Trading places

It’s the silly season, and in my case the only thing to look forward to after you’ve been knocked out of the finals. So what do we stand to gain and where will be lose out?

Recent news suggests that Ben Hudson is on his way to the Bulldogs after contract negotiations with the Crows broke down. Hudson would prefer a 3 year contract but the Crows will only offer him 2 years. It’s a tough decision. Hudson has proved when he is on the field that he is a fierce competitor and an important piece in the jigsaw puzzle. Without Rhett Biglands this season, Huddo was forced to do the lions share of ruck work, with Ivan Maric and Jonathon Griffin providing support. Without Hudson,the Crows are exposed by once again starting a season with their no.1ruck man returning from a major injury.

Fourth string ruck man John Meesen has added to this dilemma by requesting a move back to his home state of Victoria. Meesen has been on the fringes for a few years now and finally broke into the match squad in the latter rounds of the season. Unfortunately for Meesen, he failed to grab the bull by the horns. Rumour has it that Carlton are keen to secure his services which will most likely result in the Crows obtaining draft picks.

Ken McGregor appeared to put his hand up to move but soon backed down. A move away from Adelaide did not seem appetising enough for McGregor.

No other players seem to be up for discussion but expect that to change once the trade period starts next Monday. It would be nice to see the club invest more energy in the silly season. The attitude over past years seems to be ‘stick with what we already have’ which works in some ways and not so much in others. On one hand, a young player coming into the Crows knows that he has a few years to establish himself. On the other hand, there’s a few players who have been around the blocks for 5 years or more and still haven’t really stamped their name in the best 22.

In the past we have made some successful trades. Scott Thompson and Scott Stevens are the most recent success stories. It would be nice to add to them... and soon!

Rewind the clock

With the trade period coming up, it’s important to take a look at who has the goods and who should be sent packing to Guam.

In terms of performances this season, there were some clear stand outs. Andrew McLeod was in top notch form and has really found his feet at half back. The amount of run and drive he provides from the back line is a key element of any success Adelaide did have. Simon Goodwin and Tyson Edwards both had solid seasons which will do nothing to tarnish their reputation as being some of the AFLs finest midfielders. Scott Thompson took a big step up and had his best season to date.

Younger players like Nathan Van Berlo and Chris Knights stamped themselves on the competition. Both players have gone from being talented youngsters to essential elements in the team. I hope we hang onto those two for the rest of their careers.

Late in the season, mature age recruit Nick Gill found himself in the mix and really impressed with his tenacity and strong marking ability. His defensive pressure in the forward line really strengthed our attack.

Jason Porplyzia proved what an amazing player he is.Jason plays tall and seems to mark just about anything that comes his way. His goal scoring form took a dip towards season end but he was still a prominent figure in the Crows resurgence.

There’s been a lot of good performers this year. It’d take me a week to run through them all. I don’t think anyone in particular really had a shocker of a season. It will be interesting to see how things develop around trade time.

The end as we know it

The season came to a crashing halt against the Hawks. I didn’t bother to write about it for a long time because the pain still lingered quite some time after these tragic events occured.

Adelaide played well but poor decision making in the final few minutes cost us a chance to continue challenging for the premiership. In the end it proved to be a fair reflection of a very inconsistant season.

Club legend Mark Ricciuto played his last ever AFL match and managed to break Ben Hart’s games record for the club. It’s a shame he wasn’t able to put more of a stamp on the game against the Hawks but he bows out as one of the best ever Crows, if not the best. He was easily the best captain. The man put his heart and soul into the AFC guernsey. He bled the primary colours. One can only hope that in the coming years he will find himself in a coaching role at the club.No doubt that the Roo would be an impressive forward or midfield coach, and then perhaps somewhere down the line a premiership winning senior coach. Let’s hope the man has a couple of sons!