From Adelaide Advertiser
Reported by Zac Milbank
Full Story Click Here
COLEMAN Medallist Brendan Fevola could make a shock SANFL appearance next year, with West Adelaide considering an audacious bid for the former Carlton spearhead.
Fevola, who booted 69 goals for VFL side Casey Scorpions this year, last week hinted a move to Richmond was on the cards if an offer was "healthy enough to leave Melbourne".
Lining up with former Blues team-mates Brad Fisher and Adam Hartlett is also a major attraction for the 30-year-old.
Bloods coach Andrew Collins, on the hunt for a genuine full forward, indicated Fevola would fit in nicely at City Mazda Stadium.
"If Brendan wanted to come and play with Brad and Adam, if that was his wish, then I would look forward to meeting with him," Collins said.
"West Adelaide needs a full forward, we haven't had one in the four years I've been here and I don't think the club has had one since Darren Bradshaw in 2003.
"Most other clubs have got full forwards and in the SANFL, the role of the big full forward still exists. So we've obviously been looking to recruit one for the last four years.
"But at the moment he is a contracted player with the Casey Scorpions so a lot of water would need to go under the bridge to make it happen."
Not only would West need to have Fevola cleared by Melbourne's VFL affiliate, it would need to clear enough space in the salary cap to accommodate the prolific sharpshooter. The SANFL salary cap increases from $355,000 this year to $360,000 next year.
But whether Fevola would be prepared to play for around $40,000 - considered to be the highest pay packet in the league - remains in question.
"I have (got a few mates at West)," Fevola said on Radio FIVEaa. "It (the offer) has got to be healthy enough for me to leave Melbourne but you never know. You never say never."
Fevola, who booted 623 goals in 204 AFL matches with Carlton and Brisbane from 1999 to 2010, caught fire late in the season with the Scorpions when he enjoyed a run of 49 goals in seven matches.
And it is this form which has Collins seriously considering the strong marking forward.
"He's definitely got the talent to be playing AFL," Collins said.
"But it's like anything, the best players don't necessarily play in the AFL."
While Fevola's fall from grace due to a series of off-field indiscretions has been well documented, Collins is confident in his character, having spoken with Fisher and Hartlett.
"Not only speaking with Brad and Adam, but all players who have played with him speak highly of Brendan as a person," Collins said.
"It's just his off-field decision-making which has hindered his football a bit. But his camaraderie and ability to be a team man is of the highest quality and every team-mate he's ever played with will tell you about that."
