It’s day five of the 2025 Continental Tyres AFL Trade Period and Crows General Manager of List Management Justin Reid featured on Trade Radio.
The Club is committed to improving its list and, as part of that, is continuing to work through securing a deal with Brisbane for two-time Premiership Lions’ forward Callum Ah Chee.
There has also been an interest in other players, including Western Bulldogs midfielder, Ryley Sanders.
Here are five key takeaways from Reid’s day five interview.
Reid on securing a fair trade with Brisbane for Callum Ah Chee
Adelaide has been actively working with Brisbane since day one of the Trade Period, following Callum Ah Chee’s decision to nominate the Crows as his preferred destination.
On Friday afternoon, Reid said the Club was continuing to work hard on securing a deal that was fair for all parties.
“Obviously we’ve had early dialogue with Dom (Ambrogio – Lions’ list manager)… and Cal’s manager Ben Williams, (who’s) made it really clear that Cal’s keen to get to the Adelaide Football Club,” Reid said.
“That’s something we will continue to work through, and that’s a work in progress.”
Ah Chee has played 169 AFL games – 45 for Gold Coast from 2016-2019, and 124 for the Lions (2020-2025).
Reid said the Crows valued Ah Chee highly, however, their first-round draft pick would not be traded.
“We’ve been pretty consistent with that – Dom and I have had those conversations, without going into too much detail.
“Obviously we value Cal highly, and so does Brisbane, and that’s something we just need to work through.
“Our Pick No.16 or future (first) one is probably not something that’s going to be part of that discussion.
“What we hope for is a fair and reasonable deal for both parties because Cal’s been really clear that he’s keen to get to the Adelaide Football Club.”
Ah Chee’s potential role at the Crows
Ah Chee’s versatility has been on show at the Lions across the past two seasons, playing as a forward in 2024, where he booted a game-high four goals in Brisbane’s Grand final win that year.
The 27-year-old then featured on the wing at times in 2025, including during the Lions’ back-to-back Grand Final win.
Reid said Ah Chee’s ability to line up in multiple positions would be a boost for the Crows should a trade be secured.
“I think that versatility is the reason why we’ve spoken to Cal, and we’ve always kept a close eye on Cal from when he was drafted and we knew he was a Crows supporter,” Reid said.
“Andrew McLeod was his favourite player growing up, so we knew there was a little bit of romance there.
“Certainly that versatility ahead of the ball, but we think with the likes of a Jordy Dawson and a Dan Curtin, (Cal) can add some versatility to the group in-game.”
Crows enquire about Bulldogs midfielder Ryley Sanders
Strengthening the Crows list is a priority, and Reid says the Club is always open to trade discussions with other clubs as part of that process.
And that was no different when it came to Western Bulldogs midfielder Ryley Sanders, as the Crows enquired as to whether a trade could occur.
“We certainly asked the question, as we do of a lot of players,” Reid said.
“Respectfully, he’s a contracted player, so we asked the question, but that was shut down pretty quickly.
“We certainly respect that, so we moved on pretty quickly.”
Crows keen to back in organic growth
Adelaide enjoyed a rapid rise in their 2025 campaign, going from 15th to minor premiers, but fell short during the finals series.
Reid said the Crows were always looking to better their list, particularly with midfield depth, but he was confident the organic growth of the playing list had the side ready to compete.
“We are certainly not a finished product,” Reid said.
“Guys like Sid Draper after another pre-season under his belt, Dan Curtin who went up to the wing, and who’s a big body and we’ve seen him play midfield as a junior.
“With the likes of Zac Taylor, Luke Pedlar – just a few more guys going through there (the midfield) to give us depth as we get to the pointy end of the year.
“We went from eight wins (in 2024) to 18 wins, which was great, but we need to keep exposing the list and finding some opportunities for guys as well.”
List exposure key for improvement
When speaking on day five, Reid said list exposure would be just as important in improving the Crows side.
“We’ve certainly put a lot of work in over the year and we are not just going to trade for the sake of it,” Reid said.
“We’ve been putting the work in asking the questions, but we are very deliberate in what we are trying to do, so if it doesn’t quite fall our way, we’ll continue to work into the future.
“It’s not a finished product and we are actually pretty excited about exposing the list even more, and we still think there’s a lot of growth there.
“We are very fortunate that there hasn’t really been a player who’s asked for a trade, and we’ve kept a lot of our core group together, so that’s exciting going into next year.”
