Crows coach Brenton Sanderson says the Club is in no hurry to promote a rookie in place of captain Nathan van Berlo, who has been placed on the long-term injury list.

Van Berlo, who had surgery after rupturing his Achilles tendon in a freak training accident in January, was put on the long-term injury list on Tuesday. The move allows the Crows to elevate a rookie to temporarily take the midfielder’s spot on the senior list.

Adelaide’s rookie-listed players are Charlie Cameron, James Battersby, Alex Spina, Jake Kelly and ruckman Jack Osborn.

Recruited with the Club’s first pick in last year’s AFL Rookie Draft, Cameron showed promise in the Crows’ NAB Challenge win over Port Adelaide and kicked 2.5 in the SANFL trial game against Sturt a fortnight ago. Battersby has experienced senior football at SANFL level, while Kelly, Spina and Osborn have all showed glimpses throughout the pre-season.

Coach Brenton Sanderson said the Club wouldn’t upgrade a rookie for the season-opener against Geelong.

“All our rookies have performed well at different times through the pre-season,” Sanderson said.

“We’ve got pretty good depth at the moment. Even though we’ve got a lot of our first team A-graders out, it still looks like a really good team this week.

“We’ll elevate a rookie when we want to play one.”

A second spot could open up for a rookie if Ricky Henderson is also placed on the long-term injury list. Henderson fractured his ankle at training in February and, like van Berlo, is aiming for a late-season return.