Sam Shaw will play his first game of the season against North Melbourne on Sunday.
Ticketing and match day information
Shaw, 22, spent two months on Adelaide’s long-term injury list after tearing his hamstring at training in April. The 2012 Rising Star nominee has played seven games for Glenelg in his comeback from injury, and put in his best performance of the year against Woodville-West Torrens last weekend. He hasn't played an AFL game since straining a hamstring in last year's Semi-Final win over Fremantle.
Shaw and midfielder Rory Sloane, who has been given the all-clear to resume after a torn retina, are the two inclusions in the Crows team to play the Kangaroos at AAMI Stadium. The pair returns at the expense of Jarryd Lyons and Shaun McKernan, who have both been omitted.
Coach Brenton Sanderson said Shaw, who played 14 games as a defender last season, could line-up at half-back or half-forward on Sunday.
“Sam played really well in the SANFL last weekend. For him, it’s been more about getting his confidence back up to a point where he can really let loose. I think he’s been playing and training with a fair bit of caution since his return from injury, but he’s hit the ground running the past two weeks,” Sanderson said.
“It’s hard because a number of the games he’s played at SANFL level have been on really heavy decks and he’s been stuck in a back-pocket. Defensively he’s been fine, but I thought he turned the corner last weekend with the rest of his game.
“We know how important Sam was for us last year. He’s a good size, has speed and is a left-footer.”
McKernan’s omission leaves Sam Jacobs as the only recognised ruckman in the Adelaide team. Sanderson said the Crows would “get a bit creative” with their support for Jacobs, who will be up against the in-form ruckman of the competition, Todd Goldstein.
Read more in Sauce set for biggest challenge
“We’re playing against a side that predominantly go with one genuine ruckman as well,” he said.
“This is the game that we subbed Sam Jacobs out of last time (in Round Nine) because Goldstein was beating him. We’ve put a fair bit of pressure on ‘Sauce’ to play well. He’s got to stand up for us on Sunday.
“We’ve got a few little plans up our sleeve for when Jacobs is off the ground, but we’ll look for him to ruck most of the game like he did for much of 2012.”
McKernan, Matthew Jaensch and Jason Porplyzia are the emergencies. Sanderson said in-form pair Ian Callinan and Sam Kerridge were also unlucky to miss out on being included in the squad of 25.
“We’ve only won one game of our past five, but we’ve been playing fairly well,” he said.
“Ian Callinan was great last week. He kicked four goals and played really well. It’s just hard to know who to shift out of the forward line at the moment to play allow him to play that role. He’s just got to keep producing that form.
“Sam Kerridge was our non-playing emergency last week. He kicked six goals against North Melbourne in Round Nine and he was close again. We know he’s a good young player and he’ll get another opportunity before too long.”
Check out North Melbourne’s team and preview the clash in Enemy Territory
The team is:
B: Luke Brown, Ben Rutten, Andy Otten
HB: Rory Laird, Daniel Talia, Brodie Smith
C: Patrick Dangerfield, David Mackay, Nathan van Berlo
HF: Bernie Vince, Lewis Johnston, Jared Petrenko
F: Mitch Grigg, Tom Lynch, Richard Douglas
RUCKS: Sam Jacobs, Brad Crouch, Scott Thompson
INTERCHANGE FROM: Rory Sloane, Matthew Wright, Sam Shaw, Ricky Henderson
EMERG: Matthew Jaensch, Shaun McKernan, Jason Porplyzia
IN: Sam Shaw, Rory Sloane
OUT: Jarryd Lyons (omitted), Shaun McKernan (omitted)
Be first in line for the limited number of 2014 Crows season memberships. Click here to learn more about the Adelaide Oval Pre-sale
