Adelaide’s recent form: WLWLL

RECENT RESULTS AGAINST HAWTHORN
Round 10, 2009, Adelaide 16.10 (106) d Hawthorn 12.7 (79), AAMI Stadium
Round 12, 2008, Hawthorn 11.10 (76) d Adelaide 10.12 (72), AAMI Stadium
Round four, 2008, Hawthorn 17.12 (114) d Adelaide 10.10 (70), Aurora Stadium
Elimination Final, 2007, Hawthorn 15.15 (105) d Adelaide 15.12 (102), Docklands
Round 14, 2007, Adelaide 15.12 (102) d Hawthorn 4.7 (31), AAMI Stadium

MEDICAL ROOM        
Adelaide
Nathan Bock (heel) – indefinite
Brett Burton (corked buttock) – test
David Mackay (hamstring) – test
Patrick Dangerfield (back) – test
Jarrhan Jacky (hamstring) – indefinite
Nick Gill (ankle) – 3 weeks
Brad Moran (knee) – indefinite
Shaun McKernan (broken arm) – 2-3 weeks
Brodie Martin (knee) – season
James Moss (hip) – indefinite
Chris Schmidt (shoulder) – season

Hawthorn
Brad Sewell (corked quad) – available
Stuart Dew (hamstring) – 1 week
Xavier Ellis (ankle) – 2-3 weeks
Mark Williams (knee) 2-3 weeks
Tim Boyle (knee) – season
Trent Croad (foot) – season
Rick Ladson (knee) – season
Jarryd Roughead (knee) – season
Mitch Thorp (foot/shoulder) – season
Clinton Young (hip) – season
Brent Guerra (shoulder) – TBC

SUMMARY
Across the Tasman, Hawthorn also blew a golden chance to secure its spot in the eight.

The Hawks started favourites against a severely undermanned St Kilda, but managed just seven goals for the day in the 25-point loss.

For both teams the disappointing defeats were compounded by bad news on the injury front.

Adelaide has already ruled-out Nathan Bock (heel), Patrick Dangerfield (back) and David Mackay (hamstring) and is also sweating on the fitness of star forward Brett Burton (corked glute).

Hawthorn’s finals hopes were dealt a massive blow with the news key forward Jarryd Roughead will require season-ending knee surgery.

Friday night’s clash at the MCG will provide the Crows with another opportunity to book their ticket to September, while a loss for the Hawks would spell the end of their premiership defence.

KEY MATCH-UP
Scott Stevens v Lance Franklin
Adelaide, with All-Australian centre half-back Nathan Bock in the stands, will have to find another match-up for the Hawks’ star forward. Stevens has done the job in the past and could get another crack at Buddy if Craig is willing to release his swingman from attack. The absence of Roughead might even tempt the coach in to giving full-back Ben Rutten a look at the Coleman Medallist. The Hawks, who are also without forwards Mark Williams, Tim Boyle and Mitch Thorp, will no doubt be Buddy conscious and the Crows must limit the game breaker’s supply.

KICK IT TO ME
Andrew McLeod has roamed freely without a close tag over the past three weeks and the games record holder’s response has been an average of 27 possessions and a goal over the three games. Ben McGlynn traditionally gets the job on McLeod, but the negating half-forward will have his work cut out on the dual Norm Smith medallist’s favoured MCG stage.

SOMEBODY STOP ME
Cyril Rioli did his best to single-handedly drag Hawthorn over the line when the two sides met at AAMI Stadium earlier this season. The fierce tackling forward booted 4.2 from 22 possessions and seven marks in a masterful display. Collingwood’s midfielders and half-forwards got away from the Crows in the second half last week and Rioli will do the same if not afforded the respect he deserves.

AT THE SELECTION TABLE
Adelaide’s selection hinges on the availability of Burton. If the high-flying forward fails to come up, the Crows could look to versatile draftee Phil Davis or comeback kid Trent Hentschel to fill the void. Rory Sloane is also close to an AFL debut after another impressive performance in the SANFL.

IT'S NOT GENERALLY KNOWN THAT...
Scott Thompson (26) and Simon Goodwin (24) had more handballs last weekend than any other players in the competition. The Crows are ranked second in the League behind Geelong in total handballs this season.

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the club.