Daniel Talia will not be at Adelaide next year, but is adamant he wants to play on.
The 29-year-old defender has not been offered a contract by the Crows which puts him on the hunt for a new club after more than a decade in South Australia.
With Talia intent on spending at least two more years in the AFL system, it raised the question - which clubs would Talia suit?
ESSENDON
Tim Watson would like to see his former club Essendon go after the two-time All-Australian.
“I’d like Essendon to have a look at him,” Watson said on SEN Breakfast.
“Do you know what he can do? He’s never ever demonstrated his ability to be able to give you anything offensively, but at his best he was locking down the best forward for the opposition and taking them out of the game.”
As doubts remain over the future of Michael Hurley following his serious hip injury which derailed his 2021, Talia could be the perfect replacement if the 31-year-old happens to retire.
Cale Hooker, who has played forward this year, has since retired, while Aaron Francis hasn’t quite worked as a key defender and has found himself inside attacking 50 recently.
Jordan Ridley is a star and Jame Stewart has come on in 2021, so could Talia be used as depth or would he start for the Bombers?
Furthermore, Bombers coach Ben Rutten played with Talia in the 200-gamer’s early days as a Crow so would know his game intimately.
WESTERN BULLDOGS
The Western Bulldogs desperately need a key back, but there is Talia history with his brother Michael allegedly sharing game-sensitive information with Daniel in 2015.
“The Western Bulldogs could absolutely use a defender, but it won’t be Talia because of the alleged sharing of information scandal that happened, the fallout from that and Luke Beveridge’s anger over it,” Kane Cornes said on SEN SA Breakfast.
“But they could definitely use a key defender.”
However, Just Leppitsch rates the Dogs as the perfect home for Talia.
“Where is he needed the most? I touched on the Western Bulldogs,” he said on SEN’s Whateley.
“They are number one on my radar. Funnily enough, he’d be with (former Crow) Alex Keath which would be quite funny.
“The other team was Hawthorn. But he’d be right next to (another ex-teammate) Kyle Hartigan as well, so there you go.
“But I would have thought they’re the ones that need him the most. They’ve had to use Josh Schache as a makeshift defender, he’s not a defender. That’d probably cost them for where they’re at at this point in time.
“They need a quicker fix in that area. I think he would want to go to a club like that, that’s actually in the mix. You don’t want to spend your last three or four years in a developing club if you don’t have to.”
ST KILDA
St Kilda may also suit Talia.
The Saints took a chance on James Frawley this year and it didn’t quite pay off. They could seek assistance for Dougal Howard, especially given Jake Carlisle’s situation with his ongoing back issues.
“St Kilda is the other one,” Leppitsch added.
“With Carlisle and Frawley, they’ve lost some depth in that part of the ground. They’re probably the next tier. They’ll still potentially be around September action if they get some things right.”
GEELONG
Another club who springs to mind is Geelong.
“He will get an opportunity somewhere,” Cornes added.
“There’s a couple of clubs that I can think of. I was thinking last night about Geelong.
“Geelong are all in and aren’t afraid to recruit players of that age. Tom Stewart goes down and you’re thinking who’s going to stand up in defence for the Cats in the finals?
“Daniel Talia would be pretty handy there. Whether they’re once bitten, twice shy with Josh Jenkins because that didn’t work out.”
Leppitsch also feels the Cats could provide a home, depending on what they do with Lachie Henderson.
“Henderson has been the rookie and non-rookie,” he said.
“They haven’t had anyone to solidify that position. They haven’t overly committed to Henderson, but maybe he’s back on. Or do they think Lachie only has one (year left)?
“If that’s the case, that’s where Talia appeals.”
The Brisbane Lions may also be an option as Marcus Adams can’t seem to get a clear run at it injury-wise. Talia would provide further strength to the backline already occupied by Harris Andrews and Darcy Gardiner.
GWS (depending on Phil Davis) and Richmond (following David Astbury’s retirement) are others that may look at him, but he’d likely only be a depth player at those clubs with no guarantees on game time given their current key defensive personnel.
It appears highly likely that Talia will go around in 2022 and potentially beyond, but at which club is the intriguing question.
He would be a cheap option as an unrestricted free agent so it will be an interesting watch.