Crows defender Jake Kelly believes fans will see a faster and more exciting footy with less coaches in the game

Adelaide defender Jake Kelly said he expects a faster and more exciting AFL after coaches were cut during the coronavirus shutdown.

Jake Kelly during Crows training in the pre-season. Picture: Sarah Reed.

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Crows defender Jake Kelly has forecast a faster and more exciting AFL after clubs were forced to brutally cut coaches during the COVID-19 shutdown period.

While feeling for the many assistant and development coaches who lost their jobs, Kelly said the league would become a better spectacle – and the stars would be given more freedom to showcase their natural talent and flair – because of fewer voices in the coaches box and at team meetings.

“Over the coming years as staff dwindle, with less coaches, less meetings, players will play with more freedom,’’ the 76-game backman said.

“There will be less voices in players’ heads, so there is definitely the potential for games to become a bit more relaxed in terms of structure.’’

Kelly said that with so many off-field staff, the modern game had become overcoached and too structured.

The Crows have cut ties with assistant coach Martin Mattner and development coach Paul Thomas during the lockdown.

Kelly said going back to the future would be a positive for the game.

“Aside from the fact that there will be less people at the club, which isn’t great because people are losing jobs which is a major negative, you will have less people telling you what to do,’’ he said.

“A lot of players will relish that because in the past few years there definitely has been a trend towards having a lot of voices telling you what to do, where to play, where to stand.

“The negative of that is that the game has become very structured and it doesn’t make the game look great.’’

Ladhams wants to double Port’s ruck threat

Port Adelaide settled on just the one specialist ruckman before the AFL season was put on ice but youngster Peter Ladhams is determined to make the Power coaching staff change this plan when footy resumes.

And Port coach Ken Hinkley has given the emerging big-man a challenge – make me go back to a dual-pronged ruck game plan.

Last year Port deployed Scott Lycett, Ladhams and Paddy Ryder together.

But for the final pre-season game against the Western Bulldogs and Round 1 against Gold Coast it was just Lycett carrying the load after Ryder’s departure.

When the 2020 season begins again, which looks to be some time next month, the 22-year-old Ladhams is determined to go about changing Hinkley’s mind.

“Obviously at first you are a bit disappointed because I know that Scotty is ahead of me in that (the pecking order) and rightly so,” Ladhams told The Advertiser.

“But I look at it is a challenge to try and prove that you can play two ruckmen and I can compete as well.

“Ken has made it pretty clear if I am performing and doing well he will have to play me and Scott (Lycett) together.

“He has not written off he won’t play two ruckmen so if I can get some form together I can force him to play me.”

Ladhams has already forced his way into the Port Adelaide side, his strong form in the SANFL last year prompted Hinkley to send Lycett back to the two’s.

Ladhams forced his way into the Power side last year (AAP Image/Daniel Pockett)

But with doubts over whether Ladhams will get a chance to play for the Magpies this year to press his case, he has to do this in other ways.

Part of this involves Ladhams making himself more of a threat inside 50m to add some variety to the Power line-up.

This is still something the youngster says he needs to work on.

“I probably started (the pre-season) a bit slow,” Ladhams said.

“I was working on my forward craft at the start of the pre-season, just getting stuck into that.

“But then later on I did some more ruck work so I felt a little bit more comfortable there.”

However if games are crammed together then the ruck depth at Alberton, as well as Lycett and Ladhams there is the talented Sam Hayes who is working his way back after rotten luck with injuries, may be a godsend for the Power coaching staff.

“It is pretty taxing (playing ruck) … it almost takes you a week to recover,” Ladhams said.

“And if we are playing games every couple of days, I don’t know how it is going to work yet, but if that’s the case then they will obviously need extra.

“If you play two ruckmen and manage loads or whether you play one ruckman one game and then another the next (I don’t know) but you need back up because it would be pretty tough to be playing every couple of days and then to back that up.”

Originally published as Crows defender Jake Kelly believes fans will see a faster and more exciting footy with less coaches in the game