Adelaide Crows and Port Adelaide Power near full strength for AFL pre-season closer

ADELAIDE will have two big-name Crows without any pre-season form leading into the season - and a hot summer Showdown with a full strength Port Adelaide to close the warm-up to home-and-away action.

Basketball convert Hugh Greenwood, far left, made his return to the football field after foot surgery in November during Adelaide’s internal trial at Football Park yesterday working in the Crows new-look midfield. Picture: Dylan Coker.

ADELAIDE is backing its fitness staff to have Crows captain Taylor Walker and bullish midfielder Brad Crouch ready for the opening of the AFL premiership series, regardless of no pre-season workouts.

Crouch on Saturday joined Walker (left foot) on the Crows injury list with an abdominal strain from training putting him out of the internal trial at Football Park - and next Saturday’s JLT Community Series Showdown with Port Adelaide at Alberton Oval.

That summer derby can be classed as “hot” for the top-end talent both the Crows and Power will have available for the last competitive hit-out before their AFL premiership-season openers on March 23-24.

Port Adelaide reported no concern after its closed training session at Alberton yesterday morning when Geelong free-agent signing Steven Motlop was cleared of a minor strain he carried out of the JLT loss to West Coast in Perth last week.

And the Power is increasingly confident of having every first-choice player except defender Matthew Broadbent (ankle) on the selection whiteboard for the summer Showdown. This includes midfielder-forward Robbie Gray (who is suspended from the round one clash with Fremantle), Brisbane signing Tom Rockliff (knee) and speedy wingman Jared Polec (hamstring).

Adelaide’s internal trial was notable for the continued absence of key defender Daniel Talia, who again did not risk pushing the foot injury he suffered at training on February 25. He should start his pre-season action against the Power.

Far-roaming forward Tom Lynch, who captained the Crows in the JLT win against Fremantle at Strathalbyn, was sidelined by illness. Carlton recruit Bryce Gibbs surprisingly was kept on the sidelines after earlier declaring his wish to play.

Gibbs’ absence from the midfield allowed Crows coach Don Pyke and his midfield boss Scott Camporeale to work new-look rotations in the engine room. These featured regular goalsneak Eddie Betts, Rory Sloane (for the first time this pre-season), club champion Matt Crouch, comeback midfielder Cam Ellis-Yolmen, rising star Jordan Gallucci and Hugh Greenwood, who had foot surgery in November.

Wayne Milera tackles Darcy Fogerty during the intra-club clash. Picture: Dylan Coker

Camporeale pointed to working 31-year-old Betts more often in the midfield this season.

“He has been working on his fitness base - and he is clearly a very talented player, so we would be stupid not to use him a little bit more through there,” Camporeale said.

But Curtly Hampton, a strong performer in the midfield against the Dockers, was tested from half-forward as Pyke continued the measure the flexibility of his squad.

Camporeale declared Brad Crouch “at this stage” was still in the selection frame for the AFL season-opener against Essendon at Etihad Stadium on Friday week.

“We got what we wanted (from the internal trial),” Camporeale said. “There’s spots up for grabs - and a lot of guys put their hands up.”

The only concern for the Crows medical staff at Football Park was a head clash between defenders Andy Otten and Kyle Hartigan.