ADELAIDE has pulled off one of the steals of the NAB AFL Draft by selecting South Australian slider Darcy Fogarty at No.12 in the NAB AFL Draft.
After an off-season that saw Jake Lever and Charlie Cameron move to Melbourne and the Brisbane Lions respectively to be closer to family, the Crows nabbed a hard-hitting forward who could eventually play in the midfield.
Fogarty was in the mix for the No.1 selection at the start of the season but showed patchy form this year. However, he was not expected to slip down as low as he did.
Adelaide recruiting manager Hamish Ogilvie was thrilled to land Fogarty.
"If you had have said halfway through last year or the start of the year we were going to get Darcy at pick 12, we probably wouldn't have believed it," Ogilvie told AFL.com.au.
There were concerns from clubs after he had knee surgery for a meniscus tear that ended his season in July.
"A little bit of running (was the query), he's got to do some work there but he's played men's footy (SANFL)," Ogilvie said.
"He's probably the most competitive, aggressive kid in the draft. I think all clubs and AFL Academy staff would admit that."
Despite losing Lever and Cameron in the NAB AFL Trade Period, the Crows added experience to their list by picking up Bryce Gibbs from Carlton and delisted North Melbourne midfielder Sam Gibson.
The Cameron deal saw pick No.12 come to the club, while it acquired No.40 in sending Harrison Wigg to Gold Coast.
That selection was used on another South Australian Andrew McPherson, who is a 186cm defender that could eventually move into the midfield.
However, Ogilvie was adamant the Crows picking two local talents had nothing to do with losing Cameron and Lever.
"Those two boys were very high on our talent order. You've got pretty much the two South Australian captains we were able to pick," Ogilvie said.
"If Andrew hadn't have been injured, who knows? We rated him as a first-rounder at the start of the year when we put our list up. Unfortunately he got injured. We didn't think he was going to get through.
"We know West Coast and Geelong had strong interest.
"If you had have said that to any club, that Andrew McPherson would be 39 in this year's draft in January, they would've said you were dreaming."
Adelaide used its final two selections to upgrade rookies Hugh Greenwood and Alex Keath to its senior list, but it was not announced on Friday night.
The Crows have committed to drafting the son of champion midfielder Tyson Edwards, Jackson, and delisted onballer Cam Ellis-Yolmen as rookies, if they are not picked up in the pre-season draft.
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