Adelaide forward Mitch McGovern will make his return against Brisbane at The Gabba on Saturday night.
McGovern hasn’t played since sustaining an ankle injury in the final minute of the Round Eight Showdown, but the Crows match committee are ‘really confident’ in the 23-year-old’s ability to cover the absence of skipper Taylor Walker who misses through suspension.
“The last couple of weeks he’s done everything we’ve asked of him in terms of his high speed and K’s in the legs,” assistant coach Scott Camporeale said.
“We’ve obviously really missed Gov. He comes back into the forward line at the expense of Tex not playing, so really glad that he’s back in the team and hopefully he can play out the rest of the year for us.
“His pressure, he marks the ball, competes really strongly and can get up and down the ground so a really important player to our structure and our forward line.
Key defender Daniel Talia has also been named after being a late withdrawal from the team that defeated Geelong in Round 17 due to a foot injury.
Talia was in some doubt to face the Lions after scans revealed a small fibula crack earlier this week, but completed Wednesday’s main training session at West Lakes.
If the two-time All Australian can get through Friday’s training session at The Gabba, he will take his place against an in-form Brisbane forward line on Saturday night.
“We’re confident in Tals. Making sure we’ve covered off everything we needed to cover off from a medical point of view,” Camporeale said.
“He’s done all the training this week. Still got another session tomorrow but we’re really comfortable to pick him and he’s ready to play.”
Talia comes in at the expense of Kyle Hartigan, who is suffering minor knee soreness.
“Harto’s a bit sore in the knee,” Camporeale said.
“Clearly Tals comes back in, but through medical advice and the way the season’s panned out, and he’s done a lot of work, we want to make sure he’s right and hopefully only the one week.”
Myles Poholke, Cam Ellis-
Adelaide’s Round 18 team is…
IN: M. McGovern, D. Talia
OUT: T. Walker (
