AFL 2023: Follow all the latest Adelaide Crows news ahead of Collingwood clash
The Crows had their captain’s run at Adelaide Oval on Saturday – and Rory Laird was out there. Here’s the latest on the star midfielder.
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Adelaide is expecting star midfielder Rory Laird to face Collingwood on Sunday, as a final decision on his availability looms ahead of the twilight home clash.
Doubts emerged over Laird’s selection after he left training early on Thursday with a calf issue but he looked to be moving well during Saturday’s captain’s run at Adelaide Oval.
The 29-year-old did not complete the entire session, which was typically light for the day before a game and even included players’ dads joining in as part of a club connection initiative.
Speaking on ABC Grandstand after it finished, Crows chief executive Tim Silvers said the club was planning for Laird to face the Magpies.
“There was a bit of a scare a couple of days ago but he got through training and we expect him to play,” Silvers said.
“He was moving pretty well and on the way off he gave me the high five.
“He’s such an important player … we can’t wait to get him out there.”
Laird has not missed a game this season and is averaging 29.5 disposals, seven clearances and six tackles.
Adelaide is hoping to record a fifth successive victory for the first time since rounds 2 to 6 in its grand final year of 2017.
The Crows go into Sunday’s match with a 4-2 record, while Collingwood is 5-1.
Port Adelaide wingman Xavier Duursma is not expected to have scans on his knee injury – a suspected posterior cruciate ligament issue – until Monday.
Duursma, who was subbed off at quarter-time of the Power’s win over St Kilda at Marvel Stadium on Friday night, was staying in Melbourne to see family.
After playing just 11 games in each of the past two seasons, the 22-year-old has not missed one this year and has been in form.
A posterior cruciate ligament issue sidelined spearhead Charlie Dixon for one game before he returned against the Saints.
He will continue to battle through the soreness each week.
Port Adelaide will welcome back captain Tom Jonas (suspension) and key forward Todd Marshall (concussion) for its home game against Essendon next Sunday.
Crow proving doubters wrong on way to new deal
- Simeon Thomas-Wilson
A new deal for Lachie Murphy is expected soon after a start to the season the Adelaide small forward describes as “my most consistent month of footy”.
Murphy wasn’t in the Crows team for the Round 1 loss to GWS, but returned to the side for the Round 2 clash against Richmond.
Since that loss, the Crows have won four in a row for the first time since 2019 and Murphy, 24, has played a key part as a pressure small forward.
In his five games to date, Murphy’s disposals are up from 12.5 in 2022 to 15.2 – an increase of 22 per cent.
His score assists have risen a whopping 200 per cent from 0.8 to 2.4, his marks 64 per cent from 2.2 to 3.6, his score involvements 33 per cent from 4.5 to six and uncontested possessions 29 per cent from seven to nine.
“It probably is the most consistent I have been, I feel like I’ve had some good games at the top level but something that I have been working on is one being able to impact the game for longer and not having 20 minutes where I don’t do much,” he said.
“So being consistent in the game and doing that week to week.
“So I would dare say it has been my most consistent month of footy.”
While there have been increases across the board when it comes to Murphy’s stats, he said they weren’t showing why his start to the season was a good one.
Rather it is “doing the dirty bits” for the Crows that Murphy prides himself on.
“It is probably my weapon (doing the dirty bits) which is funny at this level,” he said.
“I know where I am at. I have been working on my game to be a complete player ever since I’ve been in the league, ever since I was a kid.
“I guess every good footy side I believe has a player like that who just does the nitty gritty stuff and I pride myself on doing that.”
This hasn’t gone unnoticed among Adelaide’s coaches and a new deal for Murphy, who is out of contract at the end of the season, is expected to be finalised soon.
Murphy himself said he was just focusing on continuing this strong start to the season.
“I’m just taking it week by week, I’m just playing my role and trying to show this footy club my worth,” he said.
“And the best way of doing that is by us winning and by me playing my role in the team
I love the footy club, I want to keep playing my role for the footy club.
“Hopefully that (a new contract) will take care of itself, it is pretty simple for me if we keep winning and I keep playing my role I daresay something will sort itself out.”
Adelaide is interested in Essendon free agent Mason Redman but the half-back from Millicent is expected to remain a Bomber.
The Crows and Port Adelaide have showed interest in Western Bulldogs’ free agent Bailey Williams.
Williams kicked three goals for the Bulldogs against Fremantle last week and has been playing more midfield in 2023, in addition to roles at half-back and on a wing.
The former Glenelg junior, who is 25, is happy to wait until late in the season to assess his future.
It is more likely he stays at Whitten Oval but if he does decide to test the free agent walkers, it is expected both SA clubs will have some interest.
Melbourne’s SA small forward Kade Chandler is also getting a fair bit of interest after his strong start to the season.
Like Murphy, the 23-year-old, from Charra in SA’s west coast, has been playing a pressure forward role.
But he has kicked 10 goals from his six games so far this season, which has clubs interested, although it is expected he stays at Melbourne.
Crows superstar hobbles off training track
Adelaide senior coach Matthew Nicks says the Crows will “have to plan” for star midfielder Rory Laird to not face Collingwood after he left training early with a calf issue.
Laird left the Crows training early on Thursday and pointed to his calf as he hobbled off the track just over an hour into the session.
He will be given until Saturday to prove his fitness for the Sunday afternoon clash at Adelaide Oval.
Nicks said the Crows would be cautious with Laird, who has won the club’s last two best and fairests.
“A bit of tightness in his calf, so there is no risk taken with this one today and then we will assess over the next 24 hours,” he said.
“We probably won’t make a decision over that until captain’s run.
“I think it is some tightness, it happens occasionally with players if there is any tightness we just don’t risk it.
“He seemed in pretty good spirits when he was heading off.
“We will have to plan for him not to be there, often with these historically when you look at them if there is something there then there is a risk of it being seven to 10 days but we don’t know.
“We’d love to have him there, everybody knows how important he is to us.
“But there is a bigger part to our season as well, we have an incredibly tough run, maybe one out is better than three or four.”
If Laird misses it could open the door for a return for Sam Berry to the team, or even Matt Crouch for his first AFL game of the season.
Mitch Hinge did not train for the Crows on Thursday but he is set to take on the Pies.
The Crows are likely to send Ben Keays to Collingwood wonderkid Nick Daicos.
Daicos is coming off a 40 disposal and two goal game to win the Anzac Day Medal.
Whether or not the second-year gun should be tagged has been debated at length this season.
Keays has had success on Carlton’s Adam Saad in the past two times he has faced the Blues’ speedster.
Nicks said the Crows would put time into Daicos.
“There has been a lot of commentary about it and I have watched Nick play and he is an outstanding player,” he said.
“The less he has his hands on the ball the better for us because he is outstanding with the footy.
“It is not easy to do though but we will definitely put some time into Nick but they are where they are because they are an outstanding footy team and Nick is part of that.
“We will put a fair bit of time into their outstanding players.
“I’m hoping Nick doesn’t have too many uncontested possessions in the game.”
Club call to decide Sloane’s fate
Adelaide veteran Rory Sloane is keen to play on next year but expects it will be the club’s call.
The former captain is without a contract for 2024 and is thoroughly enjoying his return to action after missing the bulk of last campaign with an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
On Sunday, the 33-year-old showed he had plenty left to give, collecting 30 disposals and registering five clearances in the Crows’ fourth successive win – a three-point triumph over Hawthorn in Launceston.
Sloane said discussions on his future with the club would likely happen later in the season and doubted the decision would be in his hands
“I’ll play until they kick me out of this joint,” Sloane said.
“I love playing football.
“At the moment, my focus is just to enjoy my footy and have fun out there because I’ve missed far too much the last couple of years to worry about what’s next.
“I think I’ve been doing it – I’m smiling, I’m enjoying myself, let’s keep rolling”.
Sloane, who handed the captaincy over to Jordan Dawson in February, said the team’s upward trajectory would help drive him to play on.
Adelaide is chasing its first major-round berth since losing the 2017 grand final.
“You can see the growth already we’ve had this year and I suspect with the demographic of the list that’ll keep going for the next couple of years,” Sloane said.
“I know this group’s really hungry now and that’s certainly been a mindset shift over the pre-season and start of this year.”
Sloane sustained his season-ending knee injury just over a year ago, against Richmond on April 16.
He has played every match this season while averaging 21 touches, 3.2 clearances, four tackles and 2.3 inside 50s, moving between the wing and on ball.
Sunday was the first time he had gathered at least 30 disposals since round 3, 2021.
“I’ve felt pretty good since I returned,” said Sloane, who received five coaches’ votes against Hawthorn.
“To be back out in front of crowds and have an impact, and share in those moments has been unbelievable, I’ve loved it.
“I make sure I have a couple of moments each game where I look around and enjoy the energy of the crowd.
Adelaide officials will be hoping for a big home attendance on Sunday when the team faces its biggest test so far in 2023, second-placed Collingwood.
The Magpies notched a come-from-behind Anzac Day win over Essendon, inspired by second-year star Nick Daicos.
Sloane said the Crows would discuss its plans for Daicos later this week.
“He’s in some form, isn’t he? It’s great to watch,” he said.
“I love his work ethic, ability to get to contests and he’s obviously got some class with the ball.”
BODY OVER MIND WILL DICTATE TEX’S FUTURE AT CROWS
Whether Taylor Walker goes on for a 16th season will be discussed after the mid-season bye, with it set to come down to how his body is faring.
The former club captain, who turned 33 on Tuesday, has been on one-year contracts for the past couple of seasons.
Walker has had another strong start to the season, with his four goals against Hawthorn taking his tally up to 14 with 11 coming in his last three matches.
After the narrow three-point win over Hawthorn, Walker said he was hopeful to remain at the Crows past this season.
“I’m going to keep playing until I get the tap on the shoulder,” he said on Fox Footy.
“I love playing footy and until I lose the passion of playing footy I’ll keep on playing and enjoying what we are doing as a football club.”
News Corp understands it won’t be a question of Walker’s desire or mindset to continue playing past this season rather it will be up to how his body is faring.
While he has been staying injury free Walker has been resting more when it comes to training.
He has said this has been in collaboration with Adelaide’s high performance guru Darren Burgess as he looks to be smarter around when he can train.
Walker’s contract for 2023 was finalised in July last year, after there was speculation that a club had offered him a two-year deal.
He also inked a one-year contract with the Crows in July 2021.
Adelaide is also confident that the Crows good form of late, which has them at 4-2 and fifth on the ladder, will help Tom Doedee commit his future to the club.
Doedee is a restricted free-agent at the end of the season and the former Geelong Falcons product will have no shortage of Victorian clubs looking to bring him back to his home state.
But the Crows are confident that by showing Doedee that a window of potential success is about to open the 26-year-old leadership group member will ink a new deal at West Lakes.
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Originally published as AFL 2023: Follow all the latest Adelaide Crows news ahead of Collingwood clash
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