Eddie Betts dropped as Crows make three changes to face Carlton

The Crows have dropped star forward Eddie Betts for the first time while Port Adelaide has sent key forward Charlie Dixon back to the SANFL with Paddy Ryder earning a call-up.

• Round 19 AFL teams: All the ins and outs
• Eddie’s classy response
• Why Crows need to change tack on list build
• Eddie Betts: My game day routine

Cult figure Eddie Betts has been dropped for the first time in his Adelaide career - just two weeks after kicking six goals against Gold Coast.

And Port Adelaide has produced its own selection bombshell, dumping powerhouse key forward Charlie Dixon as both South Australian AFL clubs - fighting for spots in the top eight - face crucial games against Carlton and Greater Western Sydney respectively on Saturday.

Veteran pocket rocket Betts - the Crows’ oldest player at 32 - will play his first SANFL game against Glenelg on Saturday rather than line up against his former club the Blues at the MCG.

Betts’ demotion comes just two rounds after he torched the Suns for six goals at Metricon Stadium.

But he went goalless in last week’s shock home loss to Essendon, having just nine disposals, and has paid a high price for his inconsistency this season.

Tyson Stengle of the Crows celebrates a goal with teammate Eddie Betts during the round 17 win over the Suns. Picture: Getty Images

“Unfortunately Eddie has not been able to deliver his usual consistency of performance to which we have become accustomed,” Crows coach Don Pyke said.

“We know that at his best he brings high energy, high impact and hits the scoreboard in games, and unfortunately and frustratingly we have not seen that regularly this season.

“Eddie will play in the SANFL this weekend with a view to recapture his best form.”

Eddie responded with a Snapchat story, visible in the tweet below.

Eddie Betts you classy legend @FOXSportsNews pic.twitter.com/PA7Ii6BAbm

— Kath Loughnan (@KathLoughnan) July 25, 2019

Adelaide’s leading goalkicker in his first four years at the club before being beaten by Josh Jenkins last season, Betts has kicked 32 goals in 17 matches this year but 12 of them came in two clashes against the bottom-placed Suns.

He has been replaced in the Crows’ line-up by the player he mentors, former Richmond small forward Tyson Stengle, who kicked three goals in his only game for Adelaide against Gold Coast.

Patrick Wilson and Andy Otten have also been brought into the Crows side for their first AFL games of the year, with midfielder Hugh Greenwood dropped and key defender Alex Keath managed.

Adelaide co-captain Taylor Walker has been named to play despite suffering an elbow inijury in Round 18. Picture: Sarah Reed

Carlton has lost No. 1 ruckman Matthew Kreuzer (rested) and replaced him with Andrew Phillips.

But the big story is Betts.

He has gone goalless five times in 2019, including both Showdowns where he normally stars, illustrating that age is catching up with him.

Still under contract for another season, Betts has kicked 595 goals in 312 games.

He spent his first nine years with the Blues before joining the Crows as a restricted free agent at the end of the 2013 season.

Betts ranks third all-time in goalkicking at Adelaide with 302 majors - behind Tony Modra (440) and co-captain Taylor Walker (412).

Walker has passed a fitness test on his sprained elbow and will line-up for the Crows on Saturday, despite calls for him to be dropped for poor form.

Speaking on FIVEaa on Thursday morning before his axing, Betts said he felt confident about playing on next year but that there had been moments this year where he thought the game had passed him by.

“When you don’t play that well and the scrutiny is on you, you’re 32, you do think like that,’’ said Betts, revealing he needed four stitches in a cut lip after a tough training session on Wednesday.

“I’m the oldest on the list, the grandfather. Poppa they call me. I look at games I have played this year and I still know I can play great footy.

“You’ve just got to get some form back and playing great footy and find ways to do that.’’

POWER v GIANTS

Port Adelaide’s Charlie Dixon trains at Adelaide Oval. Picture: Sarah Reed

PORT - reeling in ninth spot after consecutive losses - has dropped the struggling Dixon after he failed to hit top form after a long stint out with a broken leg and recalled All-Australian ruckman Paddy Ryder for the match against GWS while promising a midfield makeover.

Disappointing utility Steven Motlop, who made no impact in the loss to Richmond last week, has been dropped for the second time this year.

Ryder - an All-Australian just two years ago - returns to the Power’s AFL side after spending a month in the SANFL.

He was the Magpies’ best in their four-goal loss to Glenelg on Sunday and has been promoted to the AFL along with hard-nosed defender Joel Garner.

Assistant coach Brett Montgomery said the Power would also mix up its midfield this week after being found out for being “a little bit same type around the footy’’.

Key on-ballers Ollie Wines (broken thumb) and Brad Ebert (knee) remain sidelined by injury.

Montgomery indicated defenders Dan Houston and Hamish Hartlett and vastly-improved wingman Karl Amon would see more inside midfield work.

“We are looking at throwing an extra number or two into our midfield mix,’’ he said.

“Just to get a bit of a different look, whether it be some more quality by foot or just some general run.’’

Port Adelaide’s Steven Motlop, left, chasing Richmond’s Dustin Martin last weekend, is one of two Power players to be dropped. Picture: Dylan Burns/AFL Photos

Montgomery said Port was looking for more consistency from its group after alternating results for two months before losing consecutive games to Brisbane and the Tigers.

“It’s the reliability piece we are looking for, whether it be contest to contest, quarter to quarter, because everyone is seeing it from week to week in terms of our results,’’ he said.

“It is frustrating because we’ve got a lot of players that are fluctuating a little bit too far in terms of their really good stuff and their poorer stuff.

“So we are trying to bridge the gap between that really reliable and remarkable type behaviour because the messaging has been incredibly consistent and the style we are looking to play doesn’t deviate too much on who we play each week.’’

The Giants regained ace defender Phil Davies from injury while promoting Adam Kennedy and SA boy Jackson Hately.

Brett Deledio, Lachlan Keefe and Jake Stein drop out of the team.

CARLTON V ADELAIDE

BLUES

B: Plowman, Jones, Newman

HB: Thomas, Weitering, Simpson

C: Setterfield, Cripps, O’Brien

HF: Gibbons, Casboult, Deluca

F: Fisher, McKay, Silvagni

FOLL: Phillips, E.Curnow, Walsh

I/C: Petrevski-Seton, Murphy, Lang, Kennedy

EMG: Lobbe, Macreadie, Fasolo, Dow

IN: Phillips

OUT: Kreuzer

CROWS

B: Brown, Talia, Hartigan

HB: Smith, Kelly, Laird

C: Knight, Sloane, Milera

HF: B.Crouch, Walker, Lynch

F: Murphy, Jenkins, Stengle

FOLL: O’Brien, M.Crouch, Wilson

I/C: Seedsman, Mackay, Atkins, Otten

EMG: Jacobs, Douglas, Fogarty, Keath

IN: Stengle, Wilson, Otten

OUT: Keath, Betts, Greenwood

PORT ADELAIDE V GWS GIANTS

POWER

B: Houston, Clurey, Bonner

HB: Hartlett, Jonas, Byrne-Jones

C: Duursma, Rockliff, Amon

HF: R.Gray, Howard, S.Gray

F: Westhoff, Ryder, Rozee

FOLL: Lycett, Powell-Pepper, Boak

I/C: Broadbent, Butters, Garner, Sutcliffe

EMG: McKenzie, Johnson, Woodcock, Mayes

IN: Ryder, Garner

OUT: Motlop, Dixon

GIANTS

B: Shaw, Davis, Tomlinson

HB: Whitfield, Haynes, Taylor

C: Williams, Reid, Kennedy

HF: Hately, Cameron, Lloyd

F: Daniels, Himmelberg, Hill

FOLL: Mumford, Greene, Taranto

I/C: Perryman, Hopper, Finlayson, Simpson

EMG: Caldwell, Bonar, Keeffe, Stein

IN: Davis, Kennedy, Hately

OUT: Keeffe, Deledio, Stein