Adelaide Crows defender Josh Worrell has escaped injury after being involved in a car accident ahead of Saturday's clash with Gold Coast. The 25-year-old is described as "shaken but physically OK" but missed training as a result of the crash. The Crows still expect him to line up against the Suns for what will be his 16th appearance of the season.
Worrell's recent setbacks
Worrell missed a win over Melbourne last month due to illness, with coach Matthew Nicks forced to bat away inaccurate suggestions that he had been sidelined for disciplinary reasons. The defender has been a regular in Adelaide's backline this season.
Key returns for Adelaide
Adelaide will welcome back All Australian contender Wayne Milera from a hamstring strain, while Riley Thilthorpe will also return after a week out with illness. Milera was held back last week as an added precaution, with the Crows acknowledging his dash at halfback as vital to a finals tilt. "He's right up there in All Australian discussions, as he should be," Nicks said.
Callum Ah Chee and Luke Pedlar could play SANFL in their return from hamstring injuries. Dual Brisbane premiership player Ah Chee has had a wretched run in Adelaide: four hamstring injuries and playing just four AFL games. Ah Chee initially hurt a hamstring in February playing for Western Australia against Victoria in State of Origin's return. The versatile ex-Lion has played consecutive games twice, then been hamstrung again but Nicks hopes he can get a decent run into the finals.
Injury management approach
"We're in dialogue with Cal around his experiences, and the way he's worked in the past," Nicks said. "There's no perfect way to come back, every player is different, so we're just working our way through that with Cal. We're not going to throw him in the deep end. We know how important he is to us and we want him there at the business end of the season."
Small forward Pedlar has also been beset by injury troubles, with just 49 games in six seasons for the No.11 pick at the 2020 draft. But his AFL return won't come against the Suns, who are on a six-game losing skid and have plunged to 14th.
Nicks wary of Suns threat
"Don't look at win-loss; it's not always about win-loss," Nicks said when asked about Adelaide's overwhelming favouritism. "When you see how close the ladder is at the moment, there are 10 or 12 teams that are fighting out. It's going to be similar to last year, where it comes right down to the wire. They (the Suns) have lost some games that maybe they could have won. There's a lot of teams in that same boat."
