Richard Tambling will play his first game of the season against Hawthorn after being called up to replace Ricky Henderson, who is out of the team with a calf complaint.
Matthew Wright will start as Adelaide's substitute.
Tambling, who was limited to one game last season, has played 11 matches for Adelaide since switching from Richmond at the end of the 2010 season. The 26-year-old was a standout over the pre-season, but a back injury prevented him from breaking into the team in the NAB Cup.
The 119-game utility will join Shaun McKernan and Jarryd Lyons in pulling on the Crows guernsey for the first time in Season 2013.
McKernan and Jarryd Lyons were recalled to the team on Thursday, along with forward Jason Porplyzia.
McKernan, who kicked five goals for Glenelg last weekend, will replace Taylor Walker (knee) in the forward line. The athletic 22-year-old has played a total of 23 AFL games, including six last season.
Lyons, 20, has also been rewarded for his strong form with the Bays. The inside midfielder, who leads the SANFL for disposals, made his AFL debut against Port Adelaide in Round Five last season. A foot injury in the middle of last year prevented him from adding to his season/career tally of three games.
The trio replaced the injured Walker and Rory Laird, who will miss the twilight match against the Hawks with a badly corked thigh. Forward Jared Petrenko was omitted.
Coach Brenton Sanderson said McKernan would add flexibility to the team.
“Shaun can play a similar role to Tex, but he can also go in the ruck,” Sanderson said.
“Jarryd Lyons has been playing really well in the SANFL and deserves his chance. He’ll play through the midfield.
“We’re disappointed to lose Rory Laird because he showed some good signs in his first two games. He did well to play out the game last week with a nasty corked thigh, but unfortunately he hasn’t come up this week.”
Porplyzia, who has started as the substitute in two of his four games this season, has been recalled because of impressive form on the training track.
“Porps is a great player. He’s been a bit out of touch and didn’t play last week because he was the travelling emergency, but he’s been training the house down,” Sanderson said.
“His attitude is really good. He’s one of our leaders and we need his experience and goalkicking. Pup (Petrenko) has just been a little bit inconsistent in his performance, so Porps will come into the forward mix this week.”
Defender Luke Brown has been named. Brown suffered a concussion in Adelaide’s loss to Carlton last weekend and will need to complete training on Friday to prove his fitness.
Tickets for Saturday’s game are available at afc.com.au/tickets.
The team to play Hawthorn is:
B: Ben Rutten, Daniel Talia, Andy Otten
HB: Luke Brown, Brent Reilly, David Mackay
C: Sam Kerridge, Scott Thompson, Brodie Smith
HF: Richard Douglas, Shaun McKernan, Jarryd Lyons
F: Jason Porplyzia, Tom, Lynch, Josh Jenkins
RUCKS: Sam Jacobs, Patrick Dangerfield, Rory Sloane
INT: Richard Tambling, Bernie Vince, Matthew Jaensch, Matthew Wright
EMERG: Lewis Johnston, Jared Petrenko, Richard Tambling
IN: Jarryd Lyons, Shaun McKernan, Jason Porplyzia, Richard Tambling
OUT: Taylor Walker (knee), Rory Laird (corked thigh), Jared Petrenko (omitted), Ricky Henderson (calf)
The Crows host Hawthorn this Saturday night at AAMI Stadium. Tickets available now at afc.com.au/tickets
