Adelaide powerhouse Stevie-Lee Thompson will return to the side for the top-of-the-table Round Eight clash against Fremantle.
Thompson was a late out in last week’s game against GWS after experiencing some hamstring tightness during the warm-up.
Senior Coach Matthew Clarke said the decision to rest her was out of “an abundance of caution” and looked forward to welcoming her back into the side.
“That was a tricky call… we took a no-risk approach but she trained fully on Wednesday and had some scans when she got back,” Clarke said.
“Thankfully there was nothing to see.
“She’s trained 100 per cent so she’s ready to go… she’s one of our really important players, one of our leaders, and she’s played really consistently this year.”
Round Three debutant Abbie Ballard will also line up in her second game for the Crows.
Erin Phillips will sit out as she manages a knee strain suffered during Round Seven while Brooke Tonon has been omitted.
Clarke said his side, which flies out to WA on Friday evening, was fully focused on the task ahead against the top-ranked Dockers.
“All along we’ve tried to maintain our focus on the way that we prepare, so the messaging has been centered on that,”
“It’s a big ground and it will be a hot day so we’re focused on making sure we do everything right.
“In terms of the strategy or the tactics (for this week) is, when they’ve got it (the ball) we’ll defend hard and when we’ve got it we’ll attack hard.”
Adelaide’s side for Round Eight:
IN: Thompson, Ballard
OUT: Phillips (injury), Tonon (omitted)
