Adelaide has signed Wollongong teenager Aidan Riley as a NSW Scholarship player.
Riley, who turned 17 in December, is a 181cm midfielder who impressed Crows recruiting manager Matthew Rendell at the recent NSW/ACT Under 18 State zone trials in Coffs Harbour. He has since been named in the NSW/ACT Rams squad for 2009.
“Aidan stood out to me – he impressed me with his speed, balance, agility, kicking, decision-making, and competitiveness,” Rendell said.
Shin splints restricted Riley’s football in 2008, when he was a member of the Rising Rams program and also played some senior games early in the season for the Wollongong Lions. However, he finished the season in the Sydney reserves side which won the AFL Canberra grand final by one point.
Originally from Perth, his family moved to Wollongong at the age of seven.
As a scholarship player, Riley is now eligible to be added to Adelaide’s list at the end of the year.
The Crows have two other players on NSW Scholarships – Sam Martyn (from Merimbula) and Aaron Duncan (Pennant Hills, Sydney).
The club’s first scholarship signing, Taylor Walker from Broken Hill, was promoted to the senior list at the end of 2007.
