Preview Round 1 2022 - Adelaide vs Fremantle, March 20, 2022

How many wins for the Crows in 2022?


  • Total voters
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  • Poll closed .
Nov 5, 2009
9,813
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Adelaide
Unavailable: Walker, Seedsman.

Rd 1 Locks if healthy:

Backs: Butts, Doedee, Smith, Milera, Jones, Brown

Midfield: Keays, Crouch, Schoenberg, Laird, Sloane, Obrien, Dawson.

Forwards: Thilthorpe, McAdam, Fog, McHenry

For me that's 17 positions filled.

1 lock for a KPD between Murray / Frampton.
1 small forward lock between Rowe/Rachelle

That takes us to 19 spots.

Which leaves 3 spots to go between the below:

Sholl, McPherson, Rowe/Rachelle, Cook, Berry, Soligo, Hamill, Hinge, Gollant, Hately, Murphy, McAsey, Pedlar.
 
Nov 1, 2012
38,542
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Adelaide
I’m hoping rather than expecting that Milera will turn out a really good player. I can’t remember any really great games, although I see he did get 1 brownlow vote twice in 2018 (Sholl is currently on 5 career votes)

He’s been an underperformer the whole time. Not terrible, not great.

Like a lot of players he’s gotten better in some peoples minds the longer he’s been out
 
Nov 5, 2009
9,813
8,919
AFL Club
Adelaide
He’s been an underperformer the whole time. Not terrible, not great.

Like a lot of players he’s gotten better in some peoples minds the longer he’s been out

Not sure that's fair.

I feel like he was trending nicely between 2016 - 2019 before injuries ruined 2020/2021.

Was an okay contributor during that time and never really tore a game apart, but those flashy highlights showed what he could become if he put it all together.
 
Nov 5, 2009
9,813
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AFL Club
Adelaide
I’m hoping rather than expecting that Milera will turn out a really good player. I can’t remember any really great games, although I see he did get 1 brownlow vote twice in 2018 (Sholl is currently on 5 career votes)

For whatever reason it felt like, with the exception of Oliver*, that that midfielders in the 2015 draft class took a little longer to really shine.

Same comments you made about Milera - could have been made about the below players at the beginning of last year.

Pick 3 - Callum Mills. First 5 seasons - 92 games - 5 total Brownlow votes. 6th season - 18 Brownlow votes.
Pick 5 - Darcy Parish. First 5 seasons - 97 games - 2 total Brownlow votes. 6th Season - 26 Brownlow votes.
Pick 7 - Jacob Hopper. First 5 seasons - 84 games - 2 total Brownlow votes. 6th Season - 15 Brownlow votes.
Pick 24 - Ben Keays. First 5 seasons - 46 games - 1 Brownlow vote. 6th Season - 11 Brownlow votes.

These midfielders are still waiting:

Pick 8 - Callum Ah Chee. First 6 seasons. 83 games - 0 Brownlow votes.
Pick 11 - Wayne Milera. First 6 seasons. 62 games - 2 Brownlow votes. *2020/2021 derailed by injury.
Pick 13 - Mathew Kennedy. First 6 seasons 60 games- 1 Brownlow vote.
Pick 18 - Jade Gresham. First 6 seasons 95 games - 12 Brownlow votes.*2020/2021 derailed by injury.
Pick 20 - Brayden Fiori. First 6 seasons 61 games - 12 Brownlow votes. *2020/2021 derailed by injury.
Pick 23 - David Cuningham. First 6 seasons 41 games - 3 Brownlow votes.

So in a draft where 11 midfielders where taken inside the top 24 picks only 1 became a dominant midfielder prior to their 6th AFL season. I could be wrong, but this seems a little longer than usual.

*Oliver still "broke out" in his 6th season going to another level. However he became a dominant midfielder in 2017.
 
Nov 6, 2003
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He’s been an underperformer the whole time. Not terrible, not great.

Like a lot of players he’s gotten better in some peoples minds the longer he’s been out
This is sad ....but true

So much latent talent, the Club has only seen a snippet of ......unfortunately, you get judged on your body of work
 
How far off is Newchurch?

He needs a run of games this year.

Hard to say without SANFL football. He's probably ready, body wise (and likely was last year), but he can be rather hit and miss with his effort/application.

Might debut, might get delisted at seasons end. Would be bloody handy if the penny drops though
 
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DaKids

All Australian
May 18, 2021
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Hard to say without SANFL football. He's probably ready, body wise (and likely was last year), but he can be rather hit and miss with his effort/application.

Might debut, might get delisted at seasons end. Would be bloody handy if the penny drops though
Raging ball of talent that lad. Quite possible he’s the most interesting watch of all the crows youngsters this year. Won’t be any in betweens I don’t think as you say.
 
He’s been an underperformer the whole time. Not terrible, not great.

Like a lot of players he’s gotten better in some peoples minds the longer he’s been out

I think the opposite is true, but depends on what your expectations are. There are some people who judged Milera too harshly from the start.

I remember he got some criticism in his first couple season, but I think most people on here judge 1st &2nd year players too harshly in general.
I’d say he was about on par for his first 2 years, before playing above the expected level of a 3rd year player in 2018, and his send half was pretty good compared with senior players.
It was more than just highlights and there was a lot more hype around him over the next pre-season.

2019 was the only year I would consider underwhelming so far. People remember for 2019 and not 2018.
 
Nov 1, 2012
38,542
58,983
AFL Club
Adelaide
I think the opposite is true, but depends on what your expectations are. There are some people who judged Milera too harshly from the start.

I remember he got some criticism in his first couple season, but I think most people on here judge 1st &2nd year players too harshly in general.
I’d say he was about on par for his first 2 years, before playing above the expected level of a 3rd year player in 2018, and his send half was pretty good compared with senior players.
It was more than just highlights and there was a lot more hype around him over the next pre-season.

2019 was the only year I would consider underwhelming so far. People remember for 2019 and not 2018.

WTF.
 
Jun 21, 2014
8,559
9,320
AFL Club
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Your post is a prime example. You ignore is good form because you mostly remember his most recent season.

Rubbish. He played a few promising games very early in his first year, including running rings around the Richmond guy.
Later, he had a run of good games for half a year at HBF. Pretty limp-wristed apart from that.

I'm sure the Colonel remembers that. ;)
 

StickerMan

Club Legend
Jun 10, 2005
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Rubbish. He played a few promising games very early in his first year, including running rings around the Richmond guy.
Later, he had a run of good games for half a year at HBF. Pretty limp-wristed apart from that.

I'm sure the Colonel remembers that. ;)
I think most people remembers Wayne as the player we hoped he would become. His best was electrifying but was far too inconsistent to be classed anything other than a C grader. Often going missing for large periods of the game.

Still only 24, as long as injuries are behind him there is hope he can still become that player.

On SM-G986B using BigFooty.com mobile app
 
Rubbish. He played a few promising games very early in his first year, including running rings around the Richmond guy.
Later, he had a run of good games for half a year at HBF. Pretty limp-wristed apart from that.

I'm sure the Colonel remembers that. ;)
Lol I think you need to rewatch some games
 
Nov 1, 2012
38,542
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AFL Club
Adelaide
Your post is a prime example. You ignore is good form because you mostly remember his most recent season.

This is just crazy talk

It’s possible to believe in his potential, and possible to believe he can still deliver on it

It is not possible to hold a serious, informed opinion that he has been some form of real success until now or even prior to injury.

It’s just not a serious or reasonable contention worthy of discussion.
 
This is just crazy talk

It’s possible to believe in his potential, and possible to believe he can still deliver on it

It is not possible to hold a serious, informed opinion that he has been some form of real success until now or even prior to injury.

It’s just not a serious or reasonable contention worthy of discussion.
What level of expectation would you put on a 3rd year player?

Edit: classic sanders non-answer, you love to see it.
 
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Big Dub

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Feb 8, 2018
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He made our top 10 in the b&f in 2018, which is pretty good for a 3rd year player. Then didn't make the top 10 in 2019, which is a regression in his 4th year.

Has the potential to be pretty good, but inconsistent.
 
Nov 1, 2012
38,542
58,983
AFL Club
Adelaide
He made our top 10 in the b&f in 2018, which is pretty good for a 3rd year player. Then didn't make the top 10 in 2019, which is a regression in his 4th year.

Has the potential to be pretty good, but inconsistent.

It’s ok.

Look the bloke was our compensation for losing Dangerfield and he’s been soft, doesn’t work both ways, and has played one of the easiest positions on the ground at half back because he couldn’t impact the game further up.

He’s been a fairly average performer with much more natural talent than appetite or work ethic

Hopefully his time away from the game has ignited some form of hunger for it

He’s been a very disappointing player so far, and aside from a single fan boi I don’t think anyone would be make that draft pick again with hindsight
 

Big Dub

All Australian
Feb 8, 2018
975
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AFL Club
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It’s ok.

Look the bloke was our compensation for losing Dangerfield and he’s been soft, doesn’t work both ways, and has played one of the easiest positions on the ground at half back because he couldn’t impact the game further up.

He’s been a fairly average performer with much more natural talent than appetite or work ethic

Hopefully his time away from the game has ignited some form of hunger for it

He’s been a very disappointing player so far, and aside from a single fan boi I don’t think anyone would be make that draft pick again with hindsight
I don't disagree that we expected more than we've got so far. But there weren't a lot of good players picked just after him (that were actually available), so I think we still made the right choice.

Thankfully it wasn't Francis that slipped to our pick.
 
Jun 21, 2014
8,559
9,320
AFL Club
Adelaide
It’s ok.

Look the bloke was our compensation for losing Dangerfield and he’s been soft, doesn’t work both ways, and has played one of the easiest positions on the ground at half back because he couldn’t impact the game further up.

He’s been a fairly average performer with much more natural talent than appetite or work ethic

Hopefully his time away from the game has ignited some form of hunger for it

He’s been a very disappointing player so far, and aside from a single fan boi I don’t think anyone would be make that draft pick again with hindsight

It's interesting that he himself has said recently that he wants to play at halfback, as his best spot. This would agree with our assessment and put an end to the wide hope of many that he will succeed as a midfielder.
 

Go the Guts

Premiership Player
Apr 2, 2009
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I reckon the first name on the whiteboard for round one will be Hinge.

Injured his shoulder, our players were dropping like flies, came back on to help with rotations and season then wiped out.

I very rarely agree with promising spots for players etc. In this circumstance I think it's fine.

Hately also.
 
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