National Recruiting Manager Hamish Ogilvie says the Crows are rapt with their four selections in Wednesday’s AFL Rookie Draft.
Adelaide secured exciting West Australian forward Charlie Cameron, South Australian pair James Battersby and Alex Spina, and Oakleigh Chargers defender Jake Kelly in the rookie meet.
While the Crows didn’t add any ruckmen or key-position players to their list in the Rookie or National Draft, Ogilvie said the Club had recruited a good mix of young talent.
“We had a couple of talls on our list today, but they got snapped up,” Ogilvie said after the draft.
“We’ve got Sam Jacobs, Shaun McKernan, Angus Graham and then Jack Osborn on our rookie list, so we’re okay for now. We’ll keep looking for ruckmen.
“Our plan for the Rookie Draft was pretty much to take the best available player, with a slight slant to local talent. We also wanted to get some speed in and we’ve done that with Charlie and Alex.
“Overall, today went really well. We prepared for the worst-case scenarios, but fortunately those didn’t eventuate and things worked out. We’re very happy.”
Ogilvie and SA/WA Recruiting Manager, Phil Bunn, review each of Adelaide’s rookie picks:
Pick No.7 - Charlie Cameron
Position: Small forward
Height: 183cm
Weight: 72kg
Born: 5/7/94
Home club: Swan Districts
“We would’ve been happy to take Charlie in the National Draft. He was in the mix at pick No.46 (used to select Riley Knight), so we’re rapt to get him as a rookie. He’s only played between 30-40 games of footy. He went to Swan Districts hoping to get a game in the colts, but he played every game in the seniors this year and was selected to represent WA at the Under-18 National Championships. We’ve been keen to get some speed into our group and Charlie has serious speed.
“He loves tackling and creates a lot of goals through his forward pressure. He had nine tackles in one game in the WAFL. He can take a good mark for a little fella – I’ve seen him sit on top of a pack and take a hanger. He’s a chasing, hard-working, tackling small forward in the Eddie Betts/Jared Petrenko mould. Hopefully, Eddie, Jared and also Ian Callinan can take Charlie under their wings and really help bring him along.” – Hamish Ogilvie and Phil Bunn
Pick No.24 - James Battersby
Position: Small midfielder/defender/forward
Height: 177cm
Weight: 78kg
Born: 7/11/95
Home club: Sturt
“We thought James might be there at our second pick – we were hoping anyway. James played really well at SANFL level this year. Whenever he was available, Sturt picked him in their league side. He made an impact and had some great games in a variety of roles. He played wing and as an inside-midfielder for Sturt. When he played for SA at the National Championships, they used him as a small defender. His ability to read the play and rebound was very good and he was named All-Australian. He’s a very good kick and has great vision. Of the players to play all five games at the National Championships, his kicking efficiency was the best.” – Phil Bunn
Pick No.40 - Jake Kelly
Position: Small defender
Height: 189cm
Weight: 84kg
Born: 21/1/95
Home club: Oakleigh Chargers
“Jake is a super-intelligent and diligent professional. He split his time between Scotch College and Oakleigh Chargers this year. He has an AFL-level of preparation now and understands what’s required. He also has elite endurance and ran extremely well in the 3km time-trial at the Draft Combine. Jake will give himself every chance to make it. If ever there was a snapshot of the rookie mentality, that’s what you need. Rookies have to work their bums off and Jake will. He’s in ripping shape and is a good size.
“The sealer for us was a VFL game he played for Collingwood against Werribee. He played on the wing and we really liked his game. We watched him a lot and he’s had a nice, gradual improvement. He needs to work on his kicking, but we think he has a big upside. He’s definitely worth a crack. The issue was whether Collingwood would pick him (as a Father-Son selection), but it didn’t eventuate and he chose to try his luck in the draft. He’s happy to come here and we’re pleased to get him.” – Hamish Ogilvie
Pick No.52 Alex Spina
Position: Medium forward
Height: 181cm
Weight: 75kg
Born: 27/6/95
Home club: North Adelaide
“Alex was a really promising 17-year-old last year. He was selected in the AIS-AFL Academy squad and travelled to Europe this year. We all expected him to be a standout player this year, but for whatever reason he didn’t quite get the results this year that he or we had hoped for. He played reserves footy at North Adelaide for most of the year. He played a few Under-18 games and averaged about 25 disposals, so he showed he was a cut above that level. We’ve seen it before, where a kid is a dominant 17-year-old and then his 18th year just doesn’t quite happen. He’s got great speed and agility. He’s got a great side-step and kicks the ball really well. He needs to improve his work rate and he understands that. He’s a really good kid. I’ve had a couple of really honest chats to him recently and gave him some really honest feedback. He accepted the feedback and is ready to take the challenge on, and prove to a few people that he can play AFL footy.” – Phil Bunn
The Crows are on track to sell out Adelaide Oval in 2014. Don’t miss out! Visit 19thman.com.auor phone the Member Service Centre on (08) 8440 6666 to secure your spot.
