Adelaide SSP aspirant Zac Foot has been backed to make an impact at the next level if given an opportunity.
Foot appears the frontrunner to claim the Crows' open list spot after fellow SSP trialist Tom McGuane was let go earlier this month.
Foot played two games for Sydney across 2019-20 and has since significantly developed his game at successful VFL club Southport.
“It's been a good journey for Zac,” Southport coach Matthew Primus told Zero Hanger.
“He brings a huge amount of energy and those players are really important. He's a power runner which suits AFL.
“At 25, he's gone through ups and downs and knows his games inside out. He's enjoyed his last few months there and he's a good enough player to be on anyone's AFL list.
"The biggest improvement has been his ability to stay involved in games, moments and quarters. His ability to rebound from a poor period and play really strongly straight away was impressive."
Adelaide have also shown strong interest in Tom Bell and Blake Drury, who have each trained with the AFL squad across the summer, but have not received an official SSP trial.
Last year was Primus' first at the helm for Southport, having previously served as a Gold Coast assistant and Port Adelaide senior coach, and he used Foot as an inside midfielder, but he has also shown the capacity to play other positions.
The livewire claimed the best and fairest last year for the VFL runners-up and has shown the capacity to play across a variety of positions.
“At AFL level, he would complement a couple of bulls in the midfield with his ability to win his own ball and break lines and break away from contest,” Primus said.
“If you've already got a couple of them, he can be a half forward who gets up the ground and race their opponents back, and modern wingers are guys who can get up and down the ground quickly which he can do.
“The versatility he has is a great strength.”
