Crows great Mark Ricciuto reveals captain Taylor Walker rushed back ahead of schedule
CROWS great and current board member Mark Ricciuto has put the heat on his club to beat Fremantle in Perth on Sunday while revealing captain Taylor Walker has been rushed back into the side ‘at least’ a week ahead of schedule.
Crows
Don't miss out on the headlines from Crows. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- Captain Walker answers SOS from battered Crows
- Damning numbers show Port shooting itself in foot
- Hinkley warns against fools’ paradise
- Why big freeze is close to Pyke’s heart
- AFL Daily: All the latest news and views
CROWS great and current board member Mark Ricciuto has put the heat on his club to beat Fremantle in Perth on Sunday while revealing captain Taylor Walker has been rushed back into the side “at least’’ a week ahead of schedule.
Illustrating just how desperate injury-ravaged Adelaide is after losing three of its past four games, Ricciuto said the club had not planned for key forward Walker to return from injury until next Saturday’s round 13 clash against Hawthorn.
But he has been brought back early after the 6-5 Crows lost fellow forward Tom Lynch (side strain) and playmaking defender Rory Laird (broken hand), who has been their best player this season, to injury.
Ricciuto indicated Adelaide had thrown all its eggs into Sunday’s basket after falling out of the top eight following last Sunday’s upset loss to GWS.
“Walker’s back because he has to play,’’ Ricciuto told Triple M.
“Hawthorn had been on the radar, or even after the (round 14) bye, so it’s at least a week earlier than what they had planned.
“But you’ve got to change your plans when you’ve got so many injuries like the Crows have now.’’
Walker has missed Adelaide’s past three games and four of the past five with hamstring/glute/back soreness and was given what the club described as a “mini pre-season’’ to improve his fitness.
He has now been charged with turning his team’s fortunes around.
Ricciuto described Sunday’s clash as “massive’’ for the Crows, saying if they lose their first match at the new Perth Stadium they are “well out of the eight and in huge trouble’’.
“It’s a big ground and the Crows are a bit slow at the moment,’’ Ricciuto said in clear reference to an injury-hit midfield.
“(Aaron) Sandilands is back (from concussion) for Freo so they will win the ruck and while Nat Fyfe is out (through suspension) and is absolutely crucial to them the Crows are going to have to do a lot of things right and the senior players are going to have to stand up as well.
“They have been but they need to do it again and somehow scrape out a victory on the road in Perth where the Freo boys play a lot better.
“I think they can win, I hope they do, but I wouldn't be surprised if they don’t.’’
andrew.capel@news.com.au
Watch every match of every round of the 2018 Toyota AFL Premiership Season. SIGN UP NOW >