ADELAIDE utility Ricky Henderson will have season-ending surgery this week on his right knee.

 

Henderson missed Sunday's loss to the Western Bulldogs because of the injury but with the Crows now officially out of the finals race, the 24-year-old will go under the knife.

 

The arthroscopic surgery isn't expected to delay the start of his pre-season.

 

Henderson has enjoyed a bumper 2013 season, proving a valuable player in Adelaide's backline.

 

He's averaged a career-high 19 possessions from his 14 games, and 24 disposals a match since the side's round-13 bye.

 

Teammate Richard Douglas told reporters on Monday he didn't expect the club would begin resting players or prematurely ending their seasons simply because a finals berth was out of the picture.

 

He highlighted the importance of finishing the season strongly to maintain a healthy winning culture so the club entered the pre-season with form behind it.