Adelaide’s recent form: WWWWW

Recent results against Richmond:
Round 19, 2008, Adelaide 16.12 (108) d Richmond 6.9 (45), AAMI
Round 11, 2008, Adelaide 22.14 (146) d Richmond 14.12 (96), MCG
Round eight, 2007, Adelaide 14.15 (99) d Richmond 14.6 (90), AAMI
Round eight, 2006, Richmond 10.9 (69) d Adelaide 9.12 (66), TD
Round 13, 2005, Adelaide 20.12 (132) d Richmond 9.8 (62), TD

Medical room          
Adelaide
Brett Burton (knee) – available
Simon Goodwin (knee) – TBC
Brad Moran (knee) – 10-12 weeks
Greg Gallman (hip) - test
Brent Reilly (hamstring) – available
Jon Griffin (calf) – 1 week
Tom Lee (knee)- 1 week
Trent Hentschel (knee) – 1-2 weeks
Jarrhan Jacky (hamstring) – 4-5 weeks
Nick Gill (ankle) – 6 weeks

Richmond
Nathan Brown (groin) - test
Troy Simmonds (adductor) - test
Matthew Richardson (hamstring) – indefinite

Summary
Everything is coming up roses at West Lakes.

The fans are crowing after five straight wins; the players have moved into the weights room of their gargantuan new training facility and six, including Bernie Vince, Taylor Walker and Andy Otten, have signed off on new deals to remain at the club.

Popular veteran Brett Burton is also set to mark the biggest step in his comeback from a full-knee reconstruction this weekend when he takes the field (in the SANFL system) for the first time in nearly 12 months.

On paper, it’s hard to see things going pear-shaped for Adelaide against the 14th-placed Richmond, but— as we’ve seen in this ultra-tight competition—anything can happen.

The Crows were jolted into action after a slow start against the Swans last week, while the Tiges had their pants pulled down by the unbeaten St Kilda.

The knee injury to budding ruckman Brad Moran was a cruel blow, but it’s opened the door for the Crows to blood their fourth debutant of the season, promising teenager Shaun McKernan.

The players themselves won’t be looking too far ahead, but wins against cellar dwellers Richmond and Fremantle in the coming fortnight would provide a solid platform going into a tough final seven rounds.

Key match-up
Ivan Maric v Angus Graham/Tyrone Vickery
Big Ivan, in the absence of Moran, will shoulder the majority of the ruck load on Saturday night. Maric had just two possessions against the Swans but racked up a game-high 20 hit-outs opposed to Darren Jolly. Graham and Vickery only managed nine touches between them for Richmond last week and the more experienced Maric needs to assert his authority at the stoppages this week.

Kick it to me
'He’s not elite, but he’s pretty darn close'; that was coach Neil Craig’s assessment of forward Jason Porplyzia following the hard-fought win over the Swans. Porplyzia (four goals) kept Adelaide in the game during a lacklustre first half and also kicked the sealer in the final term. The Crows’ match-winner, who finished with 15 possessions last weekend, doesn’t need much of the ball to make you pay and his teammates will look to exploit his red-hot form on Saturday night.

Somebody stop me
Ben Cousins found it tough going against the league leaders last week, but has a habit of saving his best for the Crows. The Brownlow Medallist is a long way off the form that saw him, almost, single-handedly destroy Adelaide’s grand final hopes in 2006, but he remains a dangerous player in the Richmond line-up.

At the selection table
Moran’s untimely knee injury has given the green light for one of two young Crows to play their first games of the season. James Sellar has been in good form with SANFL club Glenelg, but coach Neil Craig has already indicated McKernan is on the verge of an AFL debut. Expect McKernan to get the nod. Brent Reilly is good to go, but the club is unsure when Simon Goodwin’s knee injury will allow him to return.

It’s not generally known that...
Adelaide has used just 29 players this season- the second least of any team in the competition behind St Kilda (26). Richmond has used 37 to sit at the other end of the scale.

The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs.