Gold Coast forward Chris Burgess has told the Suns of his wishes to be traded home to South Australia to join Adelaide for the 2024 season.
While Burgess has called Carrara home since the dawn of the 2019 season, the utility failed to make his mark at AFL level, representing the Suns in just 33 senior games
Whether forward, back or in the ruck, the West Adelaide product proved handy for his former coach Stuart Dew when utilised, however, it was at the reserves level where Burgess truly shone.
Throughout his 40 games for Gold Coast's VFL outfit in 2022 and 2023, Burgess would bag 124 goals with a supremely accurate 70.85 per cent conversion rate.
So potent was Burgess ahead of the ball, the 27-year-old would claim back-to-back Jim 'Frosty' Miller Medals, awarded to the league's leading goalkicker.
Despite being contracted at Carrara for the 2024 season, Burgess opted out on Tuesday, with AFL Media's Josh Gabelich reporting the sharpshooter wishes to be made a Crow this trade period.
Irrespective of his new-found skills inside forward 50, previous reports stress that should Burgess be afforded a path to West Lakes this off-season, he will likely spend much of 2024 playing behind the ball.
Said call comes as Crows head coach Matthew Nicks is already operating with several young key forwards, such as Darcy Fogarty and Riley Thilthorpe, however, if Burgess is to spend time forward, he will do so alongside former Sun and fellow West Adelaide alumni, Izak Rankine.
The ability to throw Burgess back will likely come as a timely elixer as Adelaide appears destined to lose key back Tom Dodee to free agency in the near future.
At present, Adelaide is currently armed with picks 9, 21 and 24 in order to broker a deal.
