Adelaide believe they are ready to target more mature players to complement their young talent as their squad continues to impress. While keen to ensure they don't sell the farm, the Crows are looking to compete in the coming years according to recruiting boss Hamish Ogilvie who spoke to the Gettable podcast this week.
Having started the season 4-4 where they have beaten a couple of top eight fancies and pushed arguably the best team in the competition, Collingwood, all the way, there is now enough evidence to prove the rebuild is on the right track.
This is all despite boasting one of the youngest lists in the competition. Having successfully targeted recruits such as Jordan Dawson and Izak Rankine to great effect however, the Crows will look to continue to add experienced talent where possible.
While targeting free agents or quality players will be crucial, Adelaide are mindful of retaining a balanced approach and will be keen to ensure they continue to take players in the first round of the draft, something they have managed to do for the past five years.
As Ogilvie pointed out to Gettable, the key would be to pay up for the right player in the right situation while staying nimble enough to change tact and focus on the draft should the right opportunity not present itself.
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"We've been a draft and develop team through this build, but we have to do a bit of that. We're not going to get five players from other clubs to come to Adelaide in one year, so we've had to do it that way," Ogilvie said.
"Clearly, Izak and Jordan were targets that we were specific on in terms of need and being South Australians coming back home. We'll continue to look at that. It won't always be possible, but we've clearly said we're ready and that's the next stage of the build.
"But this is a good draft. Maybe this is a draft to go with three or four picks and we don't trade or bring a free agent in."
As evidenced by new captain Jordan Dawson, nailing the right trade can pay off in spades, after the Crows traded a first round pick to Sydney for the star, who has become one of the game's best midfielders since 2021.
"The credit really goes to (Adelaide list manager) Justin Reid and the coaches on that one and the guys doing the pro scouting, because they watched him and forecast it.
"We knew he was a very good player at Sydney. It's also a credit to Jordan and what he's done. His leadership is developing really, really well. You'd love to have one of those every year, but it's not always possible."
Rankine has been another perfect example of making the right move for the right player after Adelaide traded pick 5 to Gold Coast at the end of last season for the explosive small forward.
"He's been fantastic and he's fitted in seamlessly. The boys love him. Obviously, it helps when you know the town and you know the people. He'd been at the club before and trained with us, so that all helped," Ogilvie said.
"He's got the speed that we knew we needed to add. Credit to him, he's worked really hard. We knew he was a really good runner. People underestimate how good a runner he is. His GPS is through the roof, because he's always up and back. In pre-season, he had the shoulder operation but he's done a power of work and it's a credit to Izak."
As one of the most watchable teams in the AFL at the moment, there is plenty to like about the Crows and should they continue to make the right moves during the trade and draft periods, a sustained challenge for a flag could be just around the corner.
