DYNAMIC Adelaide forward Izak Rankine is firming to return from injury for round 22's vital away fixture against Brisbane.
Rankine has been sidelined with a hamstring injury suffered against Melbourne on July 23 but trained strongly on Wednesday, impressing coach Matthew Nicks.
"Today was great, there was progress," Nicks told reporters.
"There's still more to go ... we have got another session still to get through but he's progressing really well.
"He's a good healer ... but he's done a hell of a lot of work as well, he's a real professional.
"He's very important to our side ...he's a very, very good player and impacts games.
"But we want to make sure that we make the right decision around that because it's not just about the week, it's about the next three weeks and hopefully beyond."
The 11th-placed Crows are one win outside the top eight ahead of their trip to meet the Lions, who sit third.
Nicks said discussions with his players weren't about the ladder logjam but his team hitting key performance indicators (KPIs) – targets the coach was keeping in-house.
"We've got KPIs we've looked at all year and we're sitting in a spot where we've still got to do a bit more work to get what we're after," he said.
"It aligns with the ladder – and we'll just keep working to those KPIs.
"It's the way we play our footy. We'll get what we're after, we will get the results, if we continue to play that way.
"And we've done it the last couple of weeks and been very strong in that space so that's where our focus is at the moment.
"We don't necessarily look at the ladder at all.
"I'd be lying though if I said I haven't done the AFL (ladder) predictor on the website. My issue is I predict us to win every week."
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Nicks acknowledged the enormity of the task in Brisbane given the Lions haven't lost in nine games at the Gabba this year and the Crows have won just once outside of Adelaide – a three-point victory against Hawthorn in round six.
"We probably have to get a win for the noise to go away," Nicks said of his side's poor away record.
"That's the goal, let's go over there and get a win. I don't think anyone's beaten them there this year but I guess it has to start at some point."
