AFL 2021: All the Adelaide Crows and Covid news ahead of Round 20
In the wake of SA young gun Izak Rankine being dropped by Gold Coast, Matthew Nicks was asked just how close the Crows are watching. Plus all the team news.
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Adelaide has dropped Lachie Sholl for the third time this season to give him a circuit-breaker because things are “not quite clicking” for him after a long campaign.
Wingman Sholl was one of two Crows changes for Saturday’s game against Western Bulldogs in Ballarat, being omitted along with key-position player Billy Frampton, as tall defender Nick Murray and goalsneak James Rowe returned.
Sholl was a pre-season standout, who began 2021 in the hot form he finished last year.
But Crows coach Matthew Nicks said the 21-year-old’s confidence was down, so he needed a physical and mental break.
Sholl was also left out of the 22 against St Kilda in Round 13, and West Coast a fortnight ago, although he came on as the medical substitute in the Eagles game.
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“It’s been a long year for Sholly,” Nicks said.
“He started the season in outstanding form off the back of an incredible off-season where he drove the group.
“It happens across a career – there are times where you can’t put a finger on exactly why it is your form is not where you know it can be.
“He’s doing everything possible to be the best player he can, it’s just not quite clicking for him.
“Sometimes that takes a circuit-breaker.
“He’s taken it really well, he’ll go away, freshen up and hopefully we’ll see him (in the AFL side) over the last month.”
Nicks said Sholl had to improve small things, such as being cleaner with the ball and execution – both of which the coach considered among the 26-gamer’s strengths.
Adelaide did not select last year’s No.2 pick Riley Thilthorpe for the third consecutive week, which Nicks said was due to a combination of the expected wet and windy Ballarat conditions, the opposition and team balance.
Nicks said the key forward was close to being recalled but opted to give him another week out of the side.
Tom Lynch was named for his third successive match and Nicks said the club was in constant discussions with the 30-year-old about his playing future.
Matt Crouch, Daniel Talia and David Mackay are also without a contract for next season and are in similar situations.
“It’s an ongoing conversation about what’s best for the individual, what’s best for the team and what’s best for the football,” Nicks said.
“None of that is locked in at this point of time.
“Sometimes they’re tough (conversations) – players would love to have more clarity around what the future looks like ... but we’re quite comfortable with where they’re at.”
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As Adelaide revealed its team on Thursday night, Gold Coast surprised by dropping SA young gun Izak Rankine.
Nicks said he did not text list manager Justin Reid when he saw the news but that he would be lying if he denied having his interest piqued when notable players were omitted at other sides.
“We keep a really close eye on the league, game trends, on individuals, former South Australians who have been drafted, players who we would have loved to have picked up in the draft in previous years but, unfortunately, due to the picks that we had, we weren’t able to pick up,” he said.
“At the same time, a player being dropped, you don’t know the ins and outs of that, but we’re always keeping an eye on the rest of the league.”
Adelaide, which sits 15th on the ladder has a 0-1 record in Ballarat, losing there to the Bulldogs in August 2019 in Don Pyke’s last game as coach.
The ladder-leading Bulldogs have a 4-2 record at the venue.
Crows, Power flying home ahead of Showdown 50
- Jon Ralph, Simeon Thomas-Wilson
Port Adelaide has been cleared to fly back to South Australia after it plays Greater Western Sydney on the Gold Coast on Sunday.
The Power were told on Thursday that they would fly from Melbourne to the Gold Coast on a charter flight for the 3.10pm Metricon Stadium match.
“After the match, Port Adelaide will return to South Australia,” the league said in a statement.
The Giants are currently based on the Gold Coast as Sydney continues to reel from its escalating Covid-19 crisis.
Both Adelaide-based teams will return back to the state after Round 20 in anticipation of Showdown 50 at Adelaide Oval in Round 21.
The two clubs will have to work with SA Health about gaining exemptions on returning home. As it stands, they would have to do two weeks of quarantine because they have been based in Melbourne.
There is even a possibility that a crowd could be allowed at the Showdown.
But SA premier Steven Marshall hinted that any crowd would have to be capped initially.
“In regards to subsequent weeks we need to sit down with the AFL and with the SMA (Stadium Management Authority),” he said.
The league also finalised details of the Gold Coast-Melbourne clash, saying it would be played at Metricon Stadium at 3.10pm on Saturday.
The Demons will then fly to Perth directly from Queensland and enter a week of hotel quarantine at the Joondalup Resort before taking on West Coast in Round 21.
The Demons players will have to be in their homes in quarantine and their families will not be able to leave the house even to work or go to school.
It means players who want their families to escape their bubbles will spend Thursday and Friday night in hotels before flying to the Gold Coast on Saturday.
Former coronavirus cabinet member Eddie McGuire suggested on Footy Classified on Wednesday the Demons might still play Adelaide in Darwin in Round 22.
But the Demons plan to fly home from Perth and play that Round Round 22 clash against Adelaide at the MCG as scheduled.
It will give them time to sleep in their own beds at the back-end of the home-and-away season before taking on Geelong at GMHBA Stadium in Round 23.
AFL fixture boss Travis Auld confirmed the sterile corridor had been established with Queensland.
“We thank the four clubs, broadcast partners, and the venue – Metricon Stadium – for their patience as we finalised details for the respective matches to be played on Saturday and Sunday,” he said.
“The health and safety of those in our game and the wider community remains paramount and we would like to thank the Queensland Government for their continued support of the 2021 Toyota AFL Premiership Season.”
Has veteran played his last game for the Crows?
Dual All-Australian Daniel Talia concedes he won’t play any footy this year, but is hopeful he can prove his fitness enough to win a new deal at Adelaide.
The 2014 Malcolm Blight Medallist has not played any footy this season because of issues with his foot.
The gun key defender stayed behind in South Australia while his teammates went to Melbourne last week to keep the AFL season alive, in a sign he won’t feature for the Crows in 2021.
“I don’t think so, I haven’t gone over so no pretty much,” he said on SEN SA.
“I am building to a point where I wouldn’t be far away but to get back to play I would probably need a couple of weeks in the SANFL.
“And I would run out of time.
“So the decision was made to just get back to full fitness and unfortunately I’m just going to miss out.”
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Talia not being able to play this season does complicate whether the champion defender remains at the Crows following the end of this year.
He is out of contract and Matthew Nicks has indicated that ability to get back playing would have an impact on a new deal.
Talia said he wanted to stay at the Crows and was determined to show them that he can be a part of their future.
“I’m just focusing on getting back to fitness and I would imagine that will sort itself out at the end of the year,” Talia said.
“I’m just tyring to go about it in the best way I can and get as fit as possible.
“I’m doing everything I can to be as fit as I can.
“(And) trying to make it as hard as possible for them not to re-sign me.”
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Adelaide talisman Taylor Walker says he isn’t thinking about a late charge at the Coleman Medal.
Rather, the Crows star says it is working with Adelaide’s young players, which “reassures” him that he made the right call to continue playing in 2021.
After a lean year in 2020 many questioned what role Walker should have at the Crows, if indeed he even had a place as a player for the club, in 2021.
But this year Walker has been outstanding for the Crows, and is a challenger for the Coleman.
His four goals as the Crows got back on the winners list against Hawthorn has him six behind Carlton’s Harry McKay, who was a late withdrawal against North Melbourne with a toe injury.
While there is time to overcome the deficit, Walker said he was more focused about helping the Crows finish the season off strongly.
“We will just keep enjoying the process that we are on at the moment and finish the year as we started,” he said.
“That’s my main goal and hopefully the rest of the group’s as well.
“It just reassures me that I made the right decision to continue playing footy and if you enjoy what you do you see results and sometimes when you aren’t playing well you don’t enjoy what you are doing.”
The win over the Hawks, snapping a four-game losing streak, came after the Crows had to relocate to Melbourne to keep the season alive.
Walker said it was a victory that showed the club was on the right track.
“It was a big week for our footy club,” Walker said.
“Obviously, being told that we were coming to Melbourne, then we were going to Queensland, then we weren’t and then we ended up coming here.
“A couple of words that stick out to me is a mature and resilient win for our group on the weekend, the ability to go out and perform, not just play.
“It builds character and builds strength in our group and it keeps us on the track that we are going, in the right direction.”
After struggling going forward in recent weeks, the Crows were a lot more efficient against the Hawks — getting the win despite having fewer inside-50 entries than Hawthorn.
On top of this the Crows had nine goalkickers and Walker said replicating that was a goal.
“What it means is that we are harder to play against, everyone has to get manned up and you have to man up nine men to stop goals,” he said.
“It’s good to have that spread, nine goalkickers — we’ve been looking for that all year and to have some midfielders come up and kick goals was good, and we had some great work from the forwards hitting the scoreboard as well.”
Walker also lauded the efforts of young forward Darcy Fogarty, who had two goals, 13 disposals and five marks in the win.
“That was one of Darcy’s probably better games for a while,” Walker said.
“A consistent performance over four quarters.”
Walker said Fogarty knew that sort of performance was what was required each week.
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