AFL investigators arrive at the Adelaide Football Club offices as part of the investigation into alleged salary cap breaches to star player Kurt Tippett. Source: adelaidenow
Adelaide's decision to hand back its first two selections in Thursday's national draft is a significant admission of guilt from the Crows over the Kurt Tippett affair.
For weeks the club has urged restraint despite the raging torrent of headlines, peddling the line that it just couldn't wait for its meeting with the AFL.
Breaking news: Crows withdraw from draft
But you don't hand back draft picks if you aren't absolutely, 100 per cent, rock-solid certain they will be stripped from you at some stage anyway.
So finally we know that Adelaide is guilty, because it believes it is too.
2012 SuperFooty draft tracker
The industry estimate of Adelaide's potential penalties has been that they would likely lose at least their first two picks from two consecutive drafts.
So in one way this is a masterstroke from Adelaide, especially given AFL football operations boss Adrian Anderson has already confirmed he will recommend the club's actions are taken into account at the Commission next week.
Why a masterstroke?
Because Adelaide had only two live picks in this draft, and its best pick was a modest 20.
Crows can still buy their way out of trouble
It can still spruik the arrival of star midfielder Brad Crouch, taken last year in the GWS mini-draft but only able to play for the Crows this year.
And as SuperFooty proposed today, its list is in excellent shape to strive for a premiership even when it does inevitably lose Kurt Tippett to a NSW-based club.
Better to lose the two picks from this draft, and next year's picks, than be nobbled in a subsequent draft when you desperately need to stock up with a raft of juniors.
If you are going to get smashed by the AFL, you might as well try to receive that smashing on your terms.
The jungle drums beating early in the week were that the Adelaide's recruiting team would have been thrilled if the penalties started this year, given the lack of quality picks they planned to take.
Yet footballer manager Phil Harper's determination to spend more time on his defence saw him and the Crows ask for and win another week before they fronted the commission.
This is a ploy to have it both ways - get the extra time from the AFL, yet still start the draft sanctions in the 2012 draft.
It is high stakes brinkmanship, because the Commission could still suspend them from the 2013 and 2014 drafts.
Then the Crows truly are in strife, because no club can afford to lose high picks from three consecutive drafts.
This is a dark day for the Adelaide football club, because it has effectively conceded its involvement a salary cap scandal which will leave a dark stain on its reputation.
But if you are going to get smashed by the AFL, you might as well try to receive that smashing on your terms.
Only at next Friday's AFL Commission meeting will we see if the ploy has paid off or dramatically backfired.
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