Adelaide Crows track watch: Isaac Cumming suffers hamstring injury

The Crows’ red-hot pre-season has taken a hit, with one of their off-season recruits suffering a blow after their final campaign at GWS was cruelled by injury.

Adelaide is hopeful recruit Isaac Cumming will rejoin the main squad in early January after suffering a hamstring strain.

Cumming, who arrived as an unrestricted free agent from GWS in October, sustained the injury at training on Wednesday and was set to be with the rehabilitation group until Christmas.

It is a frustrating setback for the 26-year-old, who has a history of soft-tissue injuries.

Cumming played 65 of a possible 72 games from 2021-2023, before hurting his calf last pre-season then later his hamstring, ensuring he was sidelined until round 16.

Isaac Cumming has suffered a hamstring injury. Picture Adelaide Football Club

Another hamstring strain kept the Broken Hill product out of the Giants’ last five minor-round games but he returned for the finals.

His latest issue would probably sideline him for four to five weeks if it was during the season.

The Crows hope to reintegrate Cumming into the main group early next month but it will depend on how he recovers.

PEATLING REVEALS WHY HE CHOSE CROWS

Crows recruit James Peatling says former Giants teammate Isaac Cumming was influential in his decision to opt for a fresh start in South Australia.

Cumming sought a move to Adelaide in late September, a week before Peatling knocked back a host of other clubs and requested a trade to West Lakes.

Peatling was highly sought after a breakout 2024 campaign that included impressive finals performances, but he waited until the Giants’ season ended to make a decision.

It came down to where the 24-year-old felt he could develop the most.

“Having conversations with Isaac, he was pretty big in that (decision),” Peatling said.

“I just needed to take a step back and take a look at what I wanted to get out of myself and my football, and the decision I came to was Adelaide.

“I thought the Adelaide Football Club was going to be the (best) opportunity for me and where I could grow the most, and become the player I wanted to become.”

New Crow James Peatling. Picture: Ben Clark

Adelaide secured Peatling in a pick swap in October.

He had been a little flattered by other clubs’ interest in him, having not expected to be in that position as a mid-season draftee taken at the age of 20 in 2021.

After playing four games in his first year, then 12 and 10 the next two, Peatling became an important cog in the Giants’ run to a semi-final last campaign.

He was determined to take his chance after a delayed start to his AFL career.

“I obviously got picked up a bit later, so it’s necessarily valuing it more but it does put a different light on the opportunity and … to make the most of it,” Sydney-raised Peatling said.

“I’ve still got a lot of work to do and want to keep getting better because I’m nowhere near the player I want to be.”

Peatling said starting anew with good mate Cumming had made settling in Adelaide easier.

Someone who likes surfing, camping and has several tattoos on his right leg, Peatling is enjoying exploring his new hometown on days off, as well as being able “to be anywhere in 40 to 45 minutes”.

“It’s a good change of pace and I was looking forward to that,” he said.

“I think it fits me well.”

CROWS RECRUIT’S INJURY PAIN, RUCK BACK-UP PLAN REVEALED

Adelaide has signed former Sydney big man Lachlan McAndrew to its SANFL team in a move that may help provide ruck insurance with Kieran Strachan sidelined.

McAndrew, 24 and 210cm, played two matches in four seasons at the Swans before being delisted in October.

He trained with the Crows for the first time on Wednesday.

While Strachan was expected to be back in four months and Adelaide did not have any vacant squad spots, McAndrew could come into the frame as a supplemental selection period pick-up or mid-year draftee if a player sustained a long-term injury and was moved to the inactive list.

The Crows only have Reilly O’Brien and Strachan as true ruckmen in their AFL squad after not adding any during the off-season.

Former North Melbourne midfielder/small forward Blake Drury would be another who could come into contention for promotion if there was a major injury after signing with the Crows’ SANFL side.

Lachlan McAndrew has signed with Adelaide’s SANFL side.

McAndrew will provide training support for O’Brien with Strachan sidelined, while key-position players Chris Burgess, James Borlase and Riley Thilthorpe are back-up options.

The ex-Swan’s first outing in his new colours came on a day Adelaide’s top draftee, Sid Draper, had an eye-catching passage of play that had shades of Izak Rankine about it.

Running into attacking 50 in possession at a pace only Rankine and few others at the Crows would likely match, Draper put on the brakes, baulked with his right hand, then steadied and kicked in board onto the chest of a teammate who was about 30m from goal.

It was slick, classy and the type of moment that you would see often from Rankine at training or in games, but that hardly any other Adelaide players could replicate because of how fast he was running before stopping to sell the candy and hit the target.

Heeney capitalises after some good forward pressure from teammate Lachlan McAndrew.#AAMISeriespic.twitter.com/7yAgfigTU7

— AFL (@AFL) March 6, 2022

“He’s got some toe,” former GWS midfielder James Peatling said of Draper.

“He’s a great kid, he’s got some attributes we’d like to use and off the field he’s a star.”

Draper, this year’s South Australian under-18 captain, and father-son draftee Tyler Welsh are living with Crows skipper Jordan Dawson and his wife Millie for the first month of pre-season.

It is a little unusual for SA recruits to live with other players but looms as a valuable learning experience for the two youngsters given Dawson’s leadership and professionalism as a reigning two-time best-and-fairest.

Fellow recruit Peatling had to have his knee tended to by a club physio after landing awkwardly at Richmond Oval on Wednesday then staying down on the turf for a short time.

He bounced up, jogged it off then returned to training fine, later explaining he stepped in a pothole.

The Crows managed plenty of players through the session, a week before training wrapped up for the year.

Forwards Taylor Walker, Darcy Fogarty and Thilthorpe, midfielder Jake Soligo and defenders Oscar Ryan and Luke Nankervis were all either not training or on light duties with very minor ailments.

Half-back Wayne Milera, who played just three games last season before rupturing his patella tendon, was in and out of drills after not training on Monday.

He appeared to be ahead of schedule in his return to footy.

Key defender Jordon Butts is ramping up his return to training after mid-season foot surgery.

PLAYERS WHO CAUGHT THE EYE

Tyler Welsh – The 18-year-old’s agility and turning circles are impressive for a bigger-bodied forward. Although Adelaide did not have a proper match simulation, it had full-oval drills and a couple of times Welsh’s ability to gather the ball at pace then create space for himself was noticeable.

Sid Draper – Draper and Welsh are not taking part in all drills, being eased in, but when the explosive midfielder is out there, he seems to be everywhere, such is his ground coverage and workrate.

Max Michalanney – One of the Crows players who appears noticeably stronger is third-year defender Michalanney. He was listed at 78kg when he was drafted in 2022 and played on both talls and smalls during his first two seasons. Coming off a fourth-placed best-and-fairest finish last campaign, Michalanney looked have added more muscle and seemed even better equipped to take on bigger forwards.