New Adelaide high performance boss Darren Burgess has identified some Crows he is keen to begin working with.
Burgess did a power of work with Melbourne over the last couple of seasons which culminated in a drought-breaking premiership last weekend.
After working at Port Adelaide and Premier League clubs Arsenal and Liverpool, Burgess helped the likes of Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver reach the pinnacle with the Demons.
He will now bring his fitness expertise to the Crows and is excited to get started with the likes of Wayne Milera, Riley Thilthorpe and even seasoned midfielder Matt Crouch.
“People like Wayne Milera and (Riley) Thilthorpe, they’re the ones that really excite me, the young guys,” he said on SEN SA Breakfast.
“I was around (at Port) when Milera was drafted (in 2015) and he just doesn’t seem to have had a crack at it really. Hopefully he’ll get some runs on the board.
“Guys like Matt Crouch as well. I know his potential.
“It’s been pretty hard to analyse another team while I’ve been so busy with the Dees, but those guys from a distance are pretty exciting to work with.”
Milera has always shown plenty of potential, but has been let down by his body.
The 24-year-old was restricted to just two appearances in 2021 and has played a total of 62 matches over five seasons, so could do with some continuity.
Burgess says the club is very keen to get the best out of the former no.11 draft pick given what he has shown when at his best.
“He’s really exciting from what I have seen. There’s really a lot of potential with him,” he added.
“Some early discussions that I had on Friday with some of the Crows performance staff, they’re really excited by getting him on the park all season.”
Another promising young Crow that we are yet to see the best of is Darcy Fogarty.
Some have said perhaps he may be suited with improved fitness and a better tank so he can move around the ground more freely in order to become involved more frequently.
But Burgess feels that scenario can at times be fraught with danger when a power player is asked not to prioritise this strengths.
“I think it’s really dangerous to try and turn somebody into something that they’re not,” he said of Fogarty.
“I don’t know at all because I’ve never had a conversation with Darcy, I’ve only seen him play when he’s played against the Dees.
“It would be dangerous to try and turn him into an aerobic animal if he’s not that. What might be better is to improve his ability to do those repeat, explosive movements.
“It’s hard to know exactly which way to go without seeing him, but you wouldn’t want to weaken a strength by running him too much or doing anything that takes away that explosiveness that has made him so damaging.”
Despite his successful stint with the Demons, Burgess has opted to return home to Adelaide to be closer to his family.
He will join the Crows prior to their pre-season training kicking off in November.