Adelaide receive pick 19 as compensation for departing Tom Doedee

Adelaide have received a higher than expected draft pick as compensation for the departing Tom Doedee, a player the club ‘clearly was not keen to keep’.

Tom Doedee of the Crows during the 2023 AFL Round 04 match between the Adelaide Crows and the Fremantle Dockers at Adelaide Oval on April 8, 2023 in Adelaide, Australia. (Photo by Sarah Reed/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Adelaide has secured a spectacular windfall for departing free agent Tom Doedee that will see the Crows push to move up the draft order after being handed pick 19 for the club stalwart.

Adelaide has secured a first-round pick for a player it clearly was not keen to keep, as this masthead revealed a five-year deal was taken off the table after his second ACL tear.

The club’s new offer was almost tripled by Brisbane, which has offered a four-year deal with a fifth-year trigger at around $700,000 a season.

That deal allowed the league to hand Adelaide pick 19, and the Crows have ambitions to move up the draft order as high as Geelong’s pick seven or Gold Coast’s pick 10.

With four picks within the top 25, Adelaide is not keen to be handed a moderate selection for Crows forward Shane McAdam, who will head to Melbourne.

But Demons list boss Tim Lamb was adamant on Monday no Demons player would be involved in the McAdam trade.

Tom Doedee is off to Brisbane. Picture: Getty Images

Adelaide list boss Justin Reid said the Crows were aware Harrison Petty at one stage wanted to move back to South Australia but has conceded it will not be in this year’s trade period.

Brisbane secures an intercept defender in Doedee in the right age bracket to eventually replace 31-year-old Ryan Lester.

Lions list boss Dom Ambrogio said the move gave the club more defensive options, with Doedee ready to play in the second half of 2024 after a second ACL tear.

Ambrogio made clear the Lions would retain full back Darcy Gardiner despite the Doedee acquisition potentially pushing him down the draft order.

He said the club’s medical team would help rehab Doedee’s knee injury.

“It was a consideration but we really back in the fact that we‘ve got a fantastic medical and high performance team. We’re really proud of them and the work they’ve done over the years,” Ambrogio said.

“We think that they can help Tom get right. Tom‘s an absolute professional and he’s got a track record of rehabbing from injuries really well.”

Reid said the Crows had ambitions to march up the draft order but were aware many clubs would clamour for those picks within the top 10 of the national draft.

“We will have four picks roughly inside 25 so we will go to work on that,” he said.

“We had a long term deal on the table for Tom for a long period of time and when he did his ACL we sat down and revisited that as a list management group. Where we sat with that was a two year deal. He has been a great servant of the footy club. It’s where free agency is and we wish him all the best.”

Adelaide will be more than pleased for the compensation they received for Doedee. Picture: Getty Images

The Giants and Crows are still discussing whether Elliott Himmelberg crosses to the Giants despite having a year on his contract.

While Reid said “there is a fair chance” Himmelberg would remain at the club there is still plenty of time to broker a deal.

Reid said the Crows made no apologies for considering Melbourne star Clayton Oliver before he ended up staying at the Demons.

“I don‘t think it got too far. He has a seven-year contract. We are keen to improve the list any way we can and when elite players are around we put our hand up but it never got very far.

Whether it’s Clayton or someone else you have to look at it but they have cleared it up pretty clearly.”

Originally published as Adelaide receive pick 19 as compensation for departing Tom Doedee