How Crows and Tigers built for the big oneafl.com.au
29 September 2017LISTS come together in different ways, and that's obvious when looking at this weekend's Grand Finalists.
In examining the squads Adelaide and Richmond took into their respective preliminary finals last week (including the three emergencies), you can find the differences in their tilts towards the flag.
A big difference lies in the impact of the Tigers' first-round picks, which has garnered several great players, compared to that of the Crows, who have relied more on later selections to piece things together.
Adelaide's activity in the trade and free agency period over a number of years has also been important, while the Tigers' trio of acquisitions last off-season have certainly helped their run to the Grand Final.
There are similarities in the list builds, with both squads only having five players each in total from the second and third rounds of the draft.
It takes some luck to get there, but recruiters at clubs work many years in advance to piece together a list they believe capable of challenging for a premiership.
Here's how Adelaide and Richmond have done it.
RICHMOND1st round picksTrent Cotchin (No.2)
Dustin Martin (No.3)
Nick Vlastuin (No.9)
Corey Ellis (No.12)
Jack Riewoldt (No.13)
Daniel Rioli (No.15)
Brandon Ellis (No.15)
Alex Rance (No.18)
The Tigers have struck gold here, with their four champions and key pillars – Cotchin, Martin, Riewoldt and Rance – all first-round picks. Cotchin and Martin have been key players since they started at the club, Riewoldt has won two Coleman Medals, and Rance was selected with an end-of-first-round priority pick Richmond had in 2007. Rioli was also an inspired choice two years ago, and not all clubs would have taken him when the Tigers did in the first round.
2nd roundShane Edwards (No.26)
Shai Bolton (No.29)
Kamdyn McIntosh (No.31)
McIntosh has been a good find for the Tigers since coming to the club at the 2012 draft, playing 52 games and becoming a consistent member of the side in the past three years. Edwards is an underrated player who has been a barometer at times for the Tigers in recent years, while Bolton has had an encouraging first year at the club since joining Richmond at last year's draft.
3rd roundDavid Astbury (No.35)
Jack Graham (No.53)
It's been a while coming given a rough run with injury, but Astbury has developed into the key tall Richmond hoped he would become when they picked him in 2009. He started as a forward and kicked three goals on debut, but his form in defence this year has allowed Rance to roam more and be more attacking. Graham was selected with the view that he could play senior footy this year, and he has delivered on that.
4th round or later/rookieDan Butler (No.67)
Nathan Broad (No.67)
Jason Castagna (Rookie, No.29)
Kane Lambert (Rookie, Pick 46)
Dylan Grimes (Pre-season draft, No.2)
Bachar Houli (Pre-season draft, No.3)
Richmond hasn't unearthed any A-graders out of its later picks or rookies, but there are certainly some important members of its Grand Final side who have been overlooked in the early parts of drafts. Grimes sits at the top of the list having been a pre-season draft pick, while the ascension of Lambert and Broad as mature-age picks shows the Tigers have always had an eye on the players who could come in and provide something early on. Houli was handed to them as a pre-season pick after Essendon and Tigers failed to come to a deal on the half-back flanker.
Trade/free agencyToby Nankervis (traded from Sydney for pick 46)
Dion Prestia (traded from Gold Coast, plus pick 24, for pick 6 and a future second-round pick)
Josh Caddy (traded from Geelong, plus pick 56, for pick 24 and 64)
Jacob Townsend (traded from GWS, plus pick 120, for pick 70)
Shaun Grigg (traded from Carlton for Andrew Collins)
Shaun Hampson (traded from Carlton for pick 28)
Richmond needs real credit for its approach to the trade period last year, which has had a significant say in its fortunes this year. The Tigers targeted Prestia from a long way out and landed him, they went after a ruckman and picked up Nankervis, and were nimble enough to grab Caddy when his name popped up. All have been integral contributors at different stages this year. Townsend was also identified as a low-cost option, while the Tigers won the Grigg trade a long time ago.
ADELAIDE1st round picksWayne Milera (Draft pick No.11)
Daniel Talia (No.13)
Jake Lever (No.14)
Richard Douglas (No.16)
The Crows have done extraordinarily well to push for a flag without the benefit of any top-10 picks on their list, defying the commonly-held belief that top-end picks will see a rise up the ladder. Key defenders Talia and Lever are the best of their early selections, and important members of a stingy defence that has taken the Crows to the premiership decider. Douglas has also been a very reliable player for a long time, which is the perfect result for a mid-teens selection.
2nd roundMatt Crouch (No.23)
Andy Otten (No.27)
The Crows attained pick No.23 for losing free agent Bernie Vince to Melbourne, and used it to pick up Crouch, who looms as a star long-term midfielder. The youngest of the Crouch brothers won his first All Australian guernsey this year after a brilliant and prolific season, and proved that it's hard to beat a good footy brain and innate competitive instincts. Otten's rotten injury luck ruined what should have been a peak period of his career, but he has been a handy call-up when required.
3rd roundRory Sloane (No.44)
Riley Knight (No.46)
David Mackay (No.48)
It's still a little hard to believe Sloane was still on the board at pick No.44, but the Crows snapped him up, and he has gone on to be one of the great draft steals of the past decade. Sloane wasn't fashionable in his draft year, but his attitude, pressure, and dogged effort stood out, and he has grown into one of the best midfielders in the game. Mackay has been a reliable choice, while Knight has also quickly established himself in their line-up.
4th round or later/rookieTaylor Walker (pick 75)
Rory Atkins (pick 81)
Rory Laird (Rookie, No.5)
Charlie Cameron (Rookie, No.7)
Reilly O'Brien (Rookie, No.9)
Kyle Hartigan (Rookie, No.14)
Jake Kelly (Rookie, No.40)
Hugh Greenwood (Category B rookie)
Alex Keath (Category B rookie)
This is where the Crows really deserve credit. Greenwood and Keath are both category B rookies that the club invested time into, while Laird and Cameron have been two of the best rookie selections in Adelaide's history. Atkins is also a gem. He came through the year Adelaide was penalised at the draft as part of the Kurt Tippett salary cap saga, and was the Crows' second and final pick of that draft. They backed his talent when others shied away. Walker is technically in this category, but only through circumstance – the Crows skipper was signed as a 16-year-old under the now-defunct NSW scholarship system, and Adelaide was able to draft him with its final selection in 2007. In an open field he would have been selected much earlier.
Trade/free agencyBrad Crouch (mini draft trade)
Luke Brown (traded from GWS as a pre-selection player)
Sam Jacobs (traded from Carlton for picks 33 and 67)
Josh Jenkins (traded from Essendon for pick 31)
Tom Lynch (traded from St Kilda for pick 37)
Paul Seedsman (traded from Collingwood for pick 37)
Eddie Betts (free agent)
There is plenty of focus on who the Crows have lost over the years to franchise clubs or to head back to their home states, but Adelaide has also made some significant additions to its list from other clubs. Lynch and Jacobs cost them picks in the 30s but are now key members of their line-up, while many thought they were had overpaid for Betts as a free agent when he came to the club in 2013, but they have ended up winning that. Crouch and Brown count here because they were the deal as part of GWS' mini-draft. Adelaide gave up picks No.10 and 13 as part of that deal.
http://www.afl.com.au/news/2017-09-28/how-crows-and-tigers-built-for-the-big-one
