Adelaide Crows forward Tom Lynch has lost 4-5kg through illness, reveals captain Taylor Walker

ADELAIDE captain Taylor Walker reveals teammate Tom Lynch has lost 4-5kg after being struck down by viral meningitis and won't play against premier Western Bulldogs.

Tom Lynch of the Crows is tackled by Phil Davis of the Giants.

ADELAIDE captain Taylor Walker has revealed fellow forward Tom Lynch has lost 4-5kg since being struck down by viral meningitis and will likely miss at least two more matches, including Friday night’s blockbuster against premier Western Bulldogs at Adelaide Oval.

Lynch missed the 12-point win against Carlton at the MCG last Saturday after falling ill earlier in the week and being hospitalised.

He returned to the club on Monday but was noticeably thinner according to Walker and is in no shape to be considered for the clash with the Dogs.

“It rocks you,’’ Walker said of Lynch's virus, which he says is no longer contagious and in danger of infecting other Crows players.

“It’s not very comfortable for him at all. He’s lost 4-5kg, has had a lack of energy, a lack of intent to get out of bed and has been struggling big-time.

“It will probably take him another week or two to get back to training (fully) and then obviously you need to build him up again.’’

Endurance-king Lynch, 26, has become one of Adelaide’s most important players since his trade from St Kilda at the end of 2011 because of his ability to hit the scoreboard and his connector-type role between defence and the forward line.

“He’s played a key role for us since coming over so obviously we’re going to miss him,’’ Walker said.

Walker said he expects key defender Kyle Hartigan to also miss considerable time, possibly as long as six weeks, after he ripped a hamstring against the Blues.

“He had scans on Monday and while I don't know the result of those yet, things don’t look good for Kyle, so I think we are going to miss him for a few weeks,’’ he told Triple M.

Walker said second-placed Adelaide (10-4) will not take the Bulldogs lightly on Friday, despite the premier struggling in 10th position with a 7-7 win-loss record.

“The competition is now so strong and so competitive that you can’t write off any team,’’ he said.

“The Bulldogs are like that, they can come out (and be dangerous), we understand that and are preparing for that.’’

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Originally published as Adelaide Crows forward Tom Lynch has lost 4-5kg through illness, reveals captain Taylor Walker