SA Teams: Port Power, Crows name their round 19 teams
In the context of its season, there’s no bigger match for Port. The Power have made two changes, with huge selection calls on a recovering pair. See the Crows and Power teams.
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Port Adelaide has made two changes for Saturday’s must-win clash against Geelong – but will not roll the dice in bringing Orazio Fantasia and Brynn Teakle into the AFL team.
Fantasia, whose only AFL clash this year was in round 9 as an unused medical substitute, and one-gamer Teakle trained with the A grade in match simulation at Alberton on Thursday then were named in the SANFL side.
The Power instead recalled small forward Jed McEntee and half-back Jase Burgoyne for Jackson Mead and Riley Bonner (both omitted).
SCROLL DOWN FOR THE CROWS AND POWER TEAMS
McEntee has featured four times at AFL level this season, twice as an unused medical substitute and most recently on field against Melbourne in round 4.
Burgoyne was dropped and the medi sub last week after promising performances in his first two games the previous fortnight.
Port Adelaide must have been tempted to recall Fantasia and Teakle, given a loss to Geelong would significantly dent their top-eight hopes.
Fantasia’s class and four-goal haul in last year’s qualifying final win over the Cats also weighed in his favour.
But he had not played since a June 25 state-league game, having battled knee and quad troubles this season.
“It’s a risk if he plays SANFL or AFL,” teammate Dan Houston said.
“It’s up to the coaches about the risk versus reward.”
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Teakle broke his collarbone in his sole AFL match – against Sydney in round 14, two weeks after the Power drafted him mid-season.
Without him, Charlie Dixon and Jeremy Finlayson will lead the ruck for the fifth consecutive game.
Bonner, who trained with the B side in match simulation, made several mistakes that led directly to goals in Sunday’s loss to the Demons in Alice Springs.
Two others who had minimal influence against Melbourne, forward Mitch Georgiades (four disposals, one behind, one mark) and wingman Kane Farrell (six touches, one behind, one mark), were also on the weaker team on Thursday, but held their spots.
Houston said the team was confident Georgiades, who had kicked 15.21 for the season, could turn his form around.
Bonner and Mead are emergencies, along with Xavier Duursma and Trent McKenzie.
With five games remaining, Port Adelaide is in 11th spot with an 8-9 record – one win and 8.1 per cent behind eighth-ranked Richmond.
Houston said the club still had faith it could reach the major round.
“If the mathematics say we can still make the finals, then we’re obviously going to believe that,” he said.
“It’s been pretty cutthroat since we went 0-5.”
Crows name team for ‘toughest assignment in the game’
—Simeon Thomas-Wilson
Adelaide will go in unchanged for the second time this season against Sydney.
The Crows take on the Swans at the SCG on Saturday and after no injuries against Collingwood last week Adelaide will take in the same 22 that took on the Magpies.
Crows head of football Adam Kelly said it was the second time this season the Crows would go into a game unchanged after beating the Western Bulldogs in Round 6.
“Fortunately we got through the Collingwood game with no injury,” Kelly said.
“With no players returning from injury and after what was a strong performance last week, we take an unchanged line-up into this week’s game against Sydney.
“Taking on the Swans at the SCG is one of the toughest assignments in the game at the moment and we look forward to the challenge.”
It means Matt Crouch is still in the SANFL after a 28-disposal game in the state league last week.
Lachlan Sholl also had 32 disposals in the SANFL, but was overlooked.
James Rowe, who was the medical sub last week, Elliott Himmelberg, Josh Worrell and Brayden Cook have been named as emergencies with one to be confirmed as the medical substitute one hour before the game.
SYDNEY SWANS v ADELAIDE CROWS
Saturday July 23, 1:45pm at the SCG
SWANS
B: Fox, Rampe, P.McCartin
HB: Lloyd, T.McCartin, McInerney
C: Florent, Parker, Clarke
HF: Gulden, Amartey, Heeney
F: Hayward, Franklin, Papley
FOLL: Hickey, Mills, Warner
I/C: Blakey, Stephens, Rowbottom, Reid
EMG: Kennedy, Gould, Wicks, McDonald
IN: Nil
OUT: Cunningham (sub)
CROWS
B: Doedee, Butts, Hamill
HB: Smith, Murray, Dawson
C: Hinge, Laird, Jones
HF: McAdam, Fogarty, Soligo
F: McHenry, Walker, Murphy
FOLL: O’Brien, Berry, Keays
I/C: Thilthorpe, Schoenberg, Milera, Parnell
EMG: Rowe, Himmelberg, Worrell, Cook
IN: Nil
OUT: Rowe (sub)
PORT ADELAIDE v GEELONG CATS
Saturday July 23, 4:35pm at Adelaide Oval
POWER
B: Burton, Jonas, Clurey
HB: Byrne-Jones, Aliir, Houston
C: Amon, Drew, Farrell
HF: Butters, Marshall, Rozee
F: Gray, Dixon, Powell-Pepper
FOLL: Finlayson, Wines, Boak
I/C: Bergman, Georgiades, Burgoyne, McEntee
EMG: Bonner, Duursma, McKenzie, Mead
IN: McEntee
OUT: Mead, Bonner (both omitted)
CATS
B: O’Connor, De Koning, Z.Guthrie
HB: Bews, Henry, Tuohy
C: Duncan, Blicavs, Smith
HF: Rohan, Cameron, Dangerfield
F: Close, Hawkins, Stengle
FOLL: Stanley, C.Guthrie, Selwood
I/C: Kolodjashnij, Holmes, Atkins, Miers
EMG: Parfitt, Stevens, Dahlhaus, Neale
IN: Nil
OUT: Menegola (injured)
‘Not that common’: Crow plays down concussion fears
—Matt Turner
A fifth concussion in four seasons is not changing the outlook of Adelaide defender Will Hamill, who says players retiring from head knocks concerns him but they are rare.
The 21-year-old Crow experienced his latest concussion against North Melbourne in Hobart last month when his head hit the turf while tackling Hugh Greenwood.
Hamill needed trainers’ assistance to walk off the field and had memory loss of about five minutes before coming to in the change rooms then calling his parents to reassure them he was OK.
The 35-gamer said getting concussed was a little frightening at the time and he had recovered differently from each.
Hamill was initially “foggy” after his most recent one but had not experienced any lingering effects, as he “pulled up really well in the next couple of days”.
The Victorian said seeing the likes of West Coast’s Daniel Venables not be able to play again due to concussion was “a bit concerning but you just have to look at the big picture”.
“It’s not that common that they’re happening those things,” Hamill said.
“I’m pretty comfortable (playing).
“The main risk is when you get repeat concussions in a short period of time.
“It is a little bit scary at the time but the next day when you start to come good, it’s not too bad.”
Hamill said he did not think concussion would affect him playing unless he experienced chronic symptoms, such as what teammate Paul Seedsman had been enduring since a training knock in December.
Seedsman has not featured at AFL level this year and is on the club’s inactive list.
“I’m 21, if I gave up footy now, it’d be pretty boring for the rest of my life,” Hamill said.
“Fingers crossed I don’t have too many more in my career.”
Hamill’s first concussion came in the SANFL against Central District in 2019 when he copped a knee to the head.
His worst one stemmed from when Melbourne’s Alex Neal-Bullen knocked him out in a tackle at Adelaide Oval in 2020.
Neal-Bullen received a four-game suspension and Hamill sat out the same number of matches as a precaution.
“I had headaches for five or six days after and then felt sick as well when I was about to come back in so it set me back a little bit,” he said.
Hamill’s concussions have worried his family but he always speaks to them as soon as he is able on match days.
“They don’t put too much pressure on me,” he said.
“They just say ‘be careful’ but I’m playing footy, you can’t be careful out there.”
The AFL enforced a minimum 12-day break for players who were battling concussion, starting from last season.
Hamill, who is coming off a strong game in the loss to Collingwood on Saturday, does exercises to strengthen his neck and leans on the club’s doctors for advice.
He had considered wearing a helmet but did not think it would help reduce the chances of concussion.
Hamill said Seedsman, who had no timeline for a return, was in good spirits.
“It’s good to have him around the club,” he said.
While Seedsman was at training on Wednesday, star Jordan Dawson was absent with a non-Covid illness but was expected to play.
Rory Laird came off for a short time with an ankle issue but returned to complete the remainder of the match simulation.
Josh Rachele (hip) is still one to two weeks away from returning.
OUT-OF-CONTRACT CROW CAUGHT IN LIST SQUEEZE
Mitch Hinge is optimistic he will re-sign with Adelaide as a list spot squeeze takes hold at West Lakes.
The 24-year-old utility is among eight Crows without deals for 2023 and one of just two AFL regulars, along with goalsneak James Rowe.
With Taylor Walker and Paddy Parnell newly re-signed, and other list movements to come, players now may have to wait until the end of the campaign to receive a new contract.
Hinge, who had played 12 of the 17 games this season, told News Corp his situation was looking positive.
“I’m pretty optimistic something gets done,” Hinge said.
“I’m not worried about it at the moment.
“I think footy does the talking and I’m building in a pretty positive trajectory.”
Hinge, who grew up in the town of Mundulla in SA’s southeast, arrived at the Crows from Brisbane at the end of 2020 and played just one game last season due to a shoulder injury.
He was sidelined with a hip issue earlier this year, then surprisingly omitted for the game against Gold Coast last month.
Hinge returned for two matches then missed a week with Covid before regaining his spot for Saturday’s clash with Collingwood.
He was disappointed to be dropped but conceded his form had been up and down.
Team balance was part of the reason for his axing.
“Daws (Jordan Dawson) went back and with the superstar he is, even though we’re not quite on the same level, we play a similar way,” he said.
“I got on the hard end of that stick … but if I was performing really, really well, better than what I was, I probably wouldn’t have got dropped.
“I’ll try not to play the victim card and get to work on what more I can do.
“Once you have those conversations, sit back and think about the bigger picture, I was probably OK with it.
“I’m back in the team now so have put that to the back of my mind and am moving forward.”
Hinge, who had played on a wing in recent weeks, said getting more possessions was a focus.
“I feel like personally I’ve come back, been able to play better and been able to impact games a little more than what I’d previously done,” he said.
WHY CROWS HAVE GONE NO-RISK RACHELE
Simeon Thomas-Wilson
Adelaide will continue to take a no risk approach with young gun Josh Rachele’s return from a hip injury, Crows forward coach James Rahilly says.
The No. 6 draft pick has missed the Crows’ last two games with a hip-joint injury.
He was put through an intense session by the Crows on Monday.
But Rahilly hinted that the young gun could sit out this weekend’s clash against Sydney at the SCG.
“Yeah it might be tight this week, he is still in the rehab group,” Rahilly said.
“But he is running across the ground so we will be careful with that one and see how we go and make sure he is right to go.
“I don’t think he is sore, it is just a bit of a slow process trying to get that hip right.
“He probably battled in his last game in covering the ground and as a forward coming into the midfield he needs to cover the ground.
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“So we will make sure he is right when he gets back.”
Rachele made a stunning start to his AFL career for the Crows, kicking five on debut and impressing in his first handful of games.
But he had been quieter prior to going down with the hip-joint injury.
Rahilly said the Crows needed to be careful with Rachele, who had two years of footy interrupted by the pandemic prior to being drafted.
“I think we have to be careful, that’s the process we are taking at the moment,” he said.
“Obviously his start to the year was amazing and we want that back and hopefully the plan is to really get him right so he is covering the ground like he was in his first couple of games.”
After the Crows faced numerous questions about how the rebuild at West Lakes was going following a horror show against Hawthorn, Matthew Nicks’ side regained some respectability after pushing Collingwood all the way to go down by just five-points.
Rahilly said there had been a big focus on their start to games.
“I think definitely our start, we definitely took a step backwards with our start (against Hawthorn) and we had to play catch-up all game,” he said.
“And we took a step backwards with our contested game and our contested footy and our ability to be clean at the contest and I thought that was better on the weekend.
“It was an off-week and we wanted to show a response.
“We did train it and we did focus on it, we still question why we started poorly and we did a review on how we warmed up.
“We had a pretty big review on that.”
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