s high-performance protégé.
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Adelaide is unlikely to secure ex-Port Adelaide fitness boss Darren Burgess but is closing in on his former right-hand man, Tim Parham.
Parham, a physiotherapist, worked as a head of rehabilitation alongside Burgess at the Power and English Premier League soccer giant Arsenal, but parted ways with the Gunners in September.
Both of them know Crows coach Matthew Nicks from their time at Port Adelaide, working together there from 2014-17.
Adelaide has been in talks with Burgess about him joining from Melbourne, where he has spent the past 12 months, and he is keen to return to SA for family reasons.
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But he is contracted for another two seasons with the Demons and is expected to stay there.
Coming off its first wooden spoon, Adelaide has made no secret that it will use the off-season to target personnel departing other clubs who it believes can improve its program.
Burgess had two stints with Port Adelaide – from October 2004 to January 2008 then again from October 2012 to June 2017 – and was a key figure in the Power’s rise from struggler to finalist from 2012-14, using pre-seasons in searing Dubai heat to turn them into one of the AFL’s best last-quarter sides.
This year he was credited as influential to Melbourne duo Christian Petracca and Steven May’s career-best campaigns.
If Adelaide did appoint Burgess, it would bring into question the future of Crows head of performance Matt Hass.
Hass has been in his role since October 2016, including for the 2017 grand final tilt.
Parham was a video editing assistant with the Crows from 2009-11, before a three-year stint at GWS as its rehabilitation physiotherapist.
He was with Port Adelaide from November 2014 to August 2018 then spent two years with Arsenal.
Parham’s pending arrival comes as Crows science and medical services co-ordinator Steve Saunders is tipped to join Geelong.
WHY BALME REJECTED ‘GODFATHER’ ROLE AT CROWS
Neil Balme has knocked back an appealing approach from Adelaide, turning his back on an offer to serve as “godfather” of the Crows’ football department.
The Richmond senior club advisor has been highly-sought this season and said he had seriously considered shifting back to Adelaide, where he coached in the SANFL following his playing career.
But the 68-year-old has declared he will stay at Punt Road, where he has worked since late 2016.
“I’ve had a bit of an unusual medical condition and I’ve been told that I shouldn’t think about doing anything,” Balme said on SEN on Friday morning.
“I’m going to genuinely stay at the Tigers over the next couple of years.
“I’m really pleased that I’m able to say that and really pleased that that’s going to happen.”
His comments came as it emerged the Crows are in talks to lure ex-Port Adelaide fitness boss Darren Burgess to West Lakes.
The Crows and Port Adelaide are also assessing their interest in speedy Essendon forward Orazio Fantasia, who this week passed his first round of independent medical tests as he considers requesting a trade from the Bombers.
Adelaide had offered Balme a senior role overseeing its football department.
But while the former senior coach, who has been at Richmond since late 2016, said he “took it seriously” in the wake of COVID-19 and its effect on the industry, he had elected to turn his back and stay at Punt Road.
“I took it seriously because things have changed in footy,” Balme said.
“The whole COVID thing has changed everything so you’ve got to at least think about it all.
“As you know I was in Adelaide for a long time and my wife’s from Adelaide, I’ve got lots of mates in Adelaide so I seriously considered the proposition but I’m not going to do it.
“I think as much as anything else it was a sort of ‘godfather’ of the footy department.
“Just to help them with a significant amount of decision making in different areas. Obviously I’ve had experience in all those areas and they were hoping I could at least help them, that was the thinking.
“But I’m not going to be able to do it sadly.”
DONS EXPECT FANTASIA TO RETURN TO ADELAIDE
Essendon general manager of football Dan Richardson says he won’t be surprised if Orazio Fantasia requests a trade home to South Australia.
Fantasia was heavily linked to Port Adelaide during last year’s trade period before the Norwood product recommitted to Essendon for 2020.
But following Joe Daniher and Adam Saad’s decisions to seek moves away from Essendon, the 25-year-old is expected to be the next to ask for a Bombers departure.
Richardson said if Fantasia did ask for a trade with a year remaining on his deal at the Bombers it would not come as a surprise to him.
“He hasn’t requested a trade, he has expressed periods of homesickness and he does have a very close connection family wise in Adelaide,” he said on SEN.
“If there was a request forthcoming I don’t think it would be a surprise but we will cross that bridge when we come to it and work through that.”
Both Adelaide and Port Adelaide are maintaining an interest in Fantasia, but are not all-in on his recruitment this off-season.
The Crows would be interested if a suitable deal with the Bombers could be negotiated while Power general manager of football Chris Davies said Port were waiting to find out if Fantasia would seek a move to SA.
The Advertiser has reported Fantasia passed his first round of independent medical tests in an attempt to ease concerns about his injury record in the past couple of years.
The quad injury that ruined his season and surgeries on his knee and hip over the 2019-20 off-season were both assessed and handed to Adelaide and the Power.
The Advertiser understands the clubs believe there is nothing physically stopping him from becoming the small forward that kicked 39 goals in 2017.
It is expected he will have more tests to give those clubs full confidence if he does eventually declare his hand.
On Tuesday young GWS Giants midfielder Jackson Hately declared his intention of joining the Crows this trade period.
If a deal cannot be agreed between the two clubs then the young big-bodied midfielder could be selected by the Crows with the first pick of the pre-season draft.
GIANTS MIDFIELDER REQUESTS TRADE TO CROWS
Out-of-contract GWS midfielder Jackson Hately has requested a homecoming trade to Adelaide in search of more opportunities.
The Crows were among several clubs pursuing the Central District product this season and the Giants on Tuesday confirmed his desire to return to SA.
Hately was limited to 13 games in his two years at GWS after being selected with pick 14 in the 2018 national draft.
Hately is the third Giant to request a move this off-season following free agents Zac Williams and Aidan Corr.
He had been assessing his options but opted to reunite at the Crows with Matthew Nicks, who was a senior assistant at the Giants last year.
Hately’s manager David Trotter told The Advertiser the 19-year-old had hoped to have played more at the Giants but understood there was a long queue of inside midfielders at the club.
“For Jacko it was simply around the opportunity,” Trotter said.
“Being around family and friends is a part of it, but it’s a footy decision.
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“He really liked it at the Giants, liked the club, liked the environment, he just feels for his footy development the best opportunities for him to play more of a midfield role will be back at the Crows.
“It helps when you’ve got a relationship with the coach and being a South Australian, there’s a few factors that weighed into the decision.”
GWS football general manager Jason McCartney said the club would investigate its trade options.
The Crows have been contacted for comment.
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