Draftee Myles Poholke will make his Club debut in Friday night’s pre-season clash with Richmond at Etihad Stadium.
Poholke, 18, was Adelaide’s second selection (No.44 overall) in last year’s AFL National Draft. A goalkicking midfielder from Sorrento, Poholke represented Victoria Country at the 2016 Under-18 Championships and was a member of the AFL Academy.
Reigning State League Club Champion Jono Beech and former Greater Western Sydney utility Curtly Hampton will also pull on the AFL Crows colours for the first time.
At 188cm and 88kg, Beech is a strong-marking forward/midfielder from West Adelaide, who is entering his second season on the rookie list.
Hampton joined the Crows at the end of the 2015 season after 51 games with the Giants. The quick and agile 23-year-old was hampered by a foot injury last season, returning via the SANFL in Round 15.
Yet to play an AFL game for premiership points with Adelaide, Harrison Wigg, Harry Dear and Troy Menzel will also line up against the Tigers.
Wigg and Dear are both entering their third seasons at the Club, while ex-Carlton forward Menzel is aiming to respond to an interrupted first year with the Crows.
Resilient defender Andy Otten will play at AFL level for the first time in more than two-and-a-half years. Otten, who has endured two knee reconstructions, made a successful comeback in the SANFL last season, but was unable to force his way into the senior team.
Rookies Hugh Greenwood and Paul Hunter, and young onballer Dean Gore, who were selected in the extended squad on Wednesday, have been left out of the final team.
Clubs can play up to 26 players in the opening round of the JLT Community Series – 18 on the field and eight on the interchange bench. Get up to speed with all the rules for the competition.
Midfield trio Rory Sloane (fractured eye socket), Brad Crouch (hamstring) and Scott Thompson (shoulder), and young defender Jake Lever (hamstring) were among the players unavailable for selection this week.
Beech, Poholke, Menzel, Dear, Wigg, ruckman Reilly O'Brien, midfielder Cam Ellis-Yolmen and defender Jake Kelly will start on the interchange for the clash with the Tigers.
See our latest injury update
Forward Riley Knight and first-round draft pick Jordan Gallucci are both being managed this week, but will be fit for the Club’s second JLT Community Series game. Tom Doedee wasn’t considered for selection because of knee soreness, which will be assessed in the coming weeks.
Coach Don Pyke tipped even more young players to get a taste of AFL in the Club’s second pre-season hit-out against Geelong.
Friday night’s game starts at 7:40pm (local). It will be broadcast live on Fox Footy, who have exclusive television rights to the JLT Community Series. Fans can watch the game via the AFL Live App, which is offering a free two-week trial. More details here.
Club members with game access receive free entry to games in which their club is competing, subject to capacity, or can upgrade their membership to a reserved seat or register for a ticket in order to guarantee entry.
After playing the Tigers, the Crows will return to South Australia for their remaining two pre-season matches. Adelaide will play the Cats at Richmond Oval from 1:35pm (local) on Sunday, March 5, and then tackle the Brisbane Lions at Noarlunga on Saturday March 11 from 3:40pm (local).
Adelaide’s team is:
1. Jonathon Beech
4. Josh Jenkins
8. Jake Kelly
10. Harrison Wigg
12. Daniel Talia
13. Taylor Walker
14. David Mackay
15. Kyle Hartigan
17. Curtly Hampton
18. Eddie Betts
21. Rory Atkins
22. Andy Otten
23. Charlie Cameron
24. Sam Jacobs
26. Richard Douglas
27. Tom Lynch
28. Cam Ellis-Yolmen
29. Rory Laird
30. Wayne Milera Junior
31. Myles Poholke
32. Troy Menzel
33. Brodie Smith
38. Harry Dear
41. Mitch McGovern
43. Reilly O’Brien
44. Matt Crouch
Emergencies:
20. Hugh Greenwood
36. Dean Gore
37. Paul Hunter
