Sauce runs out: Veteran ruckman Sam Jacobs parts ways with Adelaide Crows
Veteran ruckman Sam Jacobs has officially walked out on Adelaide with the fan favourite and free agent hoping to extend his career at a third - or his first - AFL club.
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Ace ruckman Sam Jacobs has officially quit the Adelaide Football Club and appears headed for the land of the Giants.
The 31-year-old veteran of 201 games told the Crows on Friday of his decision to exercise his free-agency rights.
Jacobs is a restricted free agent and has been courted by Greater Western Sydney and his former club Carlton.
It is understood he will join the ruck-starved Giants, who have offered him a two-year deal.
Adelaide, where Jacobs played 184 games in nine years from 2011-19 after starting his career with the Blues, is understood to have offered him only a one-year contract, with incentives, to stay.
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GWS needs a premier ruckman to support a star-studded midfield, with veteran Shane Mumford, 33, having struggled this year and his sidekick Dawson Simpson retiring at the end of the season.
One of the club’s best young ruckmen, Matthew Flynn, will be sidelined until halfway through next season after undergoing a knee reconstruction.
Jacobs, from the Yorke Peninsula town of Ardrossan, told Adelaide it was an “extremely difficult” decision to leave but that the decision to move interstate had been made in the best interests of his family.
After early-season knee surgery, he struggled to get back into the Crows line-up this year because of the emergence of his understudy Reilly O’Brien.
“It was always a childhood dream to play for the Adelaide Crows and to make that a reality is an achievement I will always be proud of,” Jacobs said.
“We didn’t achieve the ultimate success but the relationships and friendships I have made will last a lifetime.
“After a couple of weeks of really open discussions with the club, I have decided it would be best for my family and career to exercise my free agent options.
“I do this with a heavy heart as I love the club, it was an extremely difficult decision to make.”
The popular Jacobs is a triple All-Australian nominee — in 2012, 2014 and 2017 — but never made the final, star-studded team.
He played in a pre-season premiership with the Crows in 2012.
Adelaide general manager of list management and strategy Justin Reid paid tribute to Jacobs’ ruck craft, durability and team-first approach.
“Sam has carried our ruck duties for a number of years and his ability to play big minutes and perform to a high level has made him one of the league’s most consistent big men over the past decade,” Reid told the club’s website.
“He is not only a talented footballer but a quality individual who has always been a popular teammate, as well as a fan favourite since the day he arrived.
“Sam shows a genuine care for others and he will always be part of the Crows family and we wish him, (wife) Izzy and (daughter) Imogen the very best for their next adventure.”
The AFL’s free agency period commences on October 4.
Jacobs’ departure follows the culling of fellow veteran Richard Douglas and retirement of Andy Otten while the futures of Alex Keath, Eddie Betts and Hugh Greenwood, who are mulling offers from rivals, and Cam Ellis-Yolmen remain in limbo.
Originally published as Sauce runs out: Veteran ruckman Sam Jacobs parts ways with Adelaide Crows
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