As Adelaide’s defensive coach, James Podsiadly doesn’t want to see a shootout between the two highest scoring teams in the competition on Friday night.
The Crows (797) and Geelong (787) lead the AFL in ‘points for’ this season.
See more stats ahead of the sold-out clash at Adelaide Oval
Both sides boast potent forward lines, but Podsiadly said the respective defences couldn’t be discounted either.
“As a defensive coach, I don’t really want to see a shoot-out!” he said on Thursday.
“At both ends of the ground, there are some pretty good attacking weapons. They’ve got (Tom) Hawkins and (Shane) Kersten, who is a young player that has improved a lot.
“We’ve obviously got (Josh) Jenkins, (Taylor) Walker, (Eddie) Betts and (Tom) Lynch as well. At the same time, both defensive groups are pretty well stocked too so it’s going to be an interesting tussle.”
The Cats are second on the AFL ladder having dropped only one game in the opening seven rounds.
The Crows are eighth with a win-loss record of 4 – 3.
A former Cat and Crow, Podsiadly lauded Geelong’s form but was confident his team was up to the challenge.
“They (Geelong) are 6 – 1, and one of the in-form teams of the comp. In saying that, we’re comfortable and pretty confident in the way we’re playing as well,” he said.
“When we play our way, we think we can match it with the best.
"It’s going to be something to look forward to on Friday.
"5 – 3 sounds a lot better than 4 – 4, and that’s what we’re after.”
The match will be Patrick Dangerfield’s first against his former club.
Podsiadly said the Crows would implement a team approach to limiting Dangerfield's influence, as well as that of in-form Geelong skipper Joel Selwood, rather than a designated tagger.
"You'll see most of our mids roll through him (Dangerfield), so it won't be a specific role,'' he said.
“This game now moves too quickly for us to focus on one individual or a couple of individuals.
''They've got a lot of depth we can't disrespect.''
Podsiadly also backed his ex-forward line teammate Taylor Walker to recapture his best form.
The key forward has come under criticism for his performances this year, with some pundits suggesting he should be rested after struggling earlier in the season with a foot injury.
''It's only a matter of time before you see Taylor Walker rip a game apart,'' Podsiadly said.
"He's had some good continuity with his training over the past few weeks.
''His contribution to the team internally has been quite good.
''From a form perspective, it's on the rise.''
