Will the Adelaide Crows improve in 2014

phil5158 · October 12, 2013, 08:21:52 PM

So far the recruiting has been decent with Eddie Betts and some are happy we got him and some aren't but i personally think he will be a massive help for us in 2014.

good that we got Betts but who else are they going to get i dont think that is enough just one player. We are still in desperate need of a Ruck backup and i think maybe another defender and a forward for insurance maybe try recruiting Scott Gumbleton or James Podsiadly

We also know a massive key to the Crows improving next year is their agression and tackling and being able to win the centre clearances like we did in 2012 meaning we need a heaps better season from Sam Jacobs

There is much work in my opinion till we can get to the grand final stages. Plus we got some players who wont be around for too much longer like Rutten, Reilly, Vince, Van Berlo, Porplyzia meaning we have to keep developing our current youngsters who are already coming along very well and have been impressive to watch during this season

If i missed something the Crows need to do to improve please add a comment below

Kellogscrunchynut · October 12, 2013, 08:32:18 PM

I'd expect them to bounce back with the return of Tex Walker, Eddie Betts will compliment him, Lynch and Johnston nicely and with their abundance of key forwards I'm not sure if an addition of Gumbleton or Podsiadly will be in their interests.

The senior players you mentioned in the last paragraph are still very capable of performing at the highest level and should be able to do so next year.

Maybe they could give a bit of extra support to Sam Jacobs, although Jenkins should be able to do that.

phil5158 · October 12, 2013, 08:43:44 PM

yeah my problem with jenkins is that he doesnt often win the centre clearences that is why i can't understand why David Noble is saying no to Jonothan Giles i think he would be perfect just what we need to help out sauce and he can also kick goals which is another bonus of getting Giles.

you right i think Reilly, Van Berlo, Rutten and Vince can perform well for us next year but still i dont know how you're confident with Porplyzia i just think the shoulder injuries hes had have finished him off he is no where near as damaging as he used to be i think his time is up unfortunately.

and try searching it David Noble has said the Crows are interested in Podsiadly and Gumbleton because as good as it is with Walker returning that wont be until round 6-12 so we need some experience for our forward line in the meantime

Kellogscrunchynut · October 12, 2013, 08:47:40 PM

Oh I was under the impression that Walker would be fit and firing round 1, if thats the case either of those players could be beneficial to the Crows, maybe even get Podsiadly as a coach.

phil5158 · October 12, 2013, 10:09:43 PM

yeah i think if they were to recruit Podsiadly it might be only for 2 years and then he could make the transition into a assistant coach or development coach for the crows will be able to feed some good knowledge to our youngsters

or even be the forward coach

getting Gumbleton hes a good player and i like him but he is very injury prone if he can get himself fit he could be a huge steal for us and maybe a new club being in a new environment might help him overcome his injuries

Jay · October 13, 2013, 10:18:44 AM

Well first of all, we need Taylor Walker to come back 100%. With him fit and firing we will have no problem with hitting the scoreboard.

Our big guy, Sauce Jacobs needs to lift in the hitouts. Jenkins was really poor in 2013 but if he can play as a 2nd tall and kick straight while helping Sauce in the ruck, he'll become a very valuable player. Can he do it? I'm not sure...

Having had no good draft picks lately, the kids we do have need to continue to improve... Guys like Laird, Grigg, Crouch, Brown, Lyons, Kerridge etc. have to all show improvement!

tbagrocks · October 16, 2013, 06:30:27 PM

Crouch, Walker, Sloane, Danger, Grigg, Kerridge, Laird, Brown, Smith, Lyons, Shaw, Talia, Lynch, LJ, Wright plus some more

All 23 or under ;)

powersuperkents · October 18, 2013, 12:50:48 PM

Jpod is now a crow. I personally think it is a desperate recruitment but still much better than Essendon getting Chapman. If a team as good as Geelong didn't want them I think it is wise to avoid those players. It'll be interesting because although old Jpod will offer more than Chapman & Hunt, I think he's just being brought in to support Walker to be acclimate to the game again

elephants · October 18, 2013, 12:53:55 PM

Desperate recruiting? I disagree. Adelaide have a ton of young KPP coming through in Johnstone, Lynch, JJ, Mckernan and because they're all so young they're inconsistent and injury prone. Getting in a seasoned veteran from a club with arguably the best culture in the AFL is far from a bad move. Another 1-2 years out of Jpod should give the Crows enough time to form a beast forward line in 2015/2016.

JBs-Hawks · October 18, 2013, 05:15:21 PM

Quote from: powersuperkents on October 18, 2013, 12:50:48 PM
Jpod is now a crow. I personally think it is a desperate recruitment but still much better than Essendon getting Chapman. If a team as good as Geelong didn't want them I think it is wise to avoid those players. It'll be interesting because although old Jpod will offer more than Chapman & Hunt, I think he's just being brought in to support Walker to be acclimate to the game again

'

Essendon getting Chapman is a great move, but you predicted Port winning 4 flags in a row so i guess your opinion cant be taken too strongly.

powersuperkents · October 19, 2013, 02:56:31 AM

Quote from: JBs-Hawks on October 18, 2013, 05:15:21 PM
Quote from: powersuperkents on October 18, 2013, 12:50:48 PM
Jpod is now a crow. I personally think it is a desperate recruitment but still much better than Essendon getting Chapman. If a team as good as Geelong didn't want them I think it is wise to avoid those players. It'll be interesting because although old Jpod will offer more than Chapman & Hunt, I think he's just being brought in to support Walker to be acclimate to the game again
'

Essendon getting Chapman is a great move, but you predicted Port winning 4 flags in a row so i guess your opinion cant be taken too strongly.

hahaha that was obviously implied as a joke which could be identified by the parentheses directly after the statement (which was left out if I might add).

@Elephants as I said it was purely my opinion about Jpod being a desperate recruitment (I mainly thought that after it looked like Port won the favour of Polec over the Crows (a clear depiction of how the balance of power has shifted in the South Australian football world) :) but in all honesty reading your point has made me think otherwise because I now agree with your overview that the aim isn't to strengthen their forwardline with seasoned pickups but to insert some experience into a young forward line to help & speed up the development of their so far prospective (yet inconsistent (purely due to their age & lack of experience) rookies. Kerridge, Lynch, Jenkins all look like they have bright futures I'm pretty sure McKernan is leaving the crows though because I thought I heard that he'd requested a trade to Victoria and I'm still skeptical about Johnston because of how rare it is for a recycled player to work out but then again they've just recruited one of the greatest recycled key forwards in the history of the AFL (spur of the moment thought which I hadn't considered) so taking that in account I have to say that this is quite a good pick up because if anyone it to launch Johnston's career to the next level who better than the JPOd

@JBs-Hawks Essendon getting Chapman is incredibly desperate and is a forced move due to losing Crameri & soon Gumbleton. No other club made a move (they may of expressed interest but that doesn't mean shower because we don't know the extent to which they expressed it) for Chapman because he's old, past his prime & now maimed to add to the 'do not list'. I'm 99.99% sure it won't work out just like when Essendon recruited Mal Micheals & Mark Williams. I swear their trading department is useless. Essendon have their backs against the wall after that scandal and its disappointing because in all honesty they were a top 4 team until the repercussions of the scandal hit full pelt. That lacked the midfield depth of the other top four teams and that's why they couldn't overcome any of them but I think they would have made the semi-finals (I don't think they could mentally beat another top four team to make the grand final). I have a feeling they are going to fall apart next year with their forwards wanting to move

Ricochet · October 21, 2013, 10:14:59 AM

Sorry powersuperkents i completely disagree on Chappy. I think he will be a great recruit for the bombers. He will bring the leadership and experience of success that they vitally need to pass onto the youngsters. Only good things can come from a player like Chappy that has changed teams chasing more success and not to just fill their pockets.

Rusty00 · October 21, 2013, 12:24:09 PM

Chapman is a good pick-up for the Bombers and has nothing to do with them losing Crameri and Gumbleton. His body is a bit suspect but his 4 goals in the SF against Port proves that he is still a game-breaker.

I'm still surprised that Geelong didn't offer him another year.

powersuperkents · October 25, 2013, 09:48:54 AM

He brings a lot to the table and I've acknowledged that I'm just skeptical about his fitness. If I had to bet (purely a hunch) I'd put my money on him playing only 5-7 games next season. That is all though, he's a free agent and he was delisted so the bombers don't lose anything from signing him and he doesn't cost anything so there is virtually no risk but I just think he's too old and after this season and witnessing his decline over the last 3 seasons I have a feeling next season is the one where his career snaps