J-Pod in, J-Pol out on AFL roundabout
Polec out, Podsiadly in and GWS utility Shaun Edwards on the radar – the Crows had a busy day yesterday in the AFL player market.
The elongated AFL Trade Period runs till Friday, October 25, and many days have passed with barely a sniff of movement.
That shifted yesterday when key Crows target, Brisbane Lions midfielder Jared Polec, nominated Port Adelaide as his preferred club.
Polec, 21, had requested a trade home to South Australia after three seasons in Brisbane and Adelaide was keen to get him.
The former Woodville-West Torrens talent has played 16 AFL games for the Lions since being drafted in 2010.
His 2012 season was hampered by an ankle injury.
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Crows General Manager of List Development and Strategy David Noble was disappointed, but said he wouldn’t give up the chase.
“We understand Jared has nominated a club to try to speed up the process, but the reality is no trade has been done yet,” he told the club’s website.
“We’ll continue to talk to Jared’s management and Brisbane, and keep an eye on the situation.”
In better news for Crows fans, Geelong premiership player James Podsiadly met with Crows officials in Adelaide on Wednesday.
Podsiadly is on the market after the Cats told him he won’t be offered a contract in 2014.
The 32-year-old was a late-comer to the AFL but made his mark when given the chance in 2010.
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He’s played 83 games, averaging 42 goals a season.
Podsiadly is ranked 2nd in the AFL in contested marks (behind Collingwood star Travis Cloke) in the last four years and 7th in forward 50m tackles in the same period (2010-13).
David Noble said the proven goalkicker could provide good support to Adelaide’s inexperienced attack.
“We’ve mentioned the fact that we want to re-introduce some goalkicking power in our forward line,” Noble told FIVEaa.
“Eddie Betts made sense there and he also adds a lot of defence. We’ve also got a couple of our big gun forwards in Taylor Walker and Josh Jenkins coming off leg injuries.”
Podsiadly has a connection to Crows coach Brenton Sanderson with their mutual involvement at Geelong.
Noble said the big man went home yesterday to make his decision.
“The biggest decision for James and his wife is relocating interstate. His wife is involved in some areas of business with her family, so it’s a matter of them making a decision as to whether or not they see us as a future for him.”
The Crows also confirmed their interest in Greater Western Sydney utility Shaun Edwards.
Edwards, 19, has played 12 games in two seasons with GWS since being recruited as a Northern Territory zone selection in 2011.
At 189cm, 81kg, the former AIS-AFL Academy member has the capacity to play at either end of the ground and also in the midfield.
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