Crows’ Geelong Hoodoo Deepens as Key Trio Sidelined
Adelaide’s challenging road trip to Geelong has been significantly complicated with the confirmation that captain Jordan Dawson, veteran spearhead Taylor Walker, and three-time club champion Rory Laird will all be absent for Thursday night’s clash against the formidable Cats. This absence represents a staggering loss of 732 games of combined experience, further compounding the blow of recruit Callum Ah Chee’s hamstring injury.
The Crows are heading to a venue where they have not tasted victory in a remarkable 13 years, a statistic that now looms even larger with their leadership group depleted.
Captain Dawson has been unable to shake a persistent calf issue, forcing the club’s hand in not risking further injury. Crows coach Matthew Nicks acknowledged the difficulty of the situation, explaining, “We couldn’t quite get him there – a short break and travel. So we won’t take a risk, a little bit of a calf type – there’s a few around the league at the moment, this seems to be a bit of a trend, teams are struggling at the moment to keep players.” Nicks also highlighted the demanding fixture list as a contributing factor, stating, “We’re in a pretty tough schedule at the moment, which is one that we want – big games Friday’s and Thursday nights and so on. There’s a little bit of management in what we’re doing, but we’d love to be taking our captain across.”
The decision to rest the 35-year-old Walker, the Crows’ all-time leading goalkicker, is a strategic one, while Laird sustained his calf injury during last week’s narrow six-point home defeat to the Western Bulldogs.
In response to these significant outs, Adelaide has named former North Melbourne tall Finnbar Maley for his club debut. Additionally, Hugh Bond, Luke Nankervis, and Zac Taylor have been recalled to the side.
“We test our depth out, there’s no doubt about that,” Nicks commented on the changes. “We’ve been pretty confident in the depth, so now we’re going to test it. We’re going to have some young guys come in with some real enthusiasm that probably feel like they should have been there a bit earlier.”
A Statistical Nightmare in Geelong
Adelaide’s historical record at GMHBA Stadium is undeniably bleak. The Crows have managed to defeat the Cats on their home turf on just three occasions in 24 attempts, with their most recent victory dating back to June 2003. This translates to a dismal winning percentage of 12.5% in Geelong, which is, alarmingly, the club’s lowest at any AFL venue.
Nicks acknowledged the psychological aspect of playing at the Cattery but stressed the importance of focusing on the game itself. “I know a lot of people talk about that ground,” he said. “But you play Geelong anywhere, there are a lot of lessons that come out of those games. Playing against a very experienced outfit that have great shape on the ground … extra numbers in the right spots. That comes through experience, comes through playing a lot of footy together, and the challenge for us is to not lose ourselves and lose our structure, otherwise you just can’t compete.”
Geelong Also Battling Availability
The Geelong Cats are not without their own personnel concerns. They will be missing their influential captain, Patrick Dangerfield, who is also sidelined with a calf complaint. This issue first emerged during his participation in February’s State of Origin match for Victoria against Western Australia.
Geelong coach Chris Scott explained the situation regarding his captain: “He just hasn’t had any continuity at training. He is the one driving the fact that he feels like he needs a block of training to be really confident to play.”
Furthermore, small forward Brad Close has been sent back to the VFL to regain match fitness. “He is actually in a similar situation to Patrick, we don’t think he has had an optimal preparation to this point,” Scott elaborated.
Despite these challenges, Scott has opted to recall Oliver Henry to the senior side and has selected Oliver Wiltshire for his third AFL game.
