Port Adelaide stays firm for third week, Crows waiting on Seedsman

PORT Adelaide is keeping the same team for three consecutive weeks - a first since 2014 at Alberton. Crows still waiting on Paul Seedsman

Crows wingman Paul Seedsman was back in training on Thursday night, encouraging the Adelaide match committee to name the line breaker in the preliminary 26-man squad for Sunday’s AFL clash with Greater Western Sydney at Adelaide Oval. Picture: David Mariuz (AAP)

PORT Adelaide is unchanged for the third consecutive game - a first for the Power since the 2014 AFL finals series.

And the Crows will on Friday wait on line-breaking wingman Paul Seedsman (adductor) to confirm his fitness to resume in Sunday’s home clash with the battered GWS Giants at Adelaide Oval.

Seedsman, a costly late withdrawal before Adelaide’s 91-point loss to Melbourne at Alice Springs on Sunday, trained at the Oval Thursday to leave the Crows match committee optimistic - and prepared to name him in the starting 18 of a preliminary 26-man squad. This will be trimmed to the match 22 Friday.

Port Adelaide’s 22 is confirmed with the Power to leave Friday morning for Launceston - where it faces Hawthorn Saturday - with the same team that beat Adelaide in Showdown 44 and Gold Coast in Shanghai, China.

It is just the fourth time in the past three years that a club has run the same 22 for three consecutive games. This follows Adelaide (rounds 20-22, last year); GWS (rounds 22, 24 and opening finals, 2016) and Sydney (rounds 19-21, 2016).

The ninth-ranked Power is resuming off a 14-day break after playing in China - and faces former Port Adelaide defender Jarman Impey for the first time since he was traded to Hawthorn at the end of last year for compassionate reasons.

Impey, 22, moved to his Victorian based to be closer to family after the death of his father, Glenn, from cancer.

HAWTHORN (5-5, 10th) has two changes to the line-up that tumbled to West Coast to leave the Hawks on a three-game losing streak. Key forward Tim O’Brien and defender Daniel Howe return to the 22.

Former Power player turned Hawk Jarman Impey gets tackled against the West Coast Eagles last weekend. Michael Dodge/Getty Images)

They replace forward Mitchell Lewis and rookie-listed defender David Mirra.

Seventh-ranked ADELAIDE (6-4) has, so far, not reacted at the selection table to the biggest loss in Don Pyke’s short tenure at West Lakes.

The 26 has Seedsman, experienced swingman Andy Otten, ruckman Reilly O’Brien and rookie-listed small forward Lachlan Murphy in contention for the Sunday twilight clash at the Oval.

Eleventh-placed GWS (4-5-1) has lost injured defender Tim Mohr from the 22 which fell to Essendon at home.

The Giants have former Crows defender Phil Davis, untried key defender Sam Taylor, Western Bulldogs recruit and rookie-listed Sam Reid, ruckman Dawson Simpson and small forward Brent Daniels in the preliminary 26-man squad.

Taylor’s AFL start is confirmed. He will be the 89th player to represent the Giants in the AFL.