All-Australian small forward Eddie Betts headlines four inclusions to Adelaide’s team for Thursday night’s clash with Geelong at Adelaide Oval.
Betts injured his hamstring in the Round 13 loss to Hawthorn but has trained strongly to demand a spot in Don Pyke’s 22 for the must-win game against the Cats.
“He’s trained really well the last couple of weeks, ticked the boxes he needed to this week and get him back out,” Pyke said on Wednesday morning at Adelaide Oval.
“He loves a Thursday night, or Friday night footy so looking forward to seeing some special stuff from him tomorrow night.”
The Crows have also injected a dash of speed into their line-up with
Wingman Rory Atkins has earned a recall after two games in the SANFL, while pressure forward Lachlan Murphy also returns to the senior side.
“All those guys had a run in the SANFL over the weekend and they bring some genuine running power for us, which is important,” Pyke said.
Veteran Richard Douglas misses the game with an ankle injury, Curtly Hampton is unavailable due to illness, while young pair Myles Poholke and Darcy Fogarty have been omitted from the team that lost to Richmond last Friday.
Key defender Daniel Talia has been named in the side and will be given every opportunity to prove his fitness after injuring his foot in last week’s defeat.
“He’s just a little bit
“He’s an important player for us and we’ll make that decision closer to game time.”
Poholke, Fogarty, Sam Gibson and Alex Keath have been named as emergencies.
The clash between the Crows and Cats starts at 7.20pm (ACST) with gates open from
Adelaide’s Round 17 team is…
IN – R. Knight, E. Betts, R. Atkins, L. Murphy
OUT – M. Poholke, C. Hampton, R. Douglas, D. Fogarty
