The Crows watched helplessly as the Cats cruised to victory with an awesome on-field display when the two sides met at the same venue in round 14 last season.
Craig conceded there would be times on Saturday when Geelong would again prove too good but said his players would simply have to persevere.
“If you expect to be able to stop Geelong perfectly every time you won’t because there will be a time when you think you’ve got them in tackle, but the ball will slip out and they’ll continue to run it,” Craig said on Friday.
“It’s not just a matter of how you play the game. You’ve got to understand that you’re playing a quality opposition who will win a lot of ball and put sensational plays together.
“Mental hardness is a key component when you play quality sides.”
Adelaide has only beaten Geelong once in its past five attempts.
Craig said he had encouraged his team to make a name for itself against the best sides in the competition.
“The Cats are an extraordinary team for a whole range of reasons, but the simplest one is because of their win-loss record in the last 40-odd games,” he said.
Rob Shirley, who was left out of the opening three games, has been recalled to the Crows’ side.
Shirley is likely to have the job on Gary Ablett, but Craig said the tagging duties would be split between several players.
“Rob comes back into the side and he’ll have a tagging role on one of Ablett, Jimmy Bartel, Joel Corey or Joel Selwood, but he’ll also have an opportunity to play an attacking midfield role and up forward at some stage,” Craig said.
Adelaide’s decision to lift defender Nathan Bock’s suspension after one week has received a mixed response from the South Australian football public.
Craig said he believed the club had made the right call in allowing Bock to play.
“I don’t think he’s tried to hide or not accept responsibility for what he’s done,” Craig said.
“He’s copped it, as he should have, but now we’re concerned with two things and that’s performance on the field and also his long-term and making sure he puts things in place so we see significant change in that type of behaviour.”
