Crows regain captain Taylor Walker and confirm vice-captain Rory Sloane will start

CROWS captain Taylor Walker and vice-captain Rory Sloane will play in the same AFL game for just the seventh time this season when Adelaide hosts Melbourne at Adelaide Oval on Saturday night.

ADELAIDE will have its two prime on-field leaders - captain Taylor Walker and vice-captain Rory Sloane - together for an AFL game for just the seventh time this season in Saturday night’s must-win clash with Melbourne.

The 12th-ranked Crows (9-8) have regained Walker from suspension - and confirmed Sloane is fit to play against the seventh-placed Demons after suffering a foot scare in the dramatic five-point win against Brisbane at the Gabba on Saturday night.

In a year when Adelaide has had its on-field leadership questioned during the combined absences of Walker and Sloane, the critical resumption of this pair is a strong pointer for the Crows. The Walker-Sloane partnership has delivered four wins in six games this season.

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Adelaide has lost Rising Star-nominated defender Tom Doedee (concussion) in the only change to the 22-man line-up that beat Brisbane, but kept rookie-listed forward Lachlan Murphy. Both were concussed in a testing third quarter at the Gabba.

Doedee is expected to miss just one match, putting him in line for a return in Showdown 45 against Port Adelaide on Saturday week.

Crows football boss Brett Burton on Thursday night confirmed Sloane is clear of all foot concerns flagged by Brownlow Medallist Mark Ricciuto.

“He was never in any doubt,” Burton said. “He’s had a good week on the track.

“He got stepped on the foot during the game (against the Lions), but outside of that he was fine.”

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Of Doedee, Burton said: “He was just a big sluggish out of that concussion, so he was a bit slow to get going earlier in the week and didn’t pass the protocol.

“We’ll continue that protocol on and I’m sure he’ll be fine for next week.”

MELBOURNE (10-7) will field the same 22 who were denied at Kardinia Park on Saturday night by Geelong defender Zach Tuohy’s winning goal after the siren.

This is despite forward James Harmes having surgery on a broken hand on Monday.

Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin is standing by his line-up saying: “We thought the team functioned well last week - and that’s given us an opportunity to go in unchanged.

“It was a really tough loss at Geelong. (But) I thought the majority of the guys were outstanding in their application and their intensity.”

PORT ADELAIDE (11-6) will name its 22-man line-up on Friday evening with the prospect of All-Australian ruckman Patrick Ryder (left hip flexor strain) and defender Tom Jonas (knee) being recalled.

But Power coach Ken Hinkley already has flagged at least changes by losing key defender Dougal Howard (hand) and midfielder-forward Karl Amon (knee) and dropping veteran forward Lindsay Thomas from the team that lost at home to Greater Western Sydney on Sunday.

In line to play the also-ran Western Bulldogs at Ballarat on Sunday are Ryder, Jonas, defender Riley Bonner, the untried pair of Kane Farrell and ruckman Billy Frampton, Aidyn Johnson, and Geelong recruit Steven Motlop.

The WESTERN BULLDOGS (5-12) also will name their 22 on Friday evening after coach Luke Beveridge regained captain Marcus Bontempelli for his 100th AFL game.

Lewis Young, Shane Biggs, first-year midfielder Callum Porter, Fletcher Roberts and Patrick Lipinski also are in the preliminary 26-man squad.

Lost from last weekend’s line-up are Luke Dahlhaus (ankle), Tom Boyd (lower back disc) and Billy Gowers (ankle soreness).

Originally published as Crows regain captain Taylor Walker and confirm vice-captain Rory Sloane will start