Spots in Adelaide’s State League team for Round One will be on the line in when the Crows tackle Sturt in a trial game on Saturday morning.
The match, which coincides with the Club’s annual Members Day, will be the first hit-out against an opposition team for many of the Crows development squad players, who joined the train-on squad in November. The squad of 25 is comprised of players from a range of SANFL, metropolitan and country clubs.
With Adelaide’s State League team to be picked from a mixture of AFL and development squad players, coach Heath Younie said every player would be pushing for selection at some level.
“We are really looking forward to seeing how much development our younger AFL players have made, but also our State League guys who we’ve been working with over the last couple of months,” Younie said.
“We’ve got three trial matches to play and, hopefully, some of these guys will come through in those games and put their hand up for Round One.”
The trial will be held at 10am on Saturday, less than 24 hours after the Club’s AFL side takes on the GWS Giants in Blacktown. Members and supporters, who are encouraged to come along and join as members on the day, will also enjoy a variety of other attractions including player signing sessions and children’s activities.
Adelaide’s other trial games are against Woodville-West Torrens and South Adelaide later in the month.
Younie, who has worked closely with Crows development coaches Peter Jonas, Tate Kaesler and Jarrod Cotton throughout the summer, has been impressed with the attitude and application of the development players over the past three months.
“The group’s coming along really nicely,” Younie said.
“I think a lot of these guys have shown that they are going to be around the mark to play League footy.”
The three-time North Adelaide leading goalkicker said he has been blessed working with a skilled coaching group throughout the summer.
“I’m in a really fortunate position, to go into my first senior coaching job with that sort of experience around me,” Younie said.
“Peter Jonas is an SANFL premiership coach at Central Districts. He’s also had stints at Sydney, St Kilda and obviously Adelaide.”
Assistants Jarrod Cotton and Tate Kaesler also bring great football credentials, with Cotton a representative of Port Adelaide’s inaugural AFL squad and a former Norwood assistant coach, and Kaesler an ex-SANFL player with North Adelaide and Sturt before joining the Crows in 2008.
“We’ve also got Alan Stewart, who will help mentor the coaching group and who has an enormous amount of experience as a coach at SANFL level and working in the AFL environment,” Younie said.
“You can’t buy that experience.
“So for me to be able to go to those guys and ask questions and bounce ideas off them, it can only be a huge benefit for me and also the rest of the group.”
Ticketed Crows members receive entry into all 18 of Adelaide's SANFL matches in the 2014 season. Click here to browse the membership packages for 2014 and join the 19th Man today.
