Defender Kyle Hartigan believes Adelaide has the depth to cover the possible losses of first-choice pair Daniel Talia and Riley Knight to injury.
Talia and Knight suffered hamstring injuries in the Club’s win over Gold Coast at Metricon Stadium on Saturday evening. The duo will be assessed in the coming days to determine the extent of the damage.
Forward Josh Jenkins (ribs) and competitive backman Jake Kelly (eye) could both be available to play against Richmond on Sunday.
Hartigan said the likes of travelling emergency Harrison Wigg and promoted rookie Jono Beech would also be considered if Talia and Knight were unavailable.
“We’re winning games and those guys are knocking on the door,” Hartigan said on Sunday.
“We’re pretty confident we’ve got the depth at the moment to (have) one out, one in.
“At the moment we can handle it.”
Hartigan assumed the tough task of trying to stop Suns co-captain Tom Lynch when Talia limped from the ground in the opening minute of the game.
The 25-year-old defender managed to limit Lynch, who bagged seven goals against Carlton the week prior, to two goals in Adelaide’s 67-point win.
“He (Lynch) is a really good player, one of the best forwards in the AFL,” Hartigan said.
“He works really hard, so I was in for a big night. I knew the ball was going to be coming down pretty quick. Blokes like (Jarrod) Harbrow and (Adam) Saad can step someone and the ball movement quickens up, so I had to be on my toes.
“I thought I did okay to curb his influence especially on the scoreboard.”
The victory was Adelaide’s fifth straight, giving the Club its best-ever start to a season.
“To start off the season like this can set-up the whole year … but it’s only five games,” Hartigan said.
“You don’t make finals winning five games.
“It’s a nice start, but we’ve still got a long way to go and we’ve got to win a lot more games this year.”
The Crows will now turn their attention to the Tigers, who play Melbourne in an ANZAC Eve clash at the MCG on Monday.
If Talia is ruled out of Adelaide’s twilight match against Richmond on Sunday, Hartigan could renew his battle with Tigers spearhead Jack Riewoldt.
“I played on him (Riewoldt) in the (JLT Community Series) so potentially that could be my match-up,” Hartigan said.
“I’ll speak to ‘Pods’ (defensive coach James Podsiadly) and we’ll sit down and work out what the best course of action is.
“Our defence, and that’s not only the guys that play in the backline but all over the ground, will play a part in that, in putting the pressure on. We’ll work together and play our team defence.
“If ‘Tals’ doesn’t get up, I’m pretty sure we’ll be able to cover like we did last night.”
