Richard Tambling has withdrawn from the Adelaide side for Saturday night’s Balfours Showdown and been replaced by upgraded rookie Matthew Wright, who will make his AFL debut.

Tambling hurt an ankle late in Thursday’s training session and was unable to join the group in this morning’s light session.
 
Wright, 21, is a midfielder from North Adelaide. Chris Schmidt has been added to the emergency list players.
 
Adelaide will also introduce Luke Thompson to the AFL in the Balfours Showdown on Saturday night.

Thompson, 20, has been named at centre half back for his debut to replace Phil Davis, out for three or four weeks with a shoulder injury. The other inclusion is Myke Cook, who last played for the Crows in round nine last season.

Thompson was picked up by the Crows as a rookie, from the Geelong Falcons, at the end of 2009 and was elevated to the primary list at the end of last season.

He will be the 178th player to play for the Adelaide Football Club.

In other news, Jared Petrenko has a sore foot, will not play this weekend and will see a specialist early next week. James Sellar copped a knock to the leg today and also will not be available this weekend.


The team is:

B: Johncock, Rutten, Otten
HB: Symes, L. Thompson, van Berlo
C: Martin, Dangerfield, Smith
HF: Knights, Walker, Vince
F: Henderson, Tippett, Jaensch
R: Maric, Thompson, Reilly
Int: Cook, Wright, Douglas, McKernan.

Emerg: Gunston, Moran, Schmidt

In: Thompson, Cook, Wright
Out: Davis (shoulder), Stevens (ill), Tambling (ankle)