AFL draft 2015: Adelaide Crows to zero in on teenage guns after successful trade period

ARMED with two first-round picks for the first time in its 25-year history, Adelaide will take a best-player-available philosophy into Tuesday’s national draft where it hopes to land a pair of 200-game gems.

TAC Cup: Sandringham Dragons v NSW/ACT Rams at Trevor Barker Oval , Sandringham. Dragons #6 Harley Balic. Picture: Chris Eastman

ARMED with two first-round picks for the first time in its 25-year history, Adelaide will take a best-player-available philosophy into Tuesday’s national draft where it hopes to land a pair of 200-game gems.

The Crows are confident they addressed their positional needs in a busy trade period last month when after losing superstar Patrick Dangerfield to Geelong they signed Carlton forward Troy Menzel, hardrunning utilities Paul Seedsman (Collingwood) and Curtly Hampton (GWS) and promising midfielder Dean Gore (Cats).

With holes filled they are now focused on securing two young guns who can become next-generation stars.

Adelaide has picks nine — its third-highest selection ever — and 13 in a draft pool which is as strong as ever at the top but drops markedly in talent in the late teens.

After being robbed of first and second-round draft picks in 2012 and 2013 because of the Kurt Tippett sanctions the Crows are viewing their top-end picks in this draft — to be held at Adelaide Convention Centre — as a chance to set up their playing list for the next decade.

“The fact that we were able to execute our trades so well and cover the needs we felt we had on our list in the trade period enables us to complete the last part of our strategy, which is to take the best talent available at the draft,’’ Adelaide head of football David Noble said, adding the Crows chased speed and good kicking skills in the exchange period.

“To have two picks in the first round is really exciting for our footy club and we’ve put ourselves in a position to draft purely around talent, rather than concern ourselves with needs.’’

The Crows have just two “live’’ draft picks with their third selection (No. 71) to be used on promoting defender Jake Kelly from the rookie list.

Adelaide will enter the draft with a shortlist of 20 players, knowing it could be pushed back three or four positions in the draft order because of expected bids on academy players.

But the Crows, who have not ruled out making their own bid on an academy prospect, will still get first crack at the ninth and 13th-ranked non-academy players.

Noble described the first-round talent level as “really strong’’.

But it appears so even from picks nine to 18 that Adelaide has been linked with a host of players, including the three top-ranked Croweaters, West Adelaide key defender Aaron Francis, North Adelaide key forward Ryan Burton, on the comeback trail from an horrific leg injury, and Central District small forward/midfielder Wayne Milera.

Victorians Harley Balic, Rhys Mathieson and Jade Gresham (all midfielders), half-back Darcy Tucker and key position players Harry and Ben McKay also are said to be on the Crows’ radar.

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Originally published as AFL draft 2015: Adelaide Crows to zero in on teenage guns after successful trade period