Brent Reilly is aiming for a Round Two return as he continues his recovery from shoulder surgery.
Reilly dislocated his right shoulder in Adelaide’s win over Gold Coast at Metricon Stadium in Round 14 last season. The veteran defender gradually built up his strength over the pre-season, but required a minor clean up to remove scar tissue in his shoulder which set him back a few weeks.
He made his first competitive appearance since the surgery in Adelaide's trial victory over Sturt, playing wide on a wing and across half back. Reilly will line up for Adelaide’s State League team again on Saturday in the trial game against Woodville-West Torrens at 10.30am at AAMI Stadium.
“I’m going to have one more week playing in the State League team, and then I’ll put my hand up hopefully for selection in the Showdown in Round Two,” Reilly told FIVEaa.
“I just need another run to get some more match fitness under my belt and then I should be cherry ripe. I’m just taking it one week at a time.”
Reilly said the next step in his comeback was to regain full confidence in his shoulder.
“[The shoulder] is pretty good at the moment, I just need some random hits and take some marks and get a bit more exposure to those contests,” he said.
Brad Crouch was another comeback Crow on show in Adelaide’s SANFL trial match against Sturt after an Achilles complaint interrupted his pre-season.
The 20-year-old produced a dominant performance for the State League Crows, but Reilly said he was unsure whether Crouch would be available for Adelaide’s Round One match against Geelong on Thursday night.
“I played with Crouchy the other week in the State League and he covered the ground quite well,” Reilly said.
“But to go up and play Geelong, it’s going to be another two or three levels up.
“It’s going to be a tough test, but we feel like we can go down there and get the four points and come home and be ready for the Showdown the week after.”
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