Draftee Wayne Milera has taken over a number worn by a Crows premiership forward.
Milera will wear the No.30 made famous by fan favourite and 1998 Grand Final hero Peter Vardy.
Like Vardy, Milera hails from SANFL club Central District and is more than capable in front of goals.
The exciting 18-year-old, who played 11 league games for the Bulldogs this season, bagged five goals against Glenelg in Round 18 and kicked another three in the Semi-Final win over Port Adelaide.
A, 183cm, 77kg, forward/wingman, Milera played all six games for South Australia at the Under-18 National Championships. His disposal efficiency across the championships was among the best at 84 per cent. He continued his strong finish to the year by coming seventh in the 30-metre Repeat Sprint Test at the Draft Combine.
Milera will be hoping to become only the fourth player to wear the No.30 for Adelaide in an AFL game for premiership points. Vardy, who wore the jumper in 96 games for the Club, is the most-capped No.30 in Crows history. Grantley Fielke was the original owner, while forward Luke Jericho also wore the jumper in the mid-to-late 2000s. Locker No.30 was most recently owned by former rookie Jack Osborn.
Adelaide’s second selection in the AFL National Draft, Tom Doedee, has also received his jumper number. Doedee will wear the No.39, which was most recently worn by Riley Knight. Knight has moved into No.3 following the retirement of 200-gamer Brent Reilly.
Doedee, 18, is a competitive defender, who has also played forward. The Geelong Falcon excels one-on-one, is strong overhead and clean below his knees. He has the capability to play on taller or smaller opponents, and is regarded for his courage.
Doedee aims to become the sixth player to wear the No.39 in a match for the Crows. Jonathon Ross was the first owner of the jumper, while running half-back Marty Mattner is the most-capped No.39 with 98 games to his name.
New rookies Jonathon Beech and Paul Hunter will continue the tradition of two former mature-age Crows recruits in their new numbers.
Beech, 25, will take over the No.1 from retired forward James Podsiadly, who has joined Adelaide’s coaching team. Podsiadly is one of eight Crows to have worn the jumper in an official AFL match. Greg Anderson holds the games record in the number with 59.
Hunter, 22, will wear the No.37 which has been vacated by former Crows AFL and SANFL player Ian Callinan. The number was worn by Club great Tyson Edwards before he shifted to No.9, and was also owned by fan favourite Trent Hentschel.
The Crows have now finalised their playing numbers for Season 2016. They are as follows:
1. Jonathon Beech*
2. Brad Crouch
3. Riley Knight
4. Josh Jenkins
5. Scott Thompson
6. Jake Lever
7. Nathan van Berlo
8. Mitch Grigg
9. Rory Sloane
10. Matthew Jaensch
11. Paul Seedsman
12. Daniel Talia
13. Taylor Walker
14. David Mackay
15. Kyle Hartigan
16. Luke Brown
17. Curtly Hampton
18. Eddie Betts
20. Hugh Greenwood**
21. Rory Atkins
22. Andy Otten
23. Charlie Cameron
24. Sam Jacobs
25. Kyle Cheney
26. Richard Douglas
27. Tom Lynch
28. Cam Ellis-Yolmen
29. Rory Laird
30. Wayne Milera
31. Jarryd Lyons
32. Troy Menzel
33. Brodie Smith
34. Sam Shaw
35. Harrison Wigg
36. Dean Gore
37. Paul Hunter*
38. Harry Dear
39. Tom Doedee
40. Luke Lowden
41. Mitch McGovern
42. Alex Keath**
43. Reilly O’Brien*
44. Matt Crouch
45. Ricky Henderson
46. Keenan Ramsey*
47. Jake Kelly
* Denotes rookie
** Denotes Category-B rookie
