Brown, Crouch deal lodged
Adelaide has completed a deal to secure Norwood's Luke Brown and also intends to select 17-year-old Brad Crouch at Monday’s mini-draft.
The Crows have given Greater Western Sydney the compensation pick offered to Adelaide for losing Phil Davis, plus pick 10 from the 2011 draft, to secure the pair.
Brown, a quick and versatile utility, turned 19 last month and has played regular league football for SANFL club Norwood this season. He also represented SA in the national under-18 championships this year.
Adelaide intends to select Crouch after securing the second pick in next Monday’s mini-draft of 17-year-olds, one of the additional draft options available this year as part of GWS’s start-up recruiting concessions.
Players chosen in this draft are too young to play AFL in 2012 but can still join the Club on a full-time basis and play in a state league competition.
Crouch, who turns 18 in January, is a strongly-built 184cm midfielder from Beaufort who plays with the North Ballarat Rebels. He was chosen in the All Australian under-18 side this year after representing Vic Country in the national under-18 championships and was also a member of the AIS-AFL Academy.
Crows List Manager David Noble said: “We are delighted to complete another key part of our overall strategy and recruit these lads to our footy club. The Crows have not had many opportunities to bid for the country’s best junior players through the draft system but Brad is certainly in that category. To be in a position to put him in the bank now is exciting for our Club and its members. We have had a close look at all the players in this mini-draft pool and we are excited to have the opportunity to pick Brad.
“We also rate Luke Brown very highly and we were keen to deal for him. He was a proven performer at senior level this season with Norwood and had an equally impressive draft camp last week.”
Adelaide currently holds picks 24, 35, 46 and 64 in next month’s 2011 national draft but still has ruckman Ivan Maric and young defender Tony Armstrong seeking trades to other AFL clubs.