Adelaide key forward Darcy Fogarty is relishing the chance to face League-leading defender Tom Stewart in the Crows’ blockbuster clash against Geelong at Adelaide Oval on Thursday night.
Stewart, arguably one of the best backmen in the competition, proved a handful for the Crows during the team’s last meeting in Round Three at GMHBA Stadium.
Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Fogarty said he was keen to embrace the contest and play his role in helping Adelaide break through Geelong’s defensive structure.
“It's exciting, it's a challenge, they've got a lot of good players all over the ground, which we've got to be wary of, they're one of the best teams for a reason,” Fogarty said.
“I think he's (Stewart) a thorn in a few sides’ backsides, but like you said, great player,
(so) ideally (we don’t) not kick it to him, but he puts himself in good spots.
“As a team, we're really going to work around how we can nullify him, and I guess we'll just play through it and play good grounded footy.”
Fogarty returned to the Crows’ line-up in the Round 10 win against North Melbourne after spending over a month on the sidelines due to back soreness.
He said his focus since returning had been on building his fitness back up and making sure he could contribute consistently in the run home.
“I just had a little bit of a bulge disc… I was able to get some running back in under the legs, which was good, and I think that set me up really well for the second half of the season,” Fogarty said.
“For me personally, it's about how I can come back and impact some more games and to work on that, I don’t want to overthink it too much.
“There's a lot that you can consume yourself with, but I am really excited to attack the second half of the season.
“It's just controlling what I can control, and a lot of the time that's in the contest, and being able to impact, and then taking the opportunities in front of goal.”
Adelaide will unleash a debutant in defence against Geelong with mid-season draftee Hugo Hall-Kahan set to play his first AFL game.
Hall-Kahan arrived at the Crows last week after the Club selected the 22-year-old in the Mid-Season Rookie Draft, after an impressive start to the 2026 campaign with VFL team Williamstown.
“He's a really good fella, and he's fitting in, and then his football is really exciting,” Fogarty said.
“We had the one training session with him, but we watched his highlights, and he's a pretty smooth mover, so I think everyone's pretty excited to play alongside him, and then for the forwards to play ahead of him, and get some delivery.
“Everyone’s pretty excited for him.”
Adelaide faces Geelong in the third edition of SA Freeze at Adelaide Oval this Thursday night at 7pm (ACST).
Get your tickets here.
