In a Wednesday morning interview with SEN Breakfast, Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks suggested the Crows may make a bid for the highly-touted Bulldogs Academy kid Jamarra Ugle-Hagan.
Following a disastrous 2020 season that saw them claim the wooden spoon, the Crows now hold the first pick in next week's National Draft.
Ugle-Hagan's performances in the Oakleigh Charger's forward line have not only seen him draw comparisons to Lance Franklin, but have also caught Nicks' eye.
However, the fly in the ointment for Nicks and his recruitment team is that following a pick swap with GWS on Tuesday, the Western Bulldogs now hold 2489 draft points that will more than allow for them to cover a bid for 18-year-old's services.
Despite this, when quizzed about who the Crows will swoop on with the first pick, Nicks explained it will be spent on the best player available.
“I'm there to pick the best possible players in the draft and with that you use all your expertise and the guys that have watched them for years,” Nicks told SEN Breakfast.
“We'll pick the best player that we believe is in the draft and if that's Ugle-Hagan – because he's a super talented footballer, then that's where I guess a bid will come in because we believe he should be No.1 in the draft.
“We're not going to go out of our way to pick a young kid who's not that and risk not getting the best player in the draft.”
When asked whether Ugle-Hagan was indeed the best player in the draft, Nicks played a straight bat.
“I'm not going to give too much away, but he's extremely good. There are a number of players that sit around that first pick,” he said.
Should Adelaide fail to make a bid with the first pick, Sydney have expressed their intentions to make a bid for the precocious talent at pick three.
