Adelaide has made six changes - and will introduce another first-gamer - for Saturday night’s game against Sydney Swans at AAMI Stadium.
Daniel Talia, Adelaide’s first selection at the 2009 national draft, will become the 182nd player to represent the Crows when he makes his AFL debut in Michael Doughty’s 200-game milestone match.
Wingman David Mackay also is back, three months after damaging a shoulder in the opening round, while Brad Symes, Matthew Jaensch, Richard Tambling and Brad Moran have been recalled.
Daniel Talia, Adelaide’s first selection at the 2009 national draft, will become the 182nd player to represent the Crows when he makes his AFL debut in Michael Doughty’s 200-game milestone match.
Wingman David Mackay also is back, three months after damaging a shoulder in the opening round, while Brad Symes, Matthew Jaensch, Richard Tambling and Brad Moran have been recalled.
Missing from the last round are Ricky Henderson (concussion), Chris Schmidt (knee), Shaun McKernan, Jack Gunston, Luke Thompson and Chris Knights.
Talia, 19 and 195cm, was a Vic Metro under 18 representative in 2009, and despite playing at centre half-forward for the Calder Cannons he earned All-Australian honours at centre half back. This is the position he has mainly filled for his SANFL club South Adelaide.
Talia’s first season at West Lakes ended prematurely last June, when he tore the lateral meniscus in his right knee and required surgery.
At the start of 2011 he played a couple of pre-season games but a sore Achilles tendon then sidelined him until mid-May.
Jaensch and Tambling were named to play Geelong last weekend but pulled out because of injury and illness, while Symes missed the Cats trip to rest a knee. Moran played his first AFL game in nearly two years in round 11 and has been given another chance.
The emergencies are Brodie Smith, Ivan Maric and Luke Thompson. Chris Knights has not been included in the 25 due to a calf strain.
Saturday night’s game - Adelaide’s 250th AFL game at AAMI Stadium (Football Park) - starts at 7.10pm.
The team is:
B: Johncock, Rutten, Otten
HB: Doughty, Talia, Symes
C: Jaensch, Douglas, Mackay
HF: Petrenko, Dangerfield, van Berlo
F: Sloane, Tippett, Callinan
R: Jacobs, S. Thompson, Vince
Inter: Moran, Reilly, Wright, Tambling
Emerg: Smith, Maric, L. Thompson
In: Jaensch, Mackay, Moran, Tambling, Symes, Talia.
Out: Henderson (concussed), Schmidt (knee), Gunston, McKernan, Knights, L. Thompson.
