ADELAIDE is set to recall best and fairest winner Bernie Vince and defender Phil Davis for Sunday’s clash with Melbourne, but is sweating on the fitness of star pair Nathan Bock and Scott Thompson.

Bock (groin) and Thompson (general soreness) both failed to train with the team at West Lakes on Wednesday.

Neither player has been ruled out of the game against the Dees, but will need to pass fitness tests over the next couple of days to be considered for selection.

Davis hasn’t played since suffering concussion and a shoulder injury in a heavy collision with Fremantle giant Aaron Sandilands in round 11, while Vince has been absent for a month.

Vince was only expected to miss a week when he was handed a club-imposed suspension for staying out beyond a reasonable hour following Adelaide’s loss to North Melbourne in round eight, but he injured his ankle at training and had to wait until last weekend to serve his ban in the SANFL.

Injured pair Trent Hentschel and Brodie Martin will also return to action in the local league this week and rookie Ricky Henderson said it was great to see both players back after long stints on the sidelines.

“It’s a very exciting time, especially for Brodie being out for 12 months with his knee and Rowdy (with his injury history),” Henderson said on Wednesday.

“It’s a big boost for everyone around the club and especially those two blokes.”

Richmond’s resurgence has the bottom of the ladder looming for the Crows, with games against premiership contenders Geelong, Collingwood, St Kilda and the Western Bulldogs still to come.

Adelaide’s worst-ever finish in an AFL season was 13th the year after the club’s second premiership in 1999, but Henderson said the players weren’t concerned about claiming the wooden spoon.

“The wooden spoon is nothing really. I don’t think it [the wooden spoon] matters too much really as long as we keep on improving week-in and week-out and win as many games as we can,” Henderson said.

“We wouldn’t like to be the first Adelaide team to get it. We haven’t really set any concrete targets. We just want to win every game for the rest of the year…it doesn’t matter if we’re last or first.”