Adelaide coach Don Pyke says axed winger Rory Atkins needs to regain his confidence while tempering the expectations on star midfielder Rory Sloane's highly-anticipated return.
Atkins is one of five changes for Saturday's crucial encounter with West Coast at Adelaide Oval as the slumping Crows (6-7) aim to kick-start their finals chances.
Back in
Experienced trio Eddie Betts (hamstring), Sam Gibson (hamstring) and Andy Otten (Achilles) are sidelined with injury, while Atkins and rookie-listed midfielder Patrick Wilson make way.
Link-up forward Tom Lynch was on track to return from a side strain before he was concussed late in Wednesday's training session, while big-bodied midfielder Cam Ellis-Yolmen was also a late scratching with a quad injury, giving Myles Poholke a reprieve.
It's the first time Atkins, 23, has been dropped since Pyke took over the Crows in 2016.
"For Rory, it's a form issue, which leads to a bit of loss of confidence," Crows coach Don Pyke said.
"He's got some real clear focus areas and feedback in terms of things to work on in his game.
"We know the quality of the player, but at the moment he's not playing well enough to command a spot in the team."
Sloane's return is a massive boost for the Crows, playing his first game since the round four loss to Collingwood on April 13.
He had foot soreness that later developed into a minor strain of a Lisfranc ligament.
"The information we got is it was going to take some time to get lateral movement and allow that to heal fully," Pyke said.
"He's an important player for our club and he's a fantastic performer, but he's also missed 10 weeks, so we've got to be mindful.
"We're bringing a guy back in who's infectious nature will get him so far, but he hasn't played in 10 weeks, so we have to make sure we manage him accordingly."
The Crows were also set to regain Lynch until he was concussed in a marking contest with two minutes to go in training on Wednesday, but he's expected to take on Richmond next Friday night.
Laird will have strapping on the hand that was fractured in the round 11 loss to Greater Western Sydney.
"He'll be at full capacity tomorrow," Pyke said.
"Clearly, he's got a broken hand that's taken a while to settle.
"The strapping or the padding is more for his protection and comfort."
With so many changes to their team this season, many of those forced by injury, the Crows have gone back to basics with their game style for the remainder of the season.
"One of the reflections is how do we simplify what we want to do, and get it back to the real basics of what we know creates good, winning footy," Pyke said.
"That comes back to the fundamentals of the game."
