“It’s a special skill”: Could the game's best high-performance boss be on the move to Carlton or Richmond?

Carlton and Richmond have been tipped as potential suitors for Adelaide high-performance boss Darren Burgess as both clubs look for change after turbulent seasons on the injury front.

The Blues and their high-performance manager Andrew Russell will part ways at the end of the year, following what has been a tumultuous few seasons of injuries and external pressure.

Burgess joined Adelaide in 2022 after helping lead Melbourne to their premiership success.

However, it has been widely suggested he could be on the move back to Victoria in 2025.

Former Melbourne captain Nathan Jones was lavish in his praise for Burgess and what he achieved at the Dees.

“It’s a special skill to be able to manage a team. The coach is there managing the football side of things and the team from an execution and system and process from a football perspective,” Jones told SEN Breakfast.

“I would put the high-performance manager right up there next to the coach for their ability to handle the medical team, strength and conditioning, the overall loads of the group.

“You drill down even further to every individual because everyone is different and it becomes quite complex, particularly with Aussie rules.

“I think that’s why someone like Burgess is so sought after. They wear so many different hats, but then their ability to build trust with people.

“You only have to look at the influence he had, particularly when he was at Port Adelaide and then at Melbourne – it was almost like the team had this innate ability to out-run sides and it was associated with Burgess’ involvement and his ability to build such belief in the group over time and be able to rack up those training sessions and strength sessions and build that resolve and belief in your own personal ability and the group’s ability.

“I think he played a significant role in our ability to harness that. He was one of our great assets in that premiership.”

Jones went into detail regarding what made Burgess particularly successful at the Dees.

“The thing that Burgess and his team did so well at Melbourne – it was general and there was a baseline level of expectation from a fitness and strength perspective,” Jones added.

“His ability to then tweak and hone in different sessions and target different outcomes specific to that player, the position they play on the field and the role they play and the types of running are broken down from all the data they get and making sessions and drills very specific and focused so it’s a repeatable skill that can be executed on game day under high pressure.

“Ultimately that’s what he’s training you for, to be at your best in finals.”

The Crows reportedly advertised for a new strength and conditioning coach in July.

News Corp reported in August that Adelaide is still hoping to retain Burgess at this stage.