‘Pretty special.’
That’s the assessment of the top 20 prospects in this year’s draft by AFL National Talent Manager, Kevin Sheehan.
With three selections currently inside the top 20, the Crows hold their strongest draft hand in years which coincides with a handful of South Australians predicted to be early selections.
“I just say that this top 20 in this first round is going to be sensational,” Sheehan told AFC Media.
“The credentials, or the CVs, of these boys that we’ve seen, or the clubs have seen, over the last three years are pretty special.”
Adelaide has a number of cards it could play at this year’s draft, and with live pick trading introduced for the first time, there are thousands of different scenarios possible.
NEXT: A look at the high-end SA talent
The Club could bundle multiple picks in a trade offer and look to secure a potential ‘generational’ player or opt to keep their current draft bounty to recruit several promising youngsters.
“They’re in a position, having three choices, to try the bundle up. If a (Jack) Lukosius was still there at three … well, you might be able to bundle them up and say he’s the player we wanted, and he’s been overlooked at one or two.
“Or they might decide this is the year you take the three (players) because they’ve got three in 20 and I think it’ll be strong right down to the 18, 19, 20 because of what we’ve seen in the last three years with these boys coming through.
“That’s the fascination of it for a club like the Crows but they are very well placed with three in 20 for this year’s draft.”
DRAFT COMBINE: Players to watch
Crows list manager Justin Reid confirmed a strong interest in the South Australian draft talent on offer.
However, he admitted it would be a challenge to get the six clubs currently ahead in the draft order – Carlton, Gold Coast, St Kilda, Brisbane, Fremantle and the Western Bulldogs - to relinquish their prized picks.
“There’s a really strong, high-end talent base in SA this year,” Reid told AFL Trade Radio on Wednesday.
“At the same time, we’ve got to manage expectations out there. If you look at the history, apart from say Trent Croad and the (Lachie) Weller deal was a bit unusual last year, it’s very rare that your top five or top eight picks are moved.
“We can ask the question, but that doesn’t mean it’s always going to be accepted. We obviously rate them as individuals and if there’s an opportunity to get them in the draft, that’s fantastic, but we also understand there’s other clubs that have a keen interest in them as well.”
