Subject to final AFL approval on the required paperwork that has been submitted, the Eagles will rookie list former under-15 all-Australian schoolboy Corey Adamson.
As a 16-year-old, Adamson, the son of legendary Australian slugger Tony Adamson, chose to pursue a baseball career and signed as contract with the San Diego Padres. He retired from baseball last week, allowing him to pursue an opportunity to play at West Coast.
Under the AFL player draft regulations, Adamson can sit outside the rookie list under a rule which allows clubs to recruit players under a three-year non-registered rule, which gives clubs access to players who have not been registered with an organised Australian football competition for three years or more.
Adamson, now 22, is a 188cm utility player who played in the same WA schoolboys team as Jack Darling, David Swallow and Brandon Matera while others to earn all-Australian honours included Stephen May (Gold Coast),Curtly Hampton (GWS), Tom Young (Western Bulldogs) and Ben Jacobs (North Melbourne).
An outfielder and hitter, Adamson never lost his passion for Australia’s indigenous game and took a football to training in the US, often kicking the ball around as part of his warm up for baseball practice.
After initial discussions, West Coast recruiting officer Brad Smith travelled to the US to carry out some testing with Adamson and upon returning to WA set the wheels in motion to get the approval process moving.
Adamson returned to Perth late on Saturday night and was at yesterday’s game against Collingwood.
The long-time West Coast fan was in to view the pre-match warm-up and was embraced by Darling before the young power forward began preparations for what would be a four-goal game.
National Recruiting Manager Rohan O’Brien said the club had kept track of Adamson’s progress as a young player and were always impressed by his attributes.
“Knowing Corey’s background, where he was a very talented junior before taking up an opportunity to sign a contract with the San Diego Padres, we felt this was an opportunity for us to take on a project at no cost under AFL drafting rules.
“We know Corey, we know his ability and while he hasn’t played football for six years we believe he can re-acclimatise and make the adjustment.
“We initiated discussions with Corey and his family, with Trevor Woodhouse and Brad Smith doing a lot of background work before Brad flew to the US to complete some athletic and skills testing.
“We’re delighted to list him under the AFL three-year non-registered rule and look forward to watching his progress.
“While he has not been in the football system, he has been entrenched in a professional environment and has shown his commitment to play at a high level which, coupled with his achievements as a junior footballer, made the decision easy for us.”
Adamson is a powerful athlete, who looks suited to playing as a half-back or strong-bodied midfielder.
