The 2026 Continental Tyres AFL Trade Period concluded on Wednesday night, with Adelaide trading Luke Pedlar and Pick 34 to Port Adelaide in exchange for Pick 32 and a 2027 fourth-round selection (tied to Richmond).

Defender Nick Murray will remain at the Crows despite interest from North Melbourne, after a deal during the trade period was unable to be reached.

Crows Executive General Manager Football Adam Kelly spoke on the AFL’s Trade Mornings podcast on Thursday, and here’s what he had to say.

Why Crows held firm with North Melbourne offer for Nick Murray

Backman Nick Murray will be at the Crows in 2027 after Adelaide was unable to reach an agreement with North Melbourne, despite the Kangaroos showing interest in the defender.

Following the departure of defender Jordon Butts to the Bulldogs as a free agent, Kelly said retaining experienced key backs had become a priority.

“It's probably the outcome that we expected that would come out of that trade period with our picks in hand and Nick Murray remaining at the Club,” Kelly said.

“I think we were pretty clear from the outset, especially given that Jordon Butts has gone, we didn't want to further diminish our tall defensive stocks and risk jeopardising our winning chances in 2027.

“We'd articulated that from the start, and while North put forward a really strong offer, and did what they could to convince us that it was worth taking, our assessment of that was different, and so Nick remains with the footy Club.

“I fully understand and appreciate how people would be looking at the offer that North Melbourne made and make their own assessment of that value in it, and in a different set of circumstances, it might have had more value to us.”

Kelly said heading into this year’s Telstra AFL Draft with the Club’s current picks was important, given Tasmania entering next year’s draft.

“With next year's draft, I guess we can't assess the value of a future first simply by its label, and it's a uniquely compromised draft. 

“It’s best summarised by knowing that seven of the best 17-year-olds have already committed themselves to Tassie, and there's another seven selections in the top 13 next year, going to Tassie as well. 

“We had to factor that into our assessment, and then above and beyond all of that, we're in a win now phase. Having already lost Jordon, we weren't going to jeopardise our opportunity to win next year.”

Kelly was confident Murray would return to the Club for pre-season next month ready to re-establish himself as an important part of Adelaide’s defensive unit.

“He's an ultimate pro, a real competitor,” Kelly said.

“He’s now 25 years of age and has almost 80 games of experience under his belt, and along with Josh Worrell, Mark Keane and James Borlase, we think they form what is one of our strengths on our list.

“He's a determined man, and we look forward to him coming back in, he'll be fine, he's much loved within our group.”

Kelly on Luke Pedlar being traded to Port Adelaide

Luke Pedlar was traded to Port Adelaide after Adelaide struck a deal with its crosstown rivals in the final few minutes of the trade period on Wednesday night.

It comes after Pedlar informed the Club last month of his desire to move to the Power, following 49 games in six seasons at the Crows.

Kelly said the Club was happy to facilitate the trade, with both the Crows and Pedlar agreeing the forward needed a fresh start following injury struggles.

“I think he needed a fresh start, Luke's been unfortunate with his body and injuries across the course, he certainly put the work in, we can't doubt that,” Kelly said.

“When he's been fit and available, he's most often found his way into our best 23, but he hasn't been available as much as he would like, as much as we would like, and I think he determined that maybe the fresh start would lead to a change in fortune.

“We can understand why he would feel that way.”

Crows committing to former Swan Harry Cunningham

During the first week of the trade period, Adelaide confirmed its intent to add veteran Sydney defender Harry Cunningham to its Rookie List.

Cunningham played 233 games for the Swans across 15 seasons after joining the Club via the Rookie Draft in 2012.

Kelly said the Club's early interest in Cunningham was driven by his reputation as a leader and mentor, before discussions broadened.

“I'd spoken to a few people who had mentioned that Harry was of outstanding character and had great leadership qualities, and had some coaching ambition, so I guess that that was a starting point,” Kelly said.

“Harry finished the year really strongly playing wise, and he believes, and we believe he's still got something to give. 

“I think that that final against Brisbane highlighted just what he has got left to give. He had a really great game against the Lions, and so then it sort of went from maybe initially a coaching inquiry into ‘okay, how about we look at this from a transition from playing into coaching?’

“We think he's going to add experience and leadership behind the ball. He's got great footy IQ and acumen that he'll bring to our group, and he's got something off the field.”

Finalising coaching structure

The Crows’ coaching cohort is set to look slightly different in 2027, with Senior Coach Matthew Nicks at the helm but a change in personnel around him.

Kelly revealed the Crows were close to finalising their 2027 coaching structure and hoped to reveal more soon.

“We've made some good progress, and we've got a couple of coaches that will be joining our ranks, and we're just looking to finalise our coaching group before announcing that publicly,” Kelly said.

“We're really pleased with the group that we're pulling together, and hopefully in the next few days we might be able to finalise that.”

A list strategy update 

Adelaide will now turn its attention to the 2026 Telstra AFL Draft, with the Club excited about this year’s crop of young talent.

The Crows currently hold Picks No.15 (first round), 32, 35, 43, 56, 92 and 110.

Kelly said retaining its draft capital had put Adelaide in a strong position heading into November, with the Club eager to capitalise on what it viewed as a particularly strong cohort of young players.

“Our strategy this year, acknowledging the compromised draft in the years ahead, was to target free agents… That's why we targeted Zac Bailey,” Kelly said.

“We wanted to protect our draft hand this year, given what's coming in the years ahead. Once we missed out on our free agency target, we concentrated our efforts on this year’s draft.

“We believe that the squad's just got so much more to offer, and our confidence comes from not not just the potential, but their motivation and willingness to do the work. 

“With the attitude that our players have, we're really confident that our best is ahead of us, and we're capable of so much more, and that our players will reach their potential.”

The 2026 Telstra AFL Draft will be hosted across two nights on Thursday, November 19, and Friday, November 20.