Port Adelaide champion Kane Cornes has labelled Adelaide "foolish" after deciding not to match St Kilda's offer for Brad Crouch.
Adelaide were handed pick 23 as compensation after Wednesday's 5pm deadline and allowed Crouch to leave West Lakes in favour of Moorabbin.
Speaking on AFL Trade Radio, Cornes said the Crows' decision to speak early on the matter cost them dearly after club officials said the they would match the Saints' offer.
“Regardless of their reasons behind it, it’s a lesson and a message to be careful with your words because right now if I’m an Adelaide fan, I don’t believe a word the Crows are telling me in terms of what they’re going to do in this trade period,” Cornes told AFL Trade Radio.
“They would have been wiser to just have said at the time; ‘we understand the pick has come through, we’ll take in all the information that we have and then make an informed decision at the point we’re ready’.
“Because right now, what they’re saying means nothing. St Kilda has absolutely bluffed their way through this beautifully and congratulations to the Saints for calling the Crows’ bluff, but the Crows look foolish.
“I don’t think Brad was absolutely the right fit for the Saints, but when you look at it holistically now, they’ve given up nothing to get him and they’re paying him probably market rate.”
Cornes further commended St Kilda's efforts to land Crouch.
“They’re giving him one or two more seasons than I would have been comfortable giving Brad Crouch, but in the end they’re paying him $600,000 which is probably market rate. He’s got incentives, triggers, they’ve protected themselves there and it’s not like the Dan Hannebery deal where they went all in and guaranteed the money,” he said.
“Given they haven’t traded for him, (it was) probably a risk worth taking for the Saints.”
