Gary Buckenara analyses Adelaide’s list after the 2020 season
AFL recruiting guru Gary Buckenara says Adelaide is facing the possibility of five seasons without finals and while a Collingwood defender has been linked to a move, it wouldn’t be a wise trade for the Crows. Read his full list analysis.
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Adelaide is facing up to five years without finals as the club embarks on a deep rebuild.
There are three major issues with the Crows’ list: A lack of top-end talent, a slow and one-paced midfield and a forward line with no structure.
The Crows have hard decisions to make on players and none bigger than ex-captain Taylor Walker.
He has a contract for 2021 and has been a wonderful player but the club should come to a financial settlement that would see him retire. Walker kicked only 15 goals from 14 games this season, had little impact on games and appeared to struggle with his body. The demands of the game appear to have caught up with him.
Brad Crouch is a free agent and it seems like he’s got one foot out the door. With concerns over his recent off-field behaviour and desire to field offers from rival clubs, as well as having too many slow midfielders, losing him wouldn’t be the worst result. The Crows should get a first-round compensation pick and the more top draft picks they can get to secure elite ball users with pace, the better.
While there were encouraging signs in the last half the season where Matthew Nicks’ team won three games and was competitive in others, the Crows can’t get blinded by a false dawn.
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Adelaide has seven players on its list with the potential to develop into A or B-grade players, which gives hope for the future, but a lack of established stars means patience will be required in the hope these youngsters – Darcy Fogarty, Will Hamill, Chayce Jones, Fischer McAsey, Ned McHenry, Harry Schoenberg and Josh Worrell – can fulfil their potential. Player retention will be just as critical as development.
LIST NEEDS
Adelaide’s biggest issue is its slow midfield and lack of elite distributors who bring outside run, so that should be the main focus with early picks in the draft. The Crows also badly need another key forward with Walker and Tom Lynch at the end of their careers and a forward/ruck who can help Reilly O’Brien.
TRADE TARGETS
The Crows need to be bold with their trading this year and target immediate needs but also players who are either young enough to be part of their next premiership team or players who have been involved in successful teams and can fill both a need and a leadership role.
Hawthorn’s Tim O’Brien is a South Australian who has talent but hasn’t reached his potential. He’d come relatively cheaply in a trade and can play as a key forward and back-up ruckman. Carlton’s Levi Casboult is another player I’d look at. He’s signed at Carlton but with Harry McKay and Charlie Curnow, plus the emergence of Tom De Koning, he’s not a lock in their best 22. He’d be ideal as a forward-ruck for a few years and can provide guidance to young players, having been through a rebuild at the Blues.
Isaac Smith would be a terrific acquisition to satisfy the desperate need for outside speed and help instil a successful, team-first culture after winning three premierships with the Hawks.
Collingwood’s Matt Scharenberg has been linked to a move back to Adelaide but I wouldn’t pursue him as he doesn’t fit the Crows’ needs. Their backline stands up well with Daniel Talia, Tom Doedee, Jake Kelly, McAsey and Worrell as tall defensive options.
Jackson Hately would be an ideal recruit as a tall midfielder at 190cm, the type of player the Crows lack. As a former pick No.14, the Crows could get him relatively cheaply given he hasn’t played many games and GWS has a history of trading ex-first-round picks with limited senior exposure for little in return. Maybe a second-round pick would get it done.
UNTOUCHABLES
Rory Sloane, Daniel Talia, Tom Doedee, Fogarty*, Elliott Himmelberg, Hamill, Jones, Schoenberg, McAsey, McHenry, McAdam, O’Brien, Stengle, Worrell, Andrew McPherson, Sholl and Brodie Smith.
*Fogarty has been disappointing. He has the potential to be a star but has struggled to find his spot in the team. I think he’ll be one that would benefit from the retirement of Walker because at present he appears to second-guess himself as to whether he should attack the ball or leave it for others. I’m confident he can still be a very good player once he believes he belongs at the level.
TRADE BAIT
If Brad Crouch leaves, do the Crows consider moving his brother as well? The criticism on Matt Crouch is similar to Brad, does he hurt the opposition enough with his disposals? If Adelaide gets a first-round compensation pick for Brad, then I’d retain Matt but if a good trade was offered, such as a top-20 pick, I’d consider it.
Daniel Talia has been linked to a trade to Essendon but I think he’s an important player and provides good leadership, so I wouldn’t be looking to trade him.
Rory Laird is a player who has trade value and if a club offers a deal for him the Crows should consider it. His best footy is as a halfback and those players are very valuable, so he would have suitors. If a club offered a top-20 pick for him I’d seriously look at it.
RATING THE LIST
A-grade: Sloane
B: B. Crouch, M. Crouch, Doedee, Laird, O’Brien, Smith, Talia
C: Brown, Crocker, Davis, Frampton, Gallucci, Hartigan, Himmelberg, Keays, Kelly, Lynch, Mackay, McAdam, Milera, Poholke, Seedsman, Strachan, Walker
Developing (with A-B grade potential): Fogarty, Hamill, Jones, McAsey, McHenry, Schoenberg, Worrell
Developing: Butts, Gollant, McPherson, Murphy, O’Connor, Sholl, Stengle
What the ratings mean:
A-grade: Elite player on any AFL list
B: Top 10-18 player on most lists
C: An 18-30 player on a list
Developing: Aged 21 or under
CRYSTAL BALL
Adelaide is a long way off the pace and the decisions the list management and recruiting teams make this year and next year will determine whether they will be stuck at the bottom for years or if they can gradually rise up the ladder. It will be between 3-5 years before the Crows can be any sort of contender again.
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Gary Buckenara analyses Essendon’s list after the 2020 season
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