AFL 2022: All the Adelaide Crows news ahead of the Round 2 clash with Collingwood
Despite a developing forward being omitted in one of four changes by the Crows to meet Collingwood, Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks says his axing doesn’t just rest with him.
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Adelaide senior coach Matthew Nicks has backed promising youngster Riley Thilthorpe to fight his way back into the side after the developing forward was a surprise axing from the Crows Round 2 side.
Nicks said Thilthorpe would be given time at the lower level to work on his “craft”.
The Crows surprisingly omitted Thilthorpe for their clash against Collingwood at the MCG on Saturday.
Lachie Gollant’s five goal display in the Crows SANFL trial game has him in the side to take on the Pies.
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But it has come at the expense of Thilthorpe, who had a goal, seven disposals and four marks, while Elliott Himmelberg — who had six disposals and one mark — keeps his spot.
Nicks said it was tough for Thilthorpe as a young developing key forward
“It is one of the hardest positions to play, we need to be up and going and our ball movement needs to be giving him opportunity,” he said.
“At the moment we didn’t give him that for a half (against Fremantle), but it has been two or three weeks that he has been working on his game and he’s continuing to do that, he is continuing to develop.
“From our point of view it’s a real combination, if guys are ready to go and we think they will help us on the weekend then they are coming into the side and the guys who are not quite getting it done for us will go back and work on their craft.
“A key back for example can go to work on his opponent on the weekend, and doesn’t rely as much on his teammates to get him the ball.”
Nicks said it wasn’t just about what Thilthorpe was doing
“There’s a combination (for Riley) how we are playing, our delivery of the footy coming in as well as Riley … there were some stuff on the weekend that we were really pleased with and Riley has shown that he has a number of promising areas of his game,” he said.
“He can pinch in the ruck and get around the ground and that is probably where he is more comfortable at the moment and you find that with most key forwards that come in that are 18, 19 years old.
“It’s quite hard when you have the best backs in the game punching you in the back of the head
“He will continue to work at it and I have no doubt that he will be back soon.”
Thilthorpe’s omission is one of four changes by the Crows from the side that went down to the Dockers by a point.
Wayne Milera, who played his first game in nearly two years, was also omitted, as was debutant Jake Soligo while Andrew McPherson hurt his hamstring against the Dockers.
Luke Pedlar, Brayden Cook and Lachie Sholl, who was the medical sub last week, will also come in for the Crows.
While Nicks was looking for improvement from Thilthorpe, he backed Josh Rachele to back up his five-goal debut, saying the Adelaide young gun has all the tools to not let the hype overwhelm him.
“We are in Adelaide so he does get a fair bit of attention, but he has put his head down and gone to work. That’s probably the most pleasing part,” Nicks said of the No. 6 draft pick.
“You have some players who may lose themselves a little but he is a competitor so he loves the challenge and he knows it will get tough.”
Star Crow in line for shock return
Reigning Adelaide best-and-fairest Rory Laird could make an early return from a broken hand to take on Collingwood this weekend.
Laird broke his hand in the Community Series game against Port Adelaide on March 5 and, after not to sending him in for surgery, the Crows expected him to be out for up to six weeks.
But Laird could return ahead of schedule against the Magpies on Saturday in a big boost for Matthew Nicks’ side that went down to Fremantle in its season opener by a point.
Adelaide high performance manager Darren Burgess said Laird would be assessed on Wednesday when the Crows train.
“Rory has been running really well, obviously one of the advantages of a hand injury is you can still run so he’s pushing for selection this week,” Burgess said.
“He will do most of training on Wednesday and if he gets through that unscathed then he will be available this week, and if not this week, then certainly back for Round 3.”
The Crows will take on Port Adelaide in Round 3 in the first ever Friday night Showdown.
Defender Andrew McPherson is expected to miss one to two weeks with a minor hamstring injury.
McPherson hurt his left hamstring in the second quarter against Fremantle on Sunday and had scans on Monday.
“Andrew came from the ground in the second quarter reporting some left hamstring awareness,” Burgess said.
“We took a no-risk policy with him and scans on Monday revealed that he had a low-grade hamstring issue and we expect he will take one to two weeks to get back to playing.”
Lachlan Murphy made a successful return to football in the SANFL on the weekend after neck surgery in December, while fellow forward Shane McAdam is back in full training after recovering from an adductor strain.
Both will be available for selection this week.
“One of the highlights of the weekend was seeing Lachlan Murphy going around in the SANFL,” Burgess said.
“He got through a full game unscathed and it’s great for him and great for everyone at the club.
“And Shane McAdam is in full training, he will do the main session on Wednesday and will be available this week.”
Paul Seedsman is still listed as “ongoing” in his recovery from a concussion.
Keays reveals last-second regret after ‘best spoil ever seen’
Ben Keays has revealed what he could have done different if he had his time again after a defensive moment of brilliance by Heath Chapman denied the Crows midfielder his matchwinning moment.
After a poor first half, the Crows came out firing in the third and fourth quarters at Adelaide Oval on Sunday, and came within inches of stealing a win in the dying seconds.
With Fremantle ahead by just a point, Keays got the ball at a contest and, off just one step, kicked it towards goal.
Despite the attention of Nick Murray, Chapman was able to not only get a hand to Keays’ shot, as it went towards goal, he stopped the ball from crossing the line – which would have tied the game.
On Monday, Keays said he had a slight regret after reflecting on the passage of play.
“I was sort of surging towards goal and put up a bit of a floater so I didn’t get the distance on it,” he said.
“Maybe if I could have taken one more step I could have snapped it a lot higher but Heath Chapman was amazing there at the end.
“It was only afterwards that I kind of reflected that I maybe could have tried to get a bit more purchase on it.
“But at the time it was a stoppage situation and there was a lot of bodies around the footy so it was just get it to goal and hope the forwards could do their best.
“Muz (Murray) was there and he nearly helped it through but Chapman was there.”
Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir said he told Chapman it was “the best spoil I’ve ever seen”.
The grandstand finish at Adelaide Oval came after a horror first half showing by the Crows.
Littered with turnovers and poor kicking, it prompted senior coach Matthew Nicks to describe it as “atrocious” as he spoke to Fox Footy with the Crows 25-points down at half time.
Nicks rev up resulted in the Crows coming out firing in the third and fourth quarters.
But Keays said that first half ultimately cost them.
“We just went back to playing our way, had forward momentum, were in their face a bit more and we were a lot more direct,” he said.
“I think it was just execution from a lot of boys, myself definitely.
“I don’t think it was decision making I think our execution was just down, it is hard to coach that out there.
“The first half was essentially what cost us, you can go on about the moments in the fourth quarter and whether they cost us but it really comes down to our slow start I think.
“That set the tone and we had to chase it from there, we were probably lucky that Freo probably weren’t ahead by more than they were.”
On top of the comeback in the third and fourth quarters, a big positive for the Crows was the performance of No. 6 draft pick Josh Rachele.
In a showing that already has him as a fan favourite, Rachele kicked five goals and thrilled the Crows crowd at Adelaide Oval in a way they hadn’t seen since Eddie Betts.
Keays said the Crows had a special player on their hands.
“He is clearly going to be a special player for us,” he said.
“He works hard and he is incredibly skilful and I think that is going to hold him in good stead for the rest of his career and hopefully we can help him realise that great potential he’s got.”
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Originally published as AFL 2022: All the Adelaide Crows news ahead of the Round 2 clash with Collingwood
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