Assistant coach Darren Milburn says would-be Crows debutants Sam Shaw and Lewis Johnston could hold down key defensive posts in the NAB Cup following the foot injury to full-back Ben Rutten.

Rutten, 28, will miss six weeks after having surgery to relieve plantar fasciitis, but should be available for the Club’s season-opener against Gold Coast at Metricon Stadium on March 31.

Injuries prevented Shaw - an athletic 193cm defender/midfielder - from pulling on the Crows jumper in his first two years at West Lakes, while trade-week recruit Lewis Johnston will also be looking to break into the team after being restricted to two games in three seasons with the Sydney Swans.

Promising players Andy Otten, Daniel Talia, Luke Thompson and Shaun McKernan are also capable of playing as tall defenders.

Milburn said the Club would experiment with several combinations during the pre-season competition.

“We’ve got a few numbers, who can push into defence, so we’ll try a few things with players in different roles,” Milburn told afc.com.au.

“Daniel Talia had an interrupted start to the pre-season because of an Achilles injury but he’s one player, who could definitely fill that role at full-back until ‘Truck’ (Rutten) is available.

“Sam Shaw and Lewis Johnston are two other taller-type players, who we’ll have a look at.

“Andy Otten hurt his knee a few weeks ago, but he should be back into full training shortly and Luke Thompson is another, who can play on taller opponents, so we’ve got some options there.”

There is also competition for spots among the smaller Crows defenders, with three young players in particular catching Milburn’s eye.

“Luke Brown and Mitch Grigg stand out a little bit,” Milburn said.

“Brodie Martin hasn’t played a lot of AFL footy, but he’s had a good pre-season too.

“There are probably a couple of others, who I haven’t mentioned, but those three are the types of players, who are pressing for selection in round one of the NAB Cup.

“Truck and ‘Otto’ have been injured recently, but the list is pretty healthy at the moment, so there are a number of players putting their hands up and making it tough for us to pick a team.”

The Crows will be able to name a squad of up to 34 players for their first-round of NAB Cup matches against Port Adelaide and Carlton at AAMI Stadium on February 26.

Adelaide will take on the Blues in the second game of the triple header and back up against the Power in the last match of the evening.

Milburn said he expected the intensity at training to go up another level as the NAB Cup approaches.

“Over the next few weeks, we’ll do more match practice,” he said.

“It’s a bit hard when you’re playing against yourselves, but as soon as there’s opposition involved it’ll be full bore.

“It might not be for four premiership points, but the NAB Cup is an ideal time to test players out, see how they handle the team structures and the pressure against real opposition.”

A dual-premiership player at Geelong, Milburn joined former teammate Brenton Sanderson at West Lakes only weeks after calling an end to his decorated 292-game career.

The quietly-spoken 34-year-old, whose wife Tania and two children Imogen and Jett have recently joined him in Adelaide, said he was still adjusting to life away from the football field.

“There are a few things that are different. Obviously, I don’t have to worry about all the running - I don’t miss that part,” he said with a laugh.

“Geelong was still playing finals when ‘Sando’ was appointed and I wasn’t quite sure where I was at in terms of what I wanted to do.

“Sando and I got talking after the season had finished.

“He was pretty keen to get me here, and the Club was going back to training at the start of November, so I didn’t have long to think about it.

“In the end, I decided it was a great opportunity and one that I might never get again.

“I thought why not give it a go?

“I know Sando quite well … we were teammates at Geelong and then he coached me as well, so we’ve been through a bit of a journey together.

“Hopefully, there are a few more years to come and we can help Adelaide go the same way as the Cats.”