Several Crows could return to the playing field this weekend.
Rory Sloane, Troy Menzel and Sam Shaw, who were included in the squad of 29 last week, were left out of the final team to play West Coast but are expected to line up against Fremantle on Sunday.
General Manager of High Performance Brett Burton said Brad Crouch and Curtly Hampton, who have been monitored closely over the summer as they recover from long-term injuries, could also be available for selection provided they complete training.
“Sloaney, Shaw and Menzel trained well on the weekend, so they’ll be available to play this week,” Burton said.
“Crouchy is going along well too. We’ve just been managing his loads over the whole pre-season. Obviously, he hasn’t played that much footy over the last 12 months. Everything going right and if we can get him through the week on the track, he’ll be available to play.
“Curtly Hampton, obviously, came (to the Club) with those groin issues so he didn’t do much pre-Christmas, but we’ve been building his loads up and he should be available to play this week.”
Rookie Jono Beech and draftee Tom Doedee won’t feature at either AFL or SANFL level this weekend.
Burton said both players were likely to put their hands up to play in the coming weeks.
“Beechy has a slight hamstring, which is frustrating for him because he probably would’ve played (AFL) on the weekend,” Burton said.
“It’s only a very minor one, so we expect him to be available, probably, for NAB (Challenge game) 3.
“Tommy Doedee is a first-year player, so we’re just managing his loads. Coming from being a basketballer and not having a lot of footy (training) loads over the last couple of years, it’s important we progress him along slowly.
“He’ll be available in the next couple of weeks.”
Riley Knight (ankle) and Charlie Cameron (knee) are making good progress and will gradually increase their training loads.
Adelaide’s AFL team will travel to WA to take on Freo at a sold-out Sounness Park in Mount Barker from 1:40pm (WST) on Sunday. The SANFL Crows will also be in action for the first time this year, taking on the Port Magpies in a trial game at Alberton Oval from 10:00am on Saturday. Entry to the SANFL trial match is free.
