What gets Lever to Pies, Dees?

If the football rumour mill is on the money it appears emerging Adelaide star Jake Lever will depart the club at season’s end.

Melbourne and Collingwood appear to lead the race to secure the key defender.

SEN’s Sam McClure reported this morning Lever met with Demon’s officials, while former St Kilda chief executive Brian Waldron said Lever to the Magpies was a done deal.

“My understanding is he’s only going to one place and they’re black and white – Collingwood,” he told SEN’s Hungry for Sport.

“He’ll go to Collingwood and he’ll tell Adelaide as much when the season is over.” But wanting to get to a club and arriving at the destination are not mutually exclusive.

Given the 21-year-old is not a free agent a trade capable of satisfying Adelaide shapes as the critical component of the equation to send the former first-round draft pick to his preferred destination.

The only guarantee in any trade is that the Crows will want to be duly compensated for losing a player with the tools to be a pillar of a defence for the next decade.

In many such star trades two first-round draft picks gets the deal done given the club being compensated is often in a rebuild phase.

But if players are asked for, which is likely given the Crows premiership window is now open, who will be the target?

The obvious choice is to target South Australians. Brodie Grundy, Tim Broomhead, Matthew Scharenberg and James Aish grew up in Adelaide and would all have some currency for the Crows.

Would Broomhead and Aish plus a draft pick be enough?

Scharenberg has had his injury concerns but has enormous upside.

Given Jacobs turns 30 next year, Grundy has some appeal. Quality ruckman are hard to find and the big Magpie is just that.

For Melbourne the targets are less obvious.

Billy Stretch, Alex Neal-Bullen, Jack Trengove, Bernie Vince and Ben Kennedy are the South Australian-grown products on the list. None are likely to create any interest for the Crows.

Jayden Hunt would given his speed.

Clayton Oliver is a midfield bull the Crows would welcome with open arms given his size.

Melbourne would baulk at such requests but the reality is to secure Lever something of note has to walk out the door.

What exactly it is that walks out the door could well determine where Lever plays in 2018, if, indeed decides to depart.

Former Adelaide captain Mark Bickley said today he was super confident the young defender would recommit to the club.

“I’m still confident that Jake Lever will play for Adelaide,” Bickley said on 5AA.

“From what I see and what I know, I’m super confident.”

Not all Crow fans share his optimism. The only thing that would soften Lever’s departure would be what comes back the other way.

In the fullness of time it’s generally how the success or failure of trades is determined.