Crows pair Paul Seedsman, Brodie Smith hampered by niggles ahead of Carlton clash
Paul Seedsman and Brodie Smith barely featured at Adelaide training on Thursday – but the Crows say they should line-up against Carlton.
Adelaide is confident in-form duo Paul Seedsman and Brodie Smith will be able to face Carlton on Sunday despite injury clouds over the two.
Seedsman left the training track early on Thursday after twisting his neck in a tackling drill and will be monitored over the next 24 hours.
Smith didn’t train at all because of back spasms.
The Crows are confident the duo, who sit and No. 1 and 2 in the competition for metres gained this season, will be fine for the clash at Marvel Stadium with the under-siege Blues.
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Seedsman was bedridden for two weeks with a neck injury during the Covid-19 imposed shutdown of the 2020 AFL season after slipping a disc in the Crows Round 1 loss to Sydney.
That led to a horror season for the former Collingwood player, who only played nine games in 2020.
But an off-season meeting with Matthew Nicks over a couple of beers kick-started a remarkable change in fortunes for the wingman – who is now being spoken about as an All-Australian candidate.
Adelaide leadership group member Tom Doedee said Seedsman’s neck looked “a little bit stiff” and hoped he could continue his fine form of late.
“He has been massive, we’ve been incredibly proud of the work that he has put in during the break,” Doedee said.
“And then to come back and every session was like a game for him in the pre-season, you could tell there was an inner drive there.
“He’s come out and been clearly one of our best players each week, he’s clearly impacting the game and been a big part in why we are winning.
“But that started for him in the off-season and the work he put in”.
Luke Brown will return for the clash against the Blues, while Lachie Murphy could play SANFL this weekend after getting through Thursday’s session.
Matt Crouch braved the cold and wet conditions to do some running as he seeks to play before the season is done.
Carlton come into the game amidst serious questions about the direction of the club and whether David Teague could even keep his job as Blues senior coach if they go down to the Crows.
Adelaide had a physical session at West Lakes in preparation for how Doedee expects Carlton are going to come out and attack the game.
“Yeah a red-hot crack (from Carlton),” Doedee said.
“I’m expecting them to come out first quarter, I’m expecting their leaders to step up and for their midfield to really come out and give it to us.
“I think you saw with our Collingwood game it was a bit of the same, backs against the wall and everyone was sort of doubting them but they came out really well.”
Teague spent three-years as an assistant at Adelaide but is facing mounting pressure to keep his job at the Blues, which he won after a stint as interim coach following Brendon Bolton’s departure in 2019.
Doedee said while he was in the defensive group and Teague was coaching Adelaide’s forwards during his time at the Crows, the under-pressure coach was still an impressive coach.
“I know they (the forwards) still have great relationships with him,” he said.
“Just a genuinely good person and a really fun character.
“From what I remember when he was here he was pretty damn good at what he did.”
WHAT IT WILL TAKE TO GET CROWS HOME AFTER BLUES CLASH
The AFL is seeking a travel exemption so the Crows can fly back into Adelaide after playing Carlton at Marvel Stadium on Sunday.
With South Australia’s border still shut to people from greater Melbourne due to the latest Covid outbreak, the league has applied with SA Health in the hope the Round 15 game can proceed as scheduled.
Adelaide is awaiting direction from the State Government and AFL, which has told the club to prepare as normal to play the match.
The league and SA Health were continuing to work through logistics, including whether the Crows would need same-day return flights and what it would mean when they came home.
An update was expected on Tuesday. SA Health and the AFL are closely monitoring Melbourne’s Covid situation. On Monday, Victoria recorded one locally-acquired positive case.
The AFL said it was continuing to work through arrangements for Round 15.
One fixture that appears set to change is Port Adelaide’s home clash with Sydney on Saturday.
The match is scheduled to be played at night but it looks likely to start earlier so the Swans can beat Sydney airport’s midnight curfew.
Although Sydney’s Bondi cluster climbed to 11 positive cases on Monday, the Swans were not expected to need to quarantine in Adelaide.
The club was already in bubble-like conditions in Sydney and increasingly likely to be granted an exemption to fly in and out on chartered flights on Saturday.
SWANS PONDER EARLY COVID DASH TO ADELAIDE
The Swans are considering fleeing to South Australia early to avoid a potential snap border closure ahead of Saturday night’s game against Port Adelaide.
Although the AFL expects the Power-Swans clash to go ahead as planned at Adelaide Oval, the league and SA Health are continuing to monitor Sydney’s Covid outbreak.
South Australia’s border remained open to NSW residents on Sunday night, shutting only to people from Sydney’s Waverley Council area on Saturday.
The Swans are preparing to fly to Adelaide early in the week if needed, but travel plans will depend on the border status and case numbers in Sydney.
By Sunday night, the Bondi cluster was up to nine positives.
The Swans are at this stage expected to be allowed into SA without enduring 60 hours of quarantine, unlike Collingwood and Geelong this month.
But Sydney is looking at undertaking elevated protocols leading up to the match and may need arrange same-day return flights.
The club is working closely with the AFL, which will hold talks with SA Health in coming days to ensure the arrangements are safe and appropriate.
Sydney’s situation is different to Melbourne’s as it stands because it is more localised.
But an escalation of cases in the next 24 to 48 hours would change plans.
Geelong and Collingwood showed that, if required, clubs could adhere to stringent SA Health measures to ensure the fixtures went ahead as scheduled amid an interstate outbreak.
The SA Government granted the Victorian teams travel exemptions that included going directly from the airport to Adelaide Oval and same-day return flights.
Geelong was also allowed to stay overnight after fog in Melbourne stopped the Cats from flying home immediately post-match.
Both sides won their matches.
It is understood the AFL is expecting its Round 15 schedule to proceed as planned as long as there is not an escalation in Covid figures across Australia.
Adelaide is set to face Carlton at Marvel Stadium on Sunday as the league prepares for the return of crowds and games in Melbourne.
Victoria has been containing the virus in recent days, announcing zero new locally-acquired cases on Sunday.
The Crows are coming off the bye, while out-of-form Carlton will be hoping to ease pressure on coach David Teague and make it two wins from its past six games.
WHY MASKLESS POWER STARS AVOIDED PENALTY
Port Adelaide has avoided punishment for a group of its players being pictured without face masks at the Australian Olympic swimming trials.
An AFL investigation on Friday was satisfied Zak Butters, Mitch Georgiades, Ollie Lord and Dylan Williams did not breach the indoor event’s Covid-19 protocols the night before – when TV footage showed them maskless in the SA Aquatic and Leisure Centre crowd – because they had just finished eating.
The players provided the AFL with credit card receipts that included the times they bought the items and either had containers at their feet or had disposed of them moments earlier.
They were also captured taking selfies with fans at the event wearing their masks.
Swimming Australia’s Covid-19 policy for the event was that masks had to be worn at all times unless people were consuming food or drinking in their seats.
An AFL spokesman said although the players had recently finished eating when they were on TV, they acknowledged they should have put their masks back on more promptly.
“The AFL has asked Port Adelaide to provide further education to all players and officials at the club about following the appropriate guidelines in place for whatever event or establishment they may be visiting in their own time,” he said.
A fortnight ago, the league fined the Crows $50,000 for breaching Covid-19 protocols after five players and three staff did not wear face masks properly on a flight back to Adelaide.
The AFL spokesman said that while the Crows were under league jurisdiction because they were flying home and in club uniform, the Power quartet attended the swimming as members of the public.
Amazon Prime’s coverage of the trials showed the youngsters for about 14 seconds in the stands after the men’s 100m butterfly final, which featured pop star Cody Simpson.
Port Adelaide informed the league’s integrity department immediately after learning of the photo on Friday morning.
Power football manager Chris Davies said the players assisted the AFL in its investigation.
“The players had purchased food and beverages earlier and had placed their food and drinks in front of them during the race,” Davies said.
“Their masks were placed on their laps at the time.”
Davies said the aquatic centre confirmed its Covid-19 officials did not request for the players to put their masks back on.
He said the incident was a reminder to the squad about coronavirus protocols.
Speaking later on FIVEaa, Davies joked after seeing the receipts, the club might challenge the players on what they ate.
“The guys were snacking on some chips throughout and didn’t want to be on the TV with a dirty, big hamburger in their hands,” he said.
Georgiades is the only one of the four who is named to face Gold Coast away on Saturday.
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