Crows pre-season news: Mark Keane to sign with Adelaide, Rory Laird gives Paul Seedsman update,
Adelaide has found the key defender it had been searching for, following the departures of Billy Frampton and Fischer McAsey. Find out all the details.
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Adelaide has signed Irish ex-Collingwood defender Mark Keane to fill its final list spot.
Keane, who played five games for the Magpies in three seasons there from 2019-21 before returning to his homeland, inked a one-year rookie contract on Saturday.
Standing 194cm and 96kg, Keane addresses the key defensive void the Crows have been seeking to fill after the departures of Billy Frampton and Fischer McAsey.
He is expected to join his new teammates at training in coming weeks.
Keane has been playing top-level hurling in Ireland since choosing not to come back to Collingwood after Christmas 2021.
Adelaide list manager Justin Reid said Keane was super competitive and quick, which the club believed would complement its young backline.
“We are very excited that Mark has decided to return to Australia and committed to continuing his AFL career with us,” Reid said.
“We understand the travel and quarantine challenges he faced during the Covid pandemic throughout 2020 and 2021, but thankfully a lot has changed in that space since then.
“Throughout our discussions with Mark and his management he has made it clear he is eager to pursue an AFL career with the support of his family and friends and we are delighted that will be with our club.”
Keane said the time was right for him to return to Australia and the AFL.
“I never lost the passion to play the sport and when the opportunity arose to come back it was something I obviously considered very strongly,” Keane said.
“The circumstances are right and so is the timing on the back of winning an All-Ireland grand final with my club Ballygiblin.
“I will be able to have my family and friends fly out and visit, which will make a big difference.
“I’ll also have the support of my partner Caoimha, who will be moving to Adelaide as well, so we are very excited about what lies ahead.”
Crows star backs ‘smart decision’ on Seedsman
Adelaide star Rory Laird says it is disheartening that Paul Seedsman will miss a second straight season with concussion but the wingman’s long-term health is the top priority.
The Crows placed Seedsman on their inactive list on Tuesday, 13 months after a head knock at training sidelined him.
While few AFL players have come back from lengthy absences with concussion, Seedsman has not closed the door on a return to the field.
Laird said for now his good friend was “trying to find some consistency with feeling OK”.
He was hopeful Seedsman’s career was not over, saying it was too hard to tell if the 30-year-old had played his last game.
“At the moment you’d say it’s a long way off … but there’s a couple of guys that have done that (gone on the inactive list) and come back and resumed their career,” Laird said.
“It’s disheartening for him and really disappointing – he was such a crucial player for us in 2021.
“(Concussion) is such a serious injury so for his long-term health and safety, it’s a smart decision.
“I know it’s super frustrating for him and I can’t imagine what he’s going through.
“We’re just supporting him the best we can.”
Adelaide sought to fill the Seedsman void by signing ex-Collingwood midfielder Tyler Brown on Wednesday.
Brown – the son of Magpies great Gavin Brown – inked a one-year contract with the Crows on Wednesday and trained with his new club for the first time.
The 23-year-old played 27 games for the Magpies from 2018-2022 before being delisted in September..
The 192cm, 84kg ex-Magpie adds much-needed height to Adelaide’s engine room.
“He’s a big boy, a big inside mid,” Laird said.
“He’s fit in pretty seamlessly … and is a great addition for us.
“We’re pretty small – or maybe not small, but we don’t have that (bigger) Patty Cripps type.”
Although capable of playing on a wing, at half-back or half-forward, Brown told SEN he was training as an inside on-baller and that was where the club saw him playing.
Adelaide’s on-ball unit includes Rory Laird (178cm), Rory Sloane (183cm), Ben Keays (186cm), Matt Crouch (182cm), Sam Berry (182cm), Harry Schoenberg (183cm), Luke Pedlar (184cm), Jake Soligo (180cm), Zac Taylor (182cm), Billy Dowling (187cm) and Hugh Bond (185cm).
Only Jackson Hately (191cm) and Jordan Dawson (192cm) are above 190cm, though Dawson is typically used in defence or on a wing.
Brown believed he could help the club’s midfield balance.
The Crows have until February 15 if they want to fill their other vacant list spot, which stems from McAsey’s AFL exit last week.
Laird would not weigh into which position the club should target.
“I’ll leave that to the recruiting managers and the list managers,” he said.
TRAINING NOTES
■ Wayne Milera is showing signs that he is nearly back to his old self. Milera played just two games in 2020 due to a stress fracture in his foot, none the next year because of a ruptured his patella tendon then 12 last season, when he often looked a long way from the player he once was. On Wednesday, his class was obvious. In perhaps the best individual passage of the day, he spun out of traffic, handballed, kept running, got the footy back, then delivered a neat pass at pace inside 50 to a leading Lachlan Gollant. Laird said Milera’s impressive track form was noticeable. And he expected him to return to half-back after playing at half-forward for parts of last season. “He’s finally strung a lot of trainings together,” he said. “A lot of off-season we did as a group … and Junior was able to get some consistency with his body, especially his knees. He can play up through the midfield a little bit but you can see when he comes off half-back what he can do with the ball and break the lines. Him, Dawse (Jordan Dawson) and Brodie Smith, it’s a nice little trio back there.”
■ Third-year midfielder Luke Pedlar also caught the eye, bursting away from attempted tackles while showing the kind of explosiveness that Adelaide liked when it took at pick 11 in 2020. “He had some long-term lingering issues through his legs and groins, and he’s in the same sort of boat (as Milera),” Laird said. “A pre-season sets your whole year up and that’s what Luke’s been able to do for probably the first time since he’s got here. You can see the X-factor that he’s got playing up through the mids and half-forward.”
■ Shane McAdam and Tariek Newchurch are continuing to build their fitness, while Josh Worrell remains sidelined with a hamstring injury. Josh Rachele (hamstring) is still on a modified program.
■ Hundreds of Crows fans attended Wednesday’s session, which was held at Richmond Oval. It was a family atmosphere as players signed autographs and took photos for children lining the boundary in Adelaide guernseys. The open training was a far cry from the dusty, barren surroundings at West Lakes, an uninviting place for supporters to watch. Wednesday gave the club a glimpse into how sessions might look if it secured Thebarton Oval as a home base.
■ In an interview on SEN, Brown mentioned the Crows would likely play a pre-season match in Perth. It was expected they would battle Fremantle and West Coast there in late February, though details were yet to be confirmed. Adelaide will hold an internal trial in mid-February.
BROWN A NEW CROW AS SEEDSMAN CONCUSSION BATTLE CONTINUES
Adelaide has signed former Collingwood midfielder Tyler Brown as a rookie.
Brown fills one of the club’s vacant list spots, opened up by the departure of defender Fischer McAsey and placing of wingman Paul Seedsman on the inactive list.
The 23-year-old, who arrived at West Lakes to train this week, inked a 12-month contract on Wednesday, during the AFL’s supplementary selection period (SSP).
Brown - the son of Collingwood great Gavin Brown - played 27 games for the Magpies from 2018-2022 before being delisted in September.
Our new signing in the 🔵🔴🟡#weflyasonepic.twitter.com/xb7QoDwfDb
— Adelaide Crows (@Adelaide_FC) January 17, 2023
Adelaide list manager Justin Reid said Brown could play a variety of roles and the club was thrilled to add him.
“He comes from a very good football family, is hard-working and driven to make the most of his opportunity so we look forward to having him at the club for the 2023 season,” Reid said.
Brown said he was grateful to get another opportunity.
“I felt welcome here as soon as I walked in the door and I’m looking forward to getting stuck into training with my new teammates,” Brown said.
Adelaide still has one list spot to fill if it wants before the SSP deadline on February 15.
Seedsman to miss another season amid concussion battle
Adelaide has placed Paul Seedsman on its inactive list for the second straight season as he continues to battle concussion symptoms.
Seedsman, who is out of contract at the end of this season, suffered a concussion in December 2021, when he copped a knee to the head during a marking contest at West Lakes.
So bad was the constant headaches and nausea for Seedsman, he revealed that he retreated from socialising.
Seedsman, who played 83 games for the Crows, and the club have been hopeful that he could play footy again after a career-best 2021, which saw him finish third in Adelaide’s best and fairest and make the All-Australian squad.
But for the second straight season, Seedsman will be on Adelaide’s inactive list.
Crows Head of Football Adam Kelly said Seedsman was an important member of the club and supporting his continuing rehabilitation was a priority for Adelaide.
“We have come to the realisation that Paul will not be in a position to play this year given he is still experiencing symptoms and has not been able to advance his physical preparation for the season ahead,” Kelly said.
“To Paul’s credit, he came forward and acknowledged this now so the Club can identify someone in the pre-season supplemental selection period (SSP) that we can provide an opportunity to.
“Throughout his recovery we have remained fully supportive and hopeful of him returning to football however, the priority has always been his health and wellbeing.
“As an industry we understand concussion is a serious and complex injury and while on the inactive list Paul will continue to work closely with our doctors and medical staff, as well as concussion experts.
“He remains an important part of our group and has our full support in what has been a very challenging time, losing two years of his career after what was an outstanding 2021 season.”
It means that Adelaide now has two list spots it can fill after Fischer McAsey quit footy after losing his passion for the game at the top level.
Former Collingwood midfielder Tyler Brown will trial for one of the spots on the Crows list, while Adelaide did add former Pies key defender Jack Madgen to its SANFL ranks and are now on the lookout for a tall defender.
Ex-Pie set to hit the track as Crows unleash Rankine
- Matt Turner
Former Collingwood midfielder Tyler Brown is expected to start training with the Crows midweek after arriving in Adelaide to audition for an AFL lifeline.
Brown was watching from the sidelines at West Lakes on Monday, still waiting for paperwork to be approved so he can take part.
The 23-year-old was invited to trial for a rookie spot on Adelaide’s list after defender Fischer McAsey walked away from the game last week.
Brown played 27 games for Collingwood over five seasons, including 11 in 22, before being delisted in September.
He is tipped to be available to join Crows training by Wednesday’s open session at Richmond Oval.
Clubs have until February 15 to sign players during the supplementary selection period.
In other training news on Monday:
THILTHORPE’S INJURY SCARE
Third-year forward Riley Thilthorpe rolled his ankle during a drill and hobbled off the track, but he was back jogging along the sidelines a short time later, considered to be fine. Thilthorpe played 11 games in 2022 to take his career tally to 25.
YOUNGSTER SIDELINED
Defender Josh Worrell has reaggravated a hamstring issue. Worrell sat out the session and the club planned to see how he pulled up to determine the extent of the setback.
RANKINE UNLEASHED
Off-season recruit Izak Rankine is no longer wearing a fluoro hat to indicate no contact during drills. Rankine had been in one from the start of pre-season after having shoulder surgery. Captain Rory Sloane (knee), midfielder Ben Keays (shoulder), defender Tom Doedee (shoulder) and SANFL marquee player Jack Madgen were wearing fluoro hats.
DEFENDER RETURNS
Defender Andrew McPherson has resumed running indoors, two months after undergoing knee surgery. McPherson, who played one AFL match last year, had his season ruined by a posterior cruciate ligament injury in July.
SOLIGO BUILDING
Second-year midfielder Jake Soligo jogged with speedster Tariek Newchurch away from the main group, then did some individual ball work. Soligo, whose impressive debut campaign ended with a 10th-placed finish in Adelaide’s best-and-fairest, was being managed. Newchurch, set to enter his third season after being rookie-listed from the Crows’ Next Generation Academy, was continuing to build his fitness.
OTHER NOTES
■ Young gun Josh Rachele is still on a modified program due to a hamstring issue.
■ Forward Shane McAdam missed training because he was ill.
■ The most gruelling part of the session featured the players having to run between the edges of the centre square in eight seconds, before a short break, then repeating that three more times.
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