AFL 2021: Wayne Milera hits pre-season track for Adelaide Crows

Some eyebrows raised when Adelaide signed Wayne Milera to a five-year deal. Now injury-free, the Crow has tongues wagging on the pre-season track.

Wayne Milera has returned to full training at the Crows for the first time this pre-season, as he makes his way back from the foot problems that kept him to just two games in 2020.

The 23-year-old underwent surgery for a stress fracture mid-year and was in a moon boot at Adelaide’s best and fairest in September.

Milera had a delayed start to pre-season but rejoined training on Thursday.

Crows midfield coach Nathan van Berlo told FIVEaa the sky was the limit for the half-back flanker, who signed a five-year deal 60 games into his career last February.

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Wayne Milera is back on the pre-season track and has the Crows excited. Picture: NCA NewsWire

“He’s quick, can run all day and has got good skills, so a mean combination,” van Berlo said.

“It would be just great to see him have a good run at it.

“He can play halfback, half-forward and he adds a really different dynamic through the midfield as well, so I’ll certainly be trying to steal him if I can.

“He’s put on a bit of size now too, so he’s not so lightly framed.

“Hopefully Wayne can keep building because he’s got a lot of talent and he’s got a lot to offer.”

Adelaide drafted Milera from Central District with pick 11 in the 2015 national draft.

His most recent match was the Crows’ Showdown loss in Round 2.

Brodie Smith is sticking with the Crows. Picture Sarah Reed

HAPPY BIRTHDAY … I’VE RE-SIGNED: CROW’S CLASSIC ANNOUNCEMENT

Fresh off inking a new two-year deal, Harry Schoenberg is not only a face of the Crows’ emerging on-ball brigade but Matthew Nicks’s emphasis on putting others first.

Adelaide’s media release on Thursday announcing the 19-year-old midfielder had re-signed until the end of 2023 included list manager Justin Reid saying Schoenberg “lives the team’s mantra of prioritising others”.

And it was while in a role befitting that sentiment that Schoenberg told teammates of his contract news.

“I’m the birthday man so when there’s a birthday (in the team) I stand up in front of the boys and do a little speech and sing happy birthday,” said Schoenberg, on the day Brodie Smith turned 29 and Chayce Jones reached 21.

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Harry Schoenberg has had a promising start at the Crows. Picture: James Elsby/AFL Photos via Getty Images

“After Nicksy said ‘is there anything else you have to tell the boys, Harry?

“So I got round all the boys and said it and they were pretty happy.”

Drafted with pick 24 in 2019, Schoenberg made his debut last year when Adelaide was 0-9 and played the final eight games, as the club claimed its first wooden spoon but won three of its last four matches.

Milestone birthdays. Significant signings.

The moment Schonny told the boys he'd be staying at West Lakes 🤩🙌🎉#weflyasone pic.twitter.com/LQeYxPROmw

— Adelaide Crows (@Adelaide_FC) January 14, 2021

He said the team’s growth – on and off the field – was a major factor behind choosing to re-sign.

“We’re really close as a group this year,” he said.

“I think that started in the off-season – heaps of the boys stayed around in Adelaide and we all trained really hard together.

“There’s a lot more younger blokes in between that 18-to-25 mark and I think we’re all connecting well.”

Also in that age bracket is Jackson Hately, who will help fill Brad Couch’s void after joining the Crows from GWS via December’s pre-season draft.

Welcome to the big time Harry Schoenberg 🙌#ColesGoals | #AFLCrowsCats pic.twitter.com/CRfEe1nPYo

— AFL (@AFL) August 23, 2020

Schoenberg said he had not thought about who would be in the Crows’ best 22 come Round 1 but expected to share an inside midfield spot with Hately this year.

“I think there’s a bit of competition between me and Hately,” he said.

“Hately’s a really good player and I think we’ll both share that position.

“I’ll probably go a little half-forward as well and even on the outside.

Slimmed down but with more muscle, Schoenberg spent part of his off-season helping his dad on the family farm in Marrabel and on River Murray near Waikerie.

The Woodville-West Torrens product said he and his manager had been in contract discussions with the Crows since before Christmas.

“As soon as they came to me, I was more than happy to put pen to paper,” he said.

Smith hopes out-of-contract Crows will follow his lead

Brodie Smith hopes re-signing at Adelaide for another three years will spark some of his soon to be out-of-contract teammates to also recommit to the Crows.

And he is optimistic the club’s exciting batch of youngsters can get it back to finals before his new deal expires after three seasons outside the top eight.

The 28-year-old, who is a member of the Crows’ leadership group, has inked a new deal at West Lakes which should make him a one-club player for Adelaide.

Now that Smith, who was selected by the Crows with pick No. 14 in the 2010 draft, is locked away, Adelaide fans will be hoping for some of his teammates to follow suit.

The Crows now have 24 players whose contracts expire at the end of this season, including captain in waiting Tom Doedee, prolific ball-winning midfielder Matt Crouch, runner up in the 2020 club champion award Rory Laird, the man who beat him to the Malcolm Blight Medal Reilly O’Brien and young fan favourite Darcy Fogarty.

Brodie Smith has signed a contract extension with the Crows. Picture: Sarah Reed

No. 6 pick in the 2019 draft Fischer McAsey, 2020 Mark Bickley Award winner Andrew McPherson, exciting midfield prospect Harry Schoenberg, and veterans Taylor Walker, Daniel Talia and Tom Lynch are also out of contract following the 2021 season.

Smith, who recently changed agents from former Crow Michael Doughty to Garry Winter – the manager of ex-Adelaide stars Brad Crouch and Eddie Betts – said he hoped his signature would spark a flurry of recommitments at West Lakes.

“I hope I put the pressure on them now, we are talking to those boys,” he said.

“There are some guys there that we are really keen to lockdown and I know they are in a similar boat to me, they really love the footy club and what the young guys are bringing to the club now.”

It is two of the young guns in particular, Lachie Sholl and Will Hamill, that Smith has high hopes for as the Crows plot a path back up the ladder.

“I’m extremely optimistic (if the Crows can return to finals before the end of 2024), that’s why I signed on,” he said.

“The culture we have and how we responded last year gives me real confidence that this group has what it takes.

“(I have) no expectation on when that will happen but over the next three to four years I’m really confident we can be really successful.

“I want to help Lachie Sholl and Will Hamill become All-Australian players.”

Smith also said Lachie Gollant putting 10 kgs onto his frame over the off-season was another confidence-booster for him.

Smith has missed just one game over the past two seasons after an ACL injury, finishing in the top six in the Crows’ club champion count in 2019 and 2020.

He did start the 2020 season in the midfield, after pre-seasons of trying to convince coaches, but was then sent down to halfback which allowed Laird to shine on the ball.

“Laird didn’t take my spot, I needed to go back to halfback to help out,” Smith said.

SHOLL BACKS UP SKIPPER’S HYPE

– Reece Homfray

Captain Rory Sloane talked him up then Lachlan Sholl backed it up by winning Adelaide’s 2km time trial on Saturday.

Just days after Sloane said the Crows were all chasing Sholl’s shadow at training, the emerging defender showed another glimpse of his continued development with a stellar run around the North Adelaide parklands.

The Crows ran in groups and when times were calculated Sholl led all-comers from Ben Keays, Chayce Jones, Jake Kelly and Rory Laird.

No.2 draft pick Riley Thilthorpe won the forwards group while second-year defender Fischer McAsey had a nasty fall towards the end of his run but avoided injury.

All eyes were on Sholl who debuted in Round 10 and played eight games last year, impressing with his ball use off halfback and on the wing, and who is now determined to go on with it in 2021.

“At the end of the day it’s very much a personal thing and everyone is out to beat themselves and a lot of guys did that which is great,” Sholl said after the time trial.

“I’ve put more of a focus on putting on good weight, eating a little bit better, I gained weight last year but came back I thought a bit fluffy and early on it impacted my running.

“So this time I’ve made a bit more of a focus on making sure I’m eating right and I certainly feel better.”

Lachlan Sholl (centre) won the Crows' 2km time trial at the Uni Loop parklands. Picture: Supplied.

The 20-year-old Victorian said border closures had been a “blessing in disguise” for the young team because a lot of interstate players stayed in Adelaide and did a block of training together pre-Christmas.

“We were able to get a lot out of that and pushing each other because it’s a lot better when you’re running with mates as opposed to by yourself,” he said.

“That was a big group of young guys with a mix of older guys who are fantastic for us.”

Sholl said McAsey was up and OK after falling during his run.

“I didn’t see it so I’m not sure where it was but he’s doing OK which is the main thing and it’s a testament to how tough the run is,” Sholl said.

“At this time of year it’s about getting that fitness base that you’re after and post-Christmas it’s about matches rolling around and getting into the fun stuff.

“We’ve got a few more changes in the coaching staff and all those guys are very similar to Nicksy (Matthew Nicks), very personable and easy to have a genuine conversation with.

“In terms of structures and what not we haven’t gone over the game plan but at this stage it’s more about the fitness side of things and these coaches are helping us and making sure we’re getting the best out of ourselves at this time of year.”

Originally published as AFL 2021: Wayne Milera hits pre-season track for Adelaide Crows