Adelaide has made one change for its Round Eight clash against Richmond at Ikon Park on Sunday.
Running defender Kiera Mueller returns to the lineup for the first time since Round Three after impressive form in recent scrimmage matches and training sessions.
Crows Head of Women’s Football Phil Harper said Mueller had forced her way into the team with a string of performances the coaching staff could not ignore.
“Kiera Mueller trained herself into the side, the last couple of weeks she’s put together some really good training sessions and scrimmages,” Harper said.
“As a result of that she’s pushed herself into the team, which is really pleasing and a great reward for the hard work she has put into her game.
“Bringing her in means we may need to shuffle some things around positions wise, but the bottom line is she deserves it on her form and we can’t wait to see her show her run and dash out of defence.
Utility Hannah Ewings comes out of the team for Mueller, after featuring in the Crows’ past two matches.
“Hannah is a bit stiff to be honest,” Harper said.
“She did some good things in the past couple of weeks, but she’s still got some work to do in getting to the state of fitness that she really wants.
“She’s definitely come a long way, which is very pleasing, but it’s going to take time to get to where she wants and we will continue to help her in that space.”
Adelaide will be searching for a fourth straight victory as it travels to Ikon Park to face the winless Tigers.
Despite the gap between the two teams on the ladder, Harper said he expected a tough contest against a team that had always challenged the Crows side.
“Our history against Richmond hasn’t been great, they’ve led us at three-quarter-time on several occasions, so we’ll certainly have our work cut out for us,” Harper said.
“They’ve got some great players in (Monique) Conti and (Ellie) McKenzie, so we’ll have to be at the top of our game to get the win.
“We’ve got a couple of key players out at the moment, so we’ll be expecting a tough match on the road.”
Adelaide takes on Richmond at Ikon Park on Sunday, with the first bounce at 12.35pm (ACDT).
Adelaide’s Round Eight team is:
