Alex Keath faces two more weeks out of the Crows side to recover from an ankle injury
He travelled to Melbourne as the emergency and Don Pyke said he was ‘technically probably fit to play’ but now Crows defender Alex Keath will be on the sidelines for the next couple of weeks.
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Alex Keath is set for two more weeks on the sideline to recover from an ankle injury.
The key defender was omitted from the Crows side that slumped to their fourth loss in five games to Carlton at the MCG to “manage” an ongoing ankle.
Keath, who is having a breakout year, did travel with the Crows to Melbourne as a travelling emergency and before the game on Friday Adelaide coach Don Pyke said the defender was “technically probably fit to play”.
But after the loss to the Blues, which has put the Crows’ finals aspirations at risk, Pyke said it was now likely that Keath would miss Adelaide’s next two games against St Kilda at Adelaide Oval and West Coast in Perth.
“He has got that sort of bone stress in his ankle that we have been managing for a month now … and the decision was made that if we pushed him on for the following five weeks it was going to be harder and harder because he’s not been able to train,” Pyke said.
“So we will back him off for this week and probably next week I would think to give him a chance to give that some healing.
“And then we can hopefully reload him and get him ready for those last three games.”
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Keath, who has emerged this year as one of the AFL’s most improved players with his intercepting ability, is waiting on the Crows for a revised offer for a new contract.
The former professional cricketer has attracted interest from Melbourne-based clubs, who may be willing to offer the 27-year-old a big contract.
Last week Keath’s agent Neil McMullen told The Advertiser discussions between him and Adelaide were “relaxed and comfortable” but the ball was in the Crows’ court.
Andy Otten, another who is out of contract at the end of the season, replaced Keath in the Crows line-up after stellar SANFL form and finished with 14 possessions, three marks and four tackles but struggled at times against big Carlton forward Harry McKay.
Newly re-signed ruckman Reilly O’Brien will be monitored over the coming days after reporting low level concussion symptoms in the fourth quarter when a marking contest took him to the MCG turf.
Crows science and medical services coordinator Steve Saunders said O’Brien was removed from the game to complete a concussion assessment and he would be assessed according to standard concussion protocols.