Cats keep mum on Crows star’s AFL future

Geelong are staying tight-lipped as speculation continues to grow that Adelaide star Patrick Dangerfield will join them through AFL free agency.

The day after Dangerfield starred in Adelaide’s season-ending loss to Hawthorn, the Herald Sun reported that he would announce in the next week that Geelong are his preferred club.

The onballer is a restricted free agent, meaning Adelaide can match Geelong’s offer.

Cats coach Chris Scott told ABC Radio that he had asked the club’s recruiters not to keep him updated on matters such as the potential Dangerfield move, so he did not have to lie to the media.

“Sometimes less information is a better thing,” Scott said.

“But … it (Dangerfield) is more complicated than most people give it credit for.”

Scott added that it is now up to Dangerfield how the situation plays out.

There has been rampant speculation all year that he will leave the Crows for Geelong.

“The ball is well and truly in his court,” Scott said.

“Our club has been very disciplined this year in not speaking on his behalf.

“It is his choice, but Adelaide have a role to play in that as well.

“So in my view, it’s not the right thing for Geelong to be talking about a player who’s not on our list yet.”

Former Adelaide coach and ex-Geelong assistant Brenton Sanderson is not convinced that Dangerfield definitely wants to join the Cats.

“He’s his own man and perhaps – perhaps – he was just wanting to play the season out,” Sanderson said.

“It wouldn’t surprise anyone if he left Adelaide, but also too it wouldn’t surprise me if he stayed – he’s that sort of loyal character.”

Adelaide coach Scott Camporeale is also giving nothing away for now about his AFL future.

He took over as coach after Phil Walsh tragically died on July 3.

Camporeale must also decide whether he wants to apply for the Adelaide senior coaching job beyond this season.

“I probably haven’t had any time, even myself, to grieve, with what’s happened,” he said.

“I will just take all the emotion out of it and make a good decision – what’s best for me and my family and also the footy club.”

While Camporeale is proud of how the players and the club dealt with Walsh’s death, he warned that the team must improve on this season.

He noted Friday’s semi-final loss showed the gap between Adelaide and the top two or three teams.

He added how the players continued to cope with Walsh’s death would be an individual matter.

“I’m sure there will be stages over the next, I don’t know how long,” he said.

“Things will pop up.

“But as I said to the group (on Friday night), you’ve got to be disappointed with how we played tonight.

“Don’t waste any opportunities, make sure when we do return … you come to get better.”

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