Adelaide pre-season news: Tom Lynch injury update, Dan Jackson’s quirky homework for leadership group and practice match team
Can the stories of Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton be related to football? Adelaide’s Daniel Jackson believes so. This is the quirky way he’s teaching Crows’ leaders.
AFL
Don't miss out on the headlines from AFL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Adelaide’s leadership group has taken inspiration from a famed Antarctic explorer as it seeks to help the club bounce back from its difficult 2020.
Defender Brodie Smith revealed he and the other four members of the unchanged Crows’ contingent had read a book about Sir Ernest Shackleton’s 1914-17 polar expedition, during which he helped his crew survive after being stranded for more than a year.
Titled Shackleton’s Way: Leadership Lessons From the Great Antarctic Explorer, the nonfiction work used the Irishman’s writing and diaries of his men to translate principles from what became a feat of endurance to today’s modern business world.
Watch every match of the 2021 AAMI Community Series LIVE on Kayo. New to Kayo? Get your free trial now & start streaming instantly >
Reading the book was part of homework set by the club’s leadership development manager Dan Jackson, who wanted the players to relate some of the lessons from it to football.
“(Shackleton) was an explorer that led his group into a do-or-die situation, leaning towards the die and got them all through,” Smith said.
“The way he took his group and the way he led by example – they obviously faced tough situations and he was able to spin it in a positive way and get them through.
“For us last year that was the (0-13) start we had, COVID, new group, new coach, training in 10s and how we get all that what was a tough year for us.
“Obviously we finished off pretty strongly.”
Smith said Jackson, who played 156 games for Richmond and joined the Crows last year after working in Canada and the UK, had brought a lot of quirky ideas and been a big influence.
“It’s been different but something I’ve really enjoyed,” he said.
Adelaide announced on Friday it would retain the same leadership group as last season, led by Rory Sloane as captain and also featuring Tom Doedee, Tom Lynch and Matt Crouch.
Smith said that was a sign of stability and the players having done well.
He said last year was a steep learning curve for the leadership group, particularly for himself and Doedee as newcomers.
“It was an extremely difficult year and different circumstances to what we’re used to,” he said.
Smith said there were plenty of players pushing to join the leadership group, including Rory Laird, Luke Brown, Reilly O’Brien, Jake Kelly and Andrew McPherson.
“The leadership across the group has been really impressive,” Smith said.
“We’ll get a good lesson when the pressure comes on this year and see how those guys step up.”
Smith said the club had not decided on a vice-captain and he hoped Sloane would play every game.
RELATED: WHERE CROWS, POWER MEMBERS WILL SIT IN 2021
INJURY CONCERN FOR ANOTHER CROWS VETERAN
The Crows expect Tom Lynch to play in the trial match against Port Adelaide despite the veteran getting scans on a sore foot on Friday.
Lynch missed Adelaide’s short training session, 24 hours before Saturday’s game at Alberton, and was on the track on Thursday.
“Obviously at this stage of the year, there’s no point in taking any risks,” teammate Brodie Smith said on Friday.
“At this stage, he’s still in line to play.
“We’ve got three or four weeks until Round 1 to get those scans, figure out what’s going on and put a plan in place.”
Matt Crouch (hip/groin), Daniel Talia (knee), Tom Doedee (groin) and Brayden Cook (shoulder) are the only Crows who have not been named for either of the two games against the Power.
Talia, who underwent off-season arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, was unlikely to feature in the season-opener against Geelong on March 20.
“He’s doing a lot of work at the moment through rehab and is pushing himself to the limit,” coach Matthew Nicks told Triple M.
“Coming back into training will be interesting for him because he’s been working so hard, but it’s a different dynamic when you get into that unprepared change of direction that is in footy.
“It looks like he’ll be in next week from a training point of view.
“If we fast-track him … I don’t think we’ll take too many risks with Tals, if it does come down to Round 1.
“We may look to Round 2 or 3.”
Crows’ team hints at big Round 1 selection calls
The Crows’ highest draft selection Riley Thilthorpe will play for the club’s SANFL side, not its AFL team, in Saturday’s trial game against Port Adelaide.
Thilthorpe, who Adelaide drafted at No. 2 last year, was on Thursday left out of the 25-man top-tier squad to face the Power at Alberton Oval.
The 18-year-old forward/ruckman has impressed over summer but has been building his workload after being eased into pre-season due to groin issues from last year.
Hard-nosed midfielders and fellow 2020 draftees Luke Pedlar and Sam Berry will also line up in the SANFL team despite strong showings in last Saturday’s internal trial.
Pedlar (shoulder) has also had an interrupted pre-season, while Victorian Berry’s 2020 campaign was ruined by COVID.
But mature-age draftee James Rowe looks on track for a Round 1 AFL debut after being named for Saturday’s feature clash.
The goalsneak was one of three new faces to be chosen, along with GWS recruit Jackson Hately and Williamstown tall defender Nick Murray.
Murray is the favourite to earn the final spot on Adelaide’s list via the Supplementary Selection Period.
He has an opportunity to enhance his prospects in the absence of key defenders Daniel Talia (knee) and Tom Doedee (groin).
Tall forward Billy Frampton was rewarded for his three-goal haul in the Crows’ intra-club match and picked ahead of Elliott Himmelberg.
Youngsters Will Hamill, Ned McHenry, Jordon Butts and Chayce Jones will also get a chance to push their cases for a Round 1 spot in the main match.
In all, the SANFL team features 12 AFL-listed players.
Along with Himmelberg, Thilthorpe, Pedlar and Berry, it also includes ex-Brisbane utility Mitch Hinge, Ben Davis, James Borlase, Tariek Newchurch, Josh Worrell, Ronin O’Connor, Lachlan Gollant and Kieran Strachan.
Delisted Crow Ayce Taylor, who is also trying to earn a rookie spot, has also been chosen in the second-tier team.
Hinge missed the internal trial with a shoulder injury.
The SANFL sides will play at 8.30am before the AFL teams face off at 11am.
HATELY PLOTTING ROUND 1 CROWS DEBUT
Simeon Thomas-Wilson
Adelaide and Port Adelaide are set for another Showdown this pre-season but young Crows midfielder Jackson Hately has no qualms about facing the same opposition again before Round 1.
The fierce rivals will go head to head at Alberton Oval on Saturday in a trial game for both their SANFL and senior teams.
And while the two SA clubs were set to travel to Western Australia to take on West Coast and Fremantle in the Community Series, the Crows and Power are now likely to face each other again before Round 1 starts with the AFL keen to limit interstate travel before the season.
Hately, who is hoping to line up for the Crows for the first time after coming from GWS via the pre-season draft, said it didn’t matter who Adelaide faced ahead of the season.
“We are looking forward to playing this week and whatever happens the week after we will go about it the same way,” he said.
“We just can’t control it, that’s part of the COVID (situation) you just can’t control everything.”
Hately left the Giants and their star-studded midfield for more opportunity at the Crows.
He was among draftees Luke Pedlar and Sam Berry in the red team in the Crows internal trial on Saturday, up against what looks set to be Matthew Nicks’ first choice midfield of Rory Sloane, Matt Crouch, Rory Laird and Ben Keays.
But Hately is confident of pushing the established Crows to get an inside midfield spot, with Nicks pleased with how his new recruit fared on the weekend.
“I think he was really happy with my inside stuff, my workrate he was pretty happy with the contest around the ball from our young guys,” he said.
“And just to drive my legs and then kick along, it was something that we spoke about getting that leg drive going and just exploding from there.
“I’ve been doing all my work as an inside midfielder so that’s definitely where I want to play.”
Hately spent a significant amount of time during the Crows skills session on Tuesday taking part in midfield drills.
After impressing in the intraclub, Berry ran laps with David Mackay – who is now under the AFL’s newly established concussion protocols after copping a headknock on Saturday.
Tom Doedee took part in some rigorous drills as he continues his recovery from a groin injury, while Daniel Talia did plenty of straight line running and kicking in his comeback from knee surgery.
New recruit from Brisbane Mitch Hinge looks likely to play in some form on the weekend, despite dislocating his shoulder last week while No. 25 pick Brayden Cook took part for a significant amount of time as he recovers from shoulder surgery and showed why Crows coaches are so excited about his raw talent.
“He is really impressing on the track … we have definitely seen glimpses from Cooky on the track and he looks really exciting,” Hately said.
Hately said he had been impressed with the workrate of the young Crows list since coming over from GWS.
“It’s such a young group and sometimes you get the young boys and it takes them a bit longer to get that work ethic,” he said.
“But coming here everyone had that straight away and I’ve come to a really hardworking group that wants to get better and that is being driven by the younger guys.”
HINGE OPENS FOR RECRUIT’S CROWS DEBUT
Recruit Mitch Hinge is in with a chance of playing his first game for Adelaide in this weekend’s trial match against Port Adelaide despite dislocating his shoulder last week.
Hinge missed out on the Crows internal trial match on Saturday after hurting his shoulder during a training session.
But the former Brisbane Lion did not require surgery and after being a runner in the intra-club match could be in line to feature in the Showdown trial match against the Power at Alberton.
In its injury update the Crows said Hinge would be assessed after training on Tuesday and Thursday ahead of selection.
While Hinge could be in, Tom Doedee and David Mackay have both been ruled out.
Doedee re-aggravated a groin injury last week and while he has resumed running the Crows have ruled him out of the practice match.
Mackay was concussed in the internal trial game at West Lakes and has been automatically ruled out for at least 12 days under the AFL’s new concussion protocols.
Matt Crouch only played the first half of the trial game because of management for his hip, but will be fine for the Power match.
Key defender Daniel Talia is expected to be available in the early rounds of the season as he recovers from knee surgery.
Shane McAdam (corked glute) and Sam Berry (stubbed toe), were both assessed after Saturday and are expected to play against Port Adelaide.
Draftee Brayden Cook is aiming to be available for selection in Round 5 of the season after having a shoulder reconstruction last year.
Port Adelaide has no players on its injury list.
More Coverage
Originally published as Adelaide pre-season news: Tom Lynch injury update, Dan Jackson’s quirky homework for leadership group and practice match team
Ablett family reveal details of son’s condition
Jordan and Gary Ablett had been reluctant to discuss many details about their little boy’s heartbreaking condition until now.
Injury-hit Demons stun Crows in Norwood thriller
Struck down by a host of injuries across their team, the Dees have managed to keep their AFLW season alive by pulling off a thrilling victory over the Crows.