AFL 2023: The latest on every out-of-contract player at Adelaide Crows
Matt Crouch is unlikely to be on Adelaide’s list next season – but he’s not the only notable Crow whose future at the club is up in the air. Get the latest on every out-of-contract player.
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Adelaide enters the second half of the season with the bulk of its squad locked away beyond 2023.
But there are several key Crows whose deals expire at the end of this campaign.
Things can change between now and the end of the trade period because some players’ futures may be dependent on incomings and departures.
Given Adelaide has so much of its squad tied down beyond this year as part of a deliberate strategy, it may look to free up spots by trading guys under contract.
Here is the status of every Crow without a deal for 2024 (in guernsey number order):
4. Lachlan Murphy
Age: 24
AFL games: 89
Status: Expected to stay
The Crows are working through a contract for Murphy now, rewarding him for an encouraging season as a workhorse small forward. Expected to receive a multi-year deal.
5. Matt Crouch
Age: 28
AFL games: 137
Status: In trouble
Hard to see the midfielder remaining at West Lakes next season. Crouch continues to rack up disposals and play well in the SANFL, but has only broken into the AFL side once in 2023 – as a substitute against Geelong in round 8. The Victorian was unable to find a new home during last year’s trade period because of little interest but was generating some now because he could join as an unrestricted free agent. At his age, settled in Adelaide with his fiancee and their newborn daughter, would he move interstate for a year or two to be a back-up if a club such as Gold Coast came calling?
6. Jackson Hately
Age: 22
AFL games: 27
Status: Up in the air
Hately does not have a contract offer on the table from Adelaide, so a late-season call looms. The former GWS midfielder has featured in just 14 AFL matches in two-and-a-half seasons as a Crow, most recently in round 17 last year. His first campaign was wrecked by a nagging groin issue and so far this year he had been stuck in the SANFL. Hately, the 14th pick in the 2018 national draft, is still young, but has fallen behind several players in the club’s on-ball pecking order, making it hard to break back into the team.
9. Rory Sloane
Age: 33
AFL games: 247
Status: Expected to stay
Not sure Adelaide or Sloane would have thought he had another year in him beyond 2023 over summer. The former skipper has played all 14 matches for the Crows, has found a new home on a wing and is heading for a 16th season in 2024.
11. Paul Seedsman
Age: 31
AFL games: 132
Status: Up in the air
After so long out of the game amid a concussion battle – Seedsman has not played since a training head knock in late 2021 – and with limited optimistic news coming from West Lakes lately, it unfortunately seems highly unlikely Seedsman will be re-signed. The former Collingwood player is on the inactive list this year.
13. Taylor Walker
Age: 33
AFL games: 251
Status: Expected to stay
Walker’s late career renaissance is getting more remarkable by the week and another season is on the horizon. Adelaide is on the cusp of working out a new one-year deal and an announcement is expected sometime before round 18. The former captain conceded this month that he thought 2020, which yielded just 15 goals from 14 games, might be his farewell season. Three years on, he is one of the club’s most important players to its finals push, its best forward and a genuine Coleman Medal contender coming off 15 goals in two games.
21. Tyler Brown
Age: 23
AFL games: 28
Status: Up in the air
Brown is another player whose future may come down to available list spots. Signed in January during the supplementary selection period to replace the inactive Seedsman, ex-Collingwood midfielder Brown has featured just once this year – as a substitute in round 1.
23. Shane McAdam
Age: 28
AFL games: 44
Status: Expected to stay
Adelaide will pick up contract talks with McAdam in two to three games in what has been an interrupted season. The high flyer has struggled for a consistent run of matches, having battled injuries and been suspended in round 1 – his only AFL appearance this year. He offers something different as a medium forward and his list spot is said to be safe.
35. James Borlase
Age: 20
AFL games: 0
Status: In trouble
Adelaide is expected to make a call on the key defender’s future later in the year. AFL rules do not allow clubs to keep category B rookies for more than three seasons so the Crows are faced with a decision on Borlase – upgrade him to the senior list or part ways. Although Adelaide is not replete with key defenders, it has a list spot squeeze, which may hurt his chances of being retained. Borlase is yet to break into the top side, but has shown promise in the SANFL and looks capable of playing AFL, even if it is not at the Crows.
36. Andrew McPherson
Age: 24
AFL games: 28
Status: In trouble
The Crows will give McPherson every opportunity to work his way back into the side from a quad issue sidelining him for another month, but this looks to be the last season for the unlucky defender. He has not featured at AFL level since being subbed off in round 1 last year. It will be hard for McPherson to retain his spot given Adelaide’s list squeeze and abundance of small defensive options, though it will not be a shock if he is kept as a rookie.
39. Tom Doedee
Age: 26
AFL games: 82
Status: Up in the air
Brisbane is among the clubs reportedly keen to sign Doedee, who is sidelined for the remainder of the season with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament. The Victorian defender’s knee injury is expected to hurt his market value. He is a restricted free agent, ensuring the Crows hold a lot of the chips because they can match a rival’s contract offer and force a trade. Adelaide has Josh Worrell in the wings as a potential in-house replacement if Doedee does depart.
42. Tariek Newchurch
Age: 20
AFL games: 0
Status: In trouble
Like Borlase, Newchurch cannot be retained as a category B rookie for a fourth season, so must be upgraded to the senior list or let go. Newchurch has elite speed and has had some eye-catching SANFL games, kicking three four-goal hauls this year, but he has struggled for consistency. The Crows’ tight list jeopardises his chances of another deal.
48. Mark Keane
Age: 23
AFL games: 5
Status: Likely to stay
Adelaide is a fan of the Irishman and the fact it is light on for tall defenders boosts the likelihood of him being retained. The former Collingwood player arrived at the Crows – and rejoined the AFL after staying in his home country last season – in January on a one-year deal.
* Fischer McAsey
Age: 21
AFL games: 10
Status: Will not return
The swingman quit the AFL in January, citing a lack of desire to continue at the top level. He has been on the Crows’ inactive list this year and will officially part ways with the club when his contract ends post-season.
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