Restricted Free Agent Eddie Betts is hopeful of becoming a Crow in the next couple of days, says manager Ned Guy.
On Thursday, Betts met with Carlton to inform the club of his decision to pursue Free Agency.
Betts’ management confirmed Adelaide and North Melbourne had both expressed keen interest in securing the 26-year-old’s services, but said Betts had selected the Crows as his club of choice.
Adelaide will lodge its offer with the AFL on Friday at the commencement of the Free Agency period. At that point, the Carlton Football Club will have the right to match the offer to Betts.
“Eddie’s preferred choice is Adelaide. Now, it’s a matter of if we can get there,” Guy told AFL Trade Week Radio on Thursday.
“We’ll sit down with Adelaide and nut out the finer points, but they’re keen to have him and he’s keen to get there, so hopefully we can make that happen.”
Despite having lived in Melbourne for more than a decade, Betts has ties to South Australia.
The exciting small forward was born in Port Lincoln and played junior footy for the same club as Graham Johncock, Mallee Park. He grew up barracking for the Crows.
“Eddie’s got family over in Adelaide – his father is there, so they (the Crows) thought it might be a nice little fit and as things are panning out, it looks like it might be,” Guy said.
If the deal can be done, Guy said Betts would be a good fit for the Crows forward line, which will be bolstered by the return of spearhead Taylor Walker next season.
“Big Tex (Walker) has first dibs on the goal square,” he said.
“Eddie is an interesting one. He’s a small, but he’s also very damaging on the lead. He’s a great crumber, but he can play both those roles. I think he’ll slot into the forward line very well with Tex and the likes of a Jared Petrenko, applying forward 50m defensive pressure.
“Eddie’s up there with the best (in forward defensive pressure) and I think those two (Betts and Petrenko) could work pretty well in tandem.”
Guy, from McDonald Sports and Talent Management, also manages Crow Ricky Henderson.
There has been speculation the contracted defender could seek a trade back to Victoria, but Guy said he expected Henderson to remain at West Lakes.
“There’s a lot of speculation at this time of year. Ricky is contracted until 2015, so unless there was a shift in the way things are happening at the moment, he’ll be a Crow next year.”