Adelaide Senior Coach Matthew Nicks has ruled out Vice Captain Darcy Fogarty for the side’s clash against Fremantle at Optus Stadium on Friday night.
The Crows forward suffered a sternoclavicular joint sprain in his shoulder, following a contest with Giants defender Harry Himmelberg in Adelaide’s Round Six victory.
Fogarty was given every chance to line-up in the game, but Nicks said the coaches decided on a cautious approach and the 25-year-old was not included in its travelling party.
“(Darcy Fogarty) won’t (make the trip to Perth), unfortunately, we thought he might have been a chance, being a country boy and quite a tough young man,” Nicks told the media at Adelaide Airport on Thursday.
“But SC (sternoclavicular) joints are quite painful and it might take a week or two, we’ll have to keep an eye on how it recovers.
“We didn’t do a test on him, we got to a point where he got moving and he felt pretty good moving around, but if you watch the vision back there was an instance where he went for a kick and it hurt more than a bump.
“There’s just a few things he needs to work with, and this one might just take a bit of time.”
The absence of Fogarty means Adelaide will have to alter its forward structure for the Anzac Day clash against the Dockers.
Nicks said the change would open up a greater opportunity for a young Crow.
“Our plan is to go in with a similar forward line, Dan (Curtin) is a young kid we are asking now to step up and play a slightly different role and be more of a target,” Nicks said.
“He’s played that role a bit, but probably not as much as we would like to see this weekend, so it will be a good challenge for him.
“Dan is a big kid that enjoys the contest, so he will slot into a role Darcy has been playing for us, and it’s an important one.”
The Crows’ forward line could be boosted by the return of livewire Josh Rachele, who had missed the past three matches with broken ribs.
Nicks said the 21-year-old would travel to Perth and train on Thursday afternoon, where a final decision on his availability would be made.
“We are confident with Josh (Rachele), he’s feeling fantastic,” Nicks said.
“We’ll do a light run today and he’ll do a little bit more just to get moving and make sure he’s okay, he’ll run into a couple of bags.
“But he’s really confident, I’m really confident in him as well, and that will be a decision we’ll make together.”
Adelaide will face a Fremantle side desperate to get back on the winners’ list, after it fell to Melbourne at the MCG last Saturday.
Nicks said he expected a fired up opponent on Friday night.
“We know what’s coming this weekend, which is a red-hot Freo and a challenge we are looking forward to,” Nicks said.
“We know Fremantle and what they’ve brought over the last few years, they are a team that will fight for those top positions, and we know they’ll bounce back at home.
“There aren’t too many road trips like it, so it’s a great challenge for us.”
Adelaide faces Fremantle at Optus Stadium on Friday night, with the first bounce at 7.40pm (ACST).
The game will be broadcast live on Channel 7 Adelaide, Kayo and Fox Footy.
