Crows Head of Football Adam Kelly has explained the use of Adelaide's medical substitute during Sunday’s three-point loss to Hawthorn.

After young defender Will Hamill was assisted from the field by trainers late in the third quarter with a game-ending ankle injury, Crows substitute, Tom Lynch, was seen heading down into the rooms to prepare to take the field.

Kelly said part of those preparations included the veteran forward being given treatment for an ongoing toe issue.

“We sent Tom Lynch down into the rooms to get ready to take the field,” he said.

“With Tom, as has been the case for three or four weeks now, he requires some treatment prior to being able to go out onto the field.

“What we did say was ‘take the time you need to be right to play, knowing we wanted him available to go onto the field for the first rotation in that last quarter.

“We anticipated that was going to be around the five-minute mark of that last quarter.

“He was available to go onto the field about two-and-a-half minutes into that last quarter where he was up on the interchange.”

Lynch came onto the ground at the five-minute mark of the final term, playing 21 minutes of game time.