Eddie Betts’ SANFL stint lasts just one week as Bryce Gibbs finally back for Crows
Don Pyke has recalled Bryce Gibbs from his SANFL exile and star forward Eddie Betts after a week in the seconds, while Port’s Ken Hinkley has called up three big men to take on the Bombers.
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Desperate Adelaide has turned to its old guard to try to reignite a season that is hovering on the edge, with star goalsneak Eddie Betts, his former Carlton teammate Bryce Gibbs and Richard Douglas recalled for Saturday night’s must-win clash against St Kilda at Adelaide Oval.
And disgruntled Crows fans will get a first look at AFL level this year of 2017 first-round draft pick Darcy Fogarty, who has been preferred to veteran key forward Josh Jenkins.
The inconsistent Jenkins has been dumped for the second time this season as eighth-placed Adelaide fights for its finals life, along with Paul Seedsman, Tyson Stengle and Patrick Wilson.
Reeling Port Adelaide, which has lost three consecutive games, has made some big selection calls of its own.
Lead ruckman Scott Lycett is a shock axing for Saturday’s do-or-die clash against Essendon at Marvel Stadium, along with key utility Dougal Howard and defender Joel Garner.
They have been replaced by powerhouse key forward Charlie Dixon, who bagged three goals in a promising performance in the SANFL on Sunday, his young sidekick Todd Marshall and emerging ruckman Peter Ladhams as the Power continues to play musical chairs with its misfiring attack.
Port, sitting 10th with an 8-10 win-loss record and coming off three consecutive losses, has trialled eight players over 197cm as key forwards this season — Dixon, Marshall, Howard, Ladhams, Lycett, Paddy Ryder, Justin Westhoff and Billy Frampton — but still has not found the right combination with just four home-and-away series to play.
West Coast premiership ruckman Lycett’s omission is the big surprise as he had replaced All-Australian Ryder as the Power’s lead ruckman.
Since round 13 he has been the AFL’s seventh-highest SuperCoach scorer, averaging 123 points.
But Port believes he has struggled for touch since hurting his knee against the Crows in round 16. He also has been weighed down by a sore shoulder.
Veteran pocket rocket Betts, 32, returns to the Crows line-up after kicking four goals in his first SANFL game against Glenelg last week following his shock demotion.
Gibbs — the 2006 No. 1 draft pick — will play his first AFL match since round 15, after which he was dropped to the SANFL for the fourth time this season.
Fellow veteran Douglas was axed after Showdown 47.
Crows coach Don Pyke said Betts had ticked all the boxes it wanted from him in the two-point loss to SANFL ladder leader Glenelg.
“We’re really happy with what he produced last week, he did exactly what we wanted him to do,’’ Pyke said, admitting the call to drop Betts was the hardest he had made in his time at the club.
“He got involved in the game, got up the ground and his score involvements were really high, so it’ll be great to get him back in the team.”
Betts, who is Adelaide’s leading goalkicker this season with 32, along with co-captain Taylor Walker, and has booted 595 in his illustrious 312-game career with Carlton and the Crows, was badly hurt by his axing and will be hellbent on making the Saints pay and showing he still has plenty of life left in him at AFL level.
He is contracted to Adelaide for next year.
Gibbs, 30, gets the chance to kickstart his stellar, 261-game career again after a standout 40-disposal, 11-clearance, 10-tackle effort against the Tigers.
Douglas had 34 disposals and kicked three goals against Glenelg.
Thirteenth-placed St Kilda, which has won both games under caretaker coach Brett Ratten following the dismissal of Alan Richardson, lost Blake Acres to injury and promoted Josh Battle.
The Power, which is continuing to try to find its best forward line mix, went back to its No. 1 key forward target Dixon, who didn’t play AFL until round 14 this season as he recovered from a badly broken leg suffered last year.
He responded to his surprise axing last week by kicking three goals and playing well in the Magpies’ 28-point SANFL win against South Adelaide at Noarlunga on Sunday.
Marshall, 20, hasn't played an AFL game since round eight and while he wasn't dominant against the Panthers, kicking two goals from 10 disposals, Port rates him as an integral part of its long term future.
Co-captain Ollie Wines was ruled out for a third consecutive week with a broken left thumb, despite training solidly on Wednesday, as the Power erred on the side of caution with his injury.
Essendon regained speedy Orazio Fantasia and Conor McKenna and omitted Jayden Laverde and Ben McNiece.
Captain Dyson Heppell remains sidelined with a foot injury.
ESSENDON V PORT ADELAIDE
Saturday August 3, 1.15pm at Marvel Stadium
BOMBERS
B: Redman, Hooker, Gleeson
HB: Francis, Ambrose, Zaharakis
C: Fantasia, Merrett, Langford
HF: Parish, Brown, McDonald-Tipungwuti
F: Snelling, McKernan, McGrath
FOLL: Z. Clarke, Shiel, D. Clarke
I/C: McKenna, Guelfi, Stringer, Saad
EMG: Hartley, Myers, Ham, Laverde
IN: Fantasia, McKenna
OUT: McNiece, Laverde (both omitted)
POWER
B: Houston, Clurey, Bonner
HB: Hartlett, Jonas, Byrne-Jones
C: Duursma, Rockliff, Amon
HF: R. Gray, Dixon, S. Gray
F: Westhoff, Ladhams, Rozee
FOLL: Ryder, Powell-Pepper, Boak
I/C: Sutcliffe, Broadbent, Butters, Marshall
EMG: Howard, Farrell, McKenzie, Mayes
IN: Dixon, Ladhams, Marshall
OUT: Howard (omitted), Lycett (omitted), Garner (omitted)
ADELAIDE V ST KILDA
Saturday August 3, 7.10pm at Adelaide Oval
CROWS
B: Kelly, Talia, Brown
HB: Mackay, Hartigan, Laird
C: Sloane, B. Crouch, Atkins
HF: Douglas, Lynch, Knight
F: Murphy, Walker, Betts
FOLL: O’Brien, M. Crouch, Gibbs
I/C: Otten, Milera, Fogarty, Smith
EMG: Greenwood, Seedsman, Stengle, Jacobs
IN: Douglas, Betts, Gibbs, Fogarty
OUT: Wilson, Seedsman, Jenkins, Stengle (all omitted)
SAINTS
B: Savage, Brown, Paton
HB: Wilkie, Carlisle, Clark
C: Billings, Ross, Langlands
HF: Hind, Bruce, Steele
F: Lonie, Membrey, Battle
FOLL: Marshall, Dunstan, Gresham
I/C: Coffield, Newnes, Long, Sinclair
EMG: Parker, McKenzie, Joyce, Marsh
IN: Battle
OUT: Acres (injured)