Adelaide swings changes for must-win clash with Bulldogs in a game that could signal the end of several Crow careers
Hugh Greenwood, Alex Keath and Riley Knight brought back for season-defining clash against the Western Bulldogs in Ballarat as Power drops Powell-Pepper as one of four changes.
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Popular big man Sam Jacobs could be leading the Adelaide ruck division for the final time in Ballarat on Sunday.
In a must-win match that could see several Crows represent the club for the last time at AFL level, Jacobs has been preferred to his younger sidekick Reilly O’Brien as 10th-placed Adelaide ditched the two-ruck experiment it trialled against the Magpies to stop their star big man Brodie Grundy last week.
“The two ruckmen didn’t quite work as we would have liked,’’ assistant coach Ben Hart said.
The disappointing Crows, who must beat the Bulldogs by four-to-five goals to have to have any chance of featuring in September, have swung the selection axe, dropping O’Brien, key defender Kyle Hartigan and small forward Lachlan Murphy for the clash, which will be played in nine-degree temperatures.
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“The theme has been us winning and wanting to get on the scoreboard and there will be some positional changes to assist this,’’ Hart told SEN SA.
Key defender Alex Keath returns for the first time since round 18 after making his comeback from an ankle injury in the SANFL last week.
Big-bodied midfielder Hugh Greenwood will also play his first AFL game since round 18 while medium forward Riley Knight, a late withdrawal against the Magpies with hip soreness, is back in.
“Hugh’s shown solid form in the SANFL over the last month,” head of football Brett Burton said.
“The weapons he brings around his contested ball and pressure are an asset.”
Jacobs, 31, who played the 200th game of a stellar career against Collingwood, Greenwood and Keath are out of contract at the end of the season and facing uncertain futures.
Jacobs, who is likely to be offered a new one-year deal at Adelaide and wants to stay at the club, has been linked to a move to Greater Western Sydney, Greenwood to Hawthorn and Keath to the Dogs.
Veteran midfielder Richard Douglas could also be playing his final game for the Crows after announcing he will be leaving the club at the end of its campaign, although he hopes to find another AFL home.
Key forward Josh Jenkins might also have played his last game for Adelaide after being ruled out at both AFL and SANFL level this weekend because of a longstanding ankle injury.
The in-form Bulldogs, currently sitting eighth and favoured to hold on to the last available finals spot, made two changes, losing forward Tory Dickson to injury and dropping former Port Adelaide tall Jackson Trengove.
It has regained ruckman Tim English from a virus and promoted young midfielder Rhylee West.
PORT Adelaide brought back lead ruckman Scott Lycett after a surprising spell in the SANFL to partner veteran Paddy Ryder in the ruck against Fremantle at Adelaide Oval on Sunday.
In other changes, defender Trent McKenzie, a former Sun, will play just his second game for the Power — and first this season — after being brought in as a replacement for injured full back Tom Clurey (foot).
First-year wing sensation Xavier Duursma returns from a bruised heel while big-bodied on-baller Willem Drew has been promoted as a replacement for the struggling Sam Powell-Pepper.
Young forward Zak Butters has been omitted.
The Dockers, who sacked coach Ross Lyon, during the week, made four changes.
Retiring pair Aaron Sandilands and Hayden Ballantyne are out, along with injured ruckman Sean Darcy and dropped Lachie Schultz.
Hugh Dixon, Scott Jones, Ryan Nyhuis and Bailey Banfield are the incoming players.
WESTERN BULLDOGS v ADELAIDE CROWS
Sunday August 25, 12:40pm at Mars Stadium
BULLDOGS
B: T. Duryea, Le. Young, H. Crozier
HB: J. Johannisen, Z. Cordy, E. Wood
C: L. Hunter, M. Bontempelli, E. Richards
HF: B. Dale, J. Schache, S. Lloyd
F: B. Smith, A. Naughton, T. McLean
FOLL: T. English, J. Dunkley, J. Macrae
I/C: M. Suckling, R. West, P. Lipinski, W. Hayes
Emerg: J.Trengove, C. Porter, B. Williams, R. Smith
IN: T. English, R. West
OUT: T. Dickson (injured), J.Trengove
CROWS
B: R. Laird, D. Talia, L. Brown
HB: B. Smith, J. Kelly, W. Milera
C: P. Seedsman, B. Crouch, D. Mackay
HF: C. Jones, T. Walker, T. Lynch
F: E. Betts, D. Fogarty, R. Douglas
FOLL: S. Jacobs, M. Crouch, R. Sloane
I/C: H. Greenwood, R. Knight, B. Gibbs, A. Keath
Emerg: A.Otten, R. O’Brien, L.Murphy, K.Hartigan
IN: H. Greenwood, R. Knight, A. Keath
OUT: R. O’Brien, L.Murphy, K.Hartigan
PORT ADELAIDE v FREMANTLE
Sunday August 25, 4:10pm at the Adelaide Oval
POWER
B: D. Houston, T. Jonas, R. Bonner
HB: H. Hartlett, J. Westhoff, D. Byrne-Jones
C: X. Duursma, T. Rockliff, K. Amon
HF: R. Gray, C. Dixon, S. Gray
F: T. Marshall, P. Ryder, C. Rozee
FOLL: S. Lycett, O. Wines, T. Boak
I/C (from): M. Broadbent, R. Burton, S. Mayes, B. Frampton, C. Sutcliffe, W. Drew, T. McKenzie, S. Powell-Pepper
IN: X. Duursma, S. Lycett, S. Mayes, B. Frampton, W. Drew, C. Sutcliffe, T. McKenzie
OUT: T. Clurey (injured), P. Ladhams (omitted), Z. Butters (omitted)
DOCKERS
B: T. Duman, J. Hamling, C. Blakely
HB: D. Tucker, G. Logue, R. Conca
C: B. Hill, E. Hughes, E. Langdon
HF: A. Brayshaw, M. Walters, A. Cerra
F: H. Dixon, C. McCarthy, S. Switkowski
FOLL: S. Jones, N. Fyfe, D. Mundy
I/C: M. Crowden, B. Banfield, R. Nyhuis, B.Matera
IN: B. Banfield, S. Jones, R. Nyhuis, H.Dixon
OUT: H. Ballantyne, A. Sandilands, L. Schultz, S. Darcy (injured)