ADELAIDE will delay fitness calls on injured duo Taylor Walker and Jordon Butts until hours before Friday night's clash against Geelong.
All-Australian forward Walker missed the Crows' round one game against Gold Coast because of back spasms, and full-back Butts hurt an ankle during the six-point loss.
Walker returned to training this week and, like Butts, will be named in the Crows' side to tackle the Cats at Adelaide Oval.
"He (Walker) got through and pulled up reasonably well, today was another light session and we'll see how he pulls up from this one," Crows coach Matthew Nicks said after Thursday training.
"We'll name him and then we'll just want to check on him tomorrow.
"(Butts is) similar to 'Tex', we have just got to make sure he pulls up well."
Geelong, which beat St Kilda by eight points in its opening game of the season, expects both Adelaide bookends to play, Cats coach Chris Scott said.
"We have a high level of respect for Adelaide," Scott told reporters on Wednesday.
"Not just because of the way they performed last year – really they were, in a lot of ways, a bit of bad luck out of being a finals team (last season).
"They showed a capacity to really push the best teams in the comp, and we know that they're a formidable opponent at home as well.
"We just don't see any reason to think that it won't be a really challenging game."
The Crows kicked just one goal in the first half of their loss to the Suns, before booting five in the final term to almost steal victory.
Nicks, who has signed a two-year contract extension, admitted disappointment at his side's slow start, but said "it wasn't an area where you take too much concern".
"It wasn't a contest or a lack of effort or intensity, it was a small breakdown in an area of our game elsewhere," he said.
"That often on the TV might look like 'Are they here to play?'
"We know we can fix that very quickly – we did in fact in the second half. It took us probably the third quarter to really get it back on our terms and then it opened up.
"But believe it or not we take a lot of confidence out of the way we finished it.
"The response was there last week, but it was too late.
"We already know what it's going to take (on Friday night) ... and then the challenge is we're playing against a very good side in Geelong who are experienced and they'll back themselves to beat us their way.
"But I have got no doubt our guys will bring it right from the start."
