The remarkable form of Eddie Betts has sparked debate over who is Adelaide’s best-ever recruit.
From inaugural squad member Tony McGuinness, to two-time premiership hero Darren Jarman and current-day stars Betts, Scott Thompson and Sam Jacobs the Crows have secured some boom recruits over 25 seasons.
For the sake of this argument, we’ve narrowed the list to players who played AFL for another club before pulling on the Crows jumper. Two favourite sons of the Club, Andrew McLeod and Nathan Bassett have not been considered.
Fremantle traded the rights to McLeod ahead of the Dockers’ inaugural 1995 season, but the future two-time premiership player, Norm Smith Medallist and Crows games record holder didn’t play a game for the Dockers. Bassett spent two years at Melbourne, but wasn’t selected for an AFL game until he joined Adelaide at the end of 1997.
Read the biographies of some of the Club’s recruiting success stories and vote for your best!
Scott Thompson
Thompson is the Adelaide Football Club’s most enduring recruit, and one of the most decorated. The strong-bodied midfielder returned to South Australia at the end of 2004 after four injury-riddled seasons with the Melbourne Demons, who recruited with him pick No. 16 in the 2000 National Draft. Ironically, the durable and consistent 32-year-old has only missed a handful of games since and will this weekend climb to eighth on Adelaide’s all-time games leaderboard, level with Michael Doughty on 231 games. A member of the senior leadership group, Thompson is an All Australian and two-time Club Champion. The prolific ball winner, who was made a Life Member in 2014, has more than repaid the faith the Crows showed in him when they gave up pick No.12 to secure him over a decade ago.
Darren Jarman
It’s hard to go past Darren Jarman for the recruit who had the biggest impact. Jarman joined the Crows at the end of 1995 in a complicated trade with Hawthorn, where he played 109 games, won a premiership (1991), earned All Australian selection twice and won the best and fairest in 1995. The skilful champion was an All Australian in his first year with the Crows and then twice a Grand Final match winner. Jarman booted five goals in the last quarter of the 1997 Grand Final (for a total of six) after being moved to full forward and then kicked five goals in the 1998 win over North Melbourne. He retired at the end of the 2001 season after playing 121 games at the Crows. In 2007 he became the first Adelaide player to be inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame. He was awarded life membership of the Adelaide Football Club in 2008.
Eddie Betts
A relatively recent recruit, Betts joined the Crows – the team he grew up supporting – as a Free Agent ahead of the 2014 season. Betts established himself as one of the best small forwards of the modern era during 184 games at Carlton, and has only enhanced his credentials at Adelaide. The elusive goalkicker topped the Club’s goalkicking (51) in his first season; won the Coach’s Award and finished top-10 in the best and fairest. He’s picked up where he left off this year, booting 26 goals in the first seven rounds to sit second in the Coleman Medal. Betts, who has been labelled the ‘most exciting player since Tony Modra’, whips the Adelaide Oval crowd – who chant his name – into a frenzy, with his mercurial goals and high-flying marks. At age 28, the fan favourite, who is also a mentor and excellent role model off the field, still has plenty of good Crows footy ahead of him.
Matthew Robran
Robran made his AFL debut the same night Adelaide entered the national competition, but for the opposing team – Hawthorn. He played seven games for the Hawks before deciding to return to South Australia. Remarkably, Hawthorn used the draft pick they received for Matthew to draft his younger brother Jonathon. A broken leg prevent Robran from playing more games in his first few years at the Crows, but by 1996 he was an important contributor at centre half-forward, finishing fourth in the club champion voting and winning the Best Team Man award. He played the same role in the Club’s 1997 and 1998 premiership campaigns, kicking a career-best six goals in the 1998 Preliminary Final win over the Western Bulldogs. He retired at the end of 2001 after 130 games and 110 goals in the blue, red and gold.
Scott Welsh
After being a part of North Melbourne’s 1999 premiership team, Welsh sought a trade back to South Australia and joined the Crows ahead of the 2000 season. The spiky-blond haired forward had immediate success, booting 47 goals in his first season to be the Club’s leading goalkicker. The 2005 season, where he kicked 58 goals, was his best in Crows colours. Welsh, who finished his career at the Western Bulldogs, played 129 games for the Adelaide Football Club and kicked 270 goals – only Tony Modra, Mark Ricciuto and Andrew McLeod booted have booted more goals for the Crows.
Tony McGuinness
Adelaide needed to entice some former South Australian stars to return to bolster the inaugural squad and it hit the jackpot with rover Tony McGuinness. After a successful start to his career in the SANFL, McGuinness moved to VFL club Footscray, where he played 109 VFL/AFL games in five seasons and won a best-and-fairest in 1987. He also won All Australian selection in 1987, 1988 and 1990. But the birth of the Adelaide Football Club proved impossible to resist and McGuinness returned to SA at the end of 1990. McGuinness, who was the first player to kick a goal for the Crows in a premiership game,finished runner-up in the Club Champion award in three of his first four seasons and won the award in 1993. He was twice chosen as an All Australian (1992-93). After four years as a vice-captain he took over from Chris McDermott as captain in 1995. McGuinness played a total of 113 games for the Crows, kicking 79 goals.
Sam Jacobs
Ruckmen take time to develop and Adelaide had its timing right when it traded for Sam Jacobs at the end of 2010. Rookie drafted by Carlton from SANFL club Woodville-West Torrens at the end of 2006, Jacobs spent two seasons playing in the VFL before being promoted to make his AFL debut early in the 2009 season. Despite facing strong competition for the ruck role, Jacobs played 13 games in 2010 for a total of 17 with Carlton. He starred in its elimination final loss to Sydney before requesting a trade back to South Australia and the Crows. After four years in the AFL system, Jacobs quickly established himself as Adelaide’s No 1 ruckman. He narrowly missed All Australian selection in 2012 and again last season.
Mark Stevens
In the space of 12 months, Stevens went from a North Melbourne fringe player to a Crows premiership hero after winning a Grand Final against his old club. Stevens played 21 games in three years with the Kangaroos before he was traded to Adelaide at the end of 1997 in a direct swap for Jason McCartney. The 194cm utility played in defence in the 1998 premiership win, but later in his career also spent time as a quality forward. He finished fourth in the best and fairest in 1999 and won the Best Team Man award. Stevens polled votes in every game in 2001 to finish runner-up to Andrew McLeod in the Club Champion award and came equal third in 2002. He reached the 100-game milestone late in his career and kicked 131 goals.
Kym Koster
After 38 games in two years at Footscray, Koster was traded to the Crows before the 1996 season. It proved a good move as he played in both the 1997 and 1998 premierships. He was a hardworking footballer, who spent most of his game time on the wing or at half-forward. He fought back from a knee reconstruction and was regarded as a courageous player in his 95 games for the Adelaide Football Club.
Peter Caven
Like Koster, Caven was recruited by the Crows ahead of the premiership years of 1997-98. Caven started his AFL career with Fitzroy in 1991 and played 39 games in three years before switching to Sydney for another 18 games in two years. Adelaide was his next home, from 1996, and where he had his greatest success, playing 82 games. Caven, who was traded for Paul Rouvray, had a fantastic left-foot kick and had the ability to play at either end of the ground. He made his mark with the Crows as a key defender after spending most of his first year at West Lakes as a forward. Is best remembered for his influential role against North Melbourne champion forward Wayne Carey in the 1998 Grand Final. Now a Board member on the Club’s Past Players and Officials Association.
Troy Bond
A disillusioned Troy Bond proved to be a brilliant pick-up from Carlton, where he was dropped for the 1995 Grand Final after playing 36 games in two seasons with the Blues. The small forward, originally from SANFL club Port Adelaide, returned to South Australia as part of a three-way trade between the Crows, Geelong and Carlton to add speed, skill and game-breaking goals to the Adelaide forward line. Bond kicked four goals in the 1997 premiership win over St Kilda, but injuries restricted his last couple of seasons and he missed the 1998 flag success. The elusive forward only played 58 games for the Crows but his role in the ‘97’ flag will never be forgotten.
Shane Ellen
Another integral member of Adelaide’s 1997-98 premiership teams, Ellen is best remembered for his five-goal performance in the 1997 Grand Final victory after surprisingly starting as a forward. For most of his career he was a reliable defender. He played 11 games for Footscray in two years, but was cut at the end of 1995 and picked up by the Crows in the 1996 Pre-Season draft. He played 17 games in his first year with the Crows, but was out of the side for much of 1997 before returning in time for the finals. He had only kicked one goal for the Crows in his first 26 games before his cameo in the grand final. Also played in Adelaide’s 1998 premiership.
Matthew Connell
After playing just three games with West Coast in 1993 and none in its premiership-winning 1994 season, the wingman/rover moved to Adelaide and immediately found personal success. He won the Crows’ Club Champion award in his first year and was picked in WA’s State-of-Origin side. He then played in both of Adelaide’s premierships in 1997-98. Connell played a total of 96 games for the Crows after being traded for pick No.44.
The complete list of Crows recruits
MatthewRobran
Scott Welsh
Darren Jarman
Scott Stevens
Matthew Clarke
Tony McGuinness
Mark Stevens
Matt Connell
Kym Koster
Kris Massie
Peter Caven
Matt Bode
Jason Torney
Brad Symes
Greg Anderson
Troy Bond
Shane Ellen
Mark Mickan
Jason McCartney
Wayne Carey
James Begley
Clay Sampson
Ronnie Burns
Brad Moran
Bruce Lindner
Tony Hall
Richard Tambling
Evan Hewitt
Barry Standfield
Ian Downsborough
Ben Nelson
Danny Hughes
Stuart Wigney
Ryan Fitzgerald
Lewis Johnston
Trent Ormond-Allen
Brett James
Daniel Schell
Sam Jacobs
James Podsiadly
Kyle Cheney
Luke Lowden
