Adelaide veteran Nathan Bassett has revealed he tried to convince the Crows to draft then Norwood goal-sneak Austin Wonaeamirri last year.

The Crows have struggled to find a consistent quality small forward to complement what should become an imposing tall attacking lineup built around Kurt Tippett, Trent Hentschel and James Sellar.

However Bassett was unable to convince Adelaide recruiting manager Matt Rendell of 19-year-old Wonaeamirri's quality, leaving him free to be taken as a rookie by Melbourne where he has flourished, earning the AFL Rising Star nomination two weeks ago.

On Sunday Wonaeamirri will line up for the Demons against the Crows at AAMI Stadium, and will be keen to showcase the wholehearted effort and impressive goal sense he has exhibited since being upgraded from the Demons' rookie list.

Bassett will be taking his usual place in the Adelaide backline, no doubt wondering why his recruiting advice was not taken.

"I would've liked to see him here, he was at Norwood last year and I kept pumping him up to Matt Rendell the recruiting guy but Matty didn't see as many things in him as I saw, so that's just the way it goes," Bassett told AAP.

"(But) it is good to see him doing great, he is a wonderful young man, good to see him kick four goals (against Fremantle) and really contribute."

Much of the doubt surrounding Wonaeamirri was related to his slightly rotund physique, which is common to many of the flamboyantly gifted footballers seen on the playing fields of his Tiwi Islands home.

Wonaeamirri's story has been a rare highlight in a year of humiliation for Melbourne, similar to the one endured by Bassett in his season at the Demons in 1997.

That year the club was driven by in-fighting in the aftermath of the failed merger with Hawthorn, as the club earned the wooden spoon.

"They're a team that tend to run on passion and confidence, so when things are going well they're going really well, and when they aren't going well they're not," Bassett said.

"The year I was there we had a really poor year, but maybe they've started to turn it around, they've had their win and I'm sure they're feeling a hell of a lot better about themselves this week.

"So they're going to take some confidence coming in against us and especially with the fact they beat us last year, and that's something we have to change."

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