GEELONG has been dealt a massive blow on the eve of its Gather Round opener against a high-flying Adelaide, with All-Australian defender Tom Stewart ruled out through illness.

Stewart woke up sick on Thursday morning and was unable to prove his fitness for the important clash, with the Cats replacing him in the starting side with Ted Clohesy.

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The Crows are unchanged for the clash, with in-form onballer Izak Rankine proving his fitness in the lead-up to the encounter having been battling a calf injury during the week.

There was doubt cast over Rankine's availability earlier this week when he missed the side's captain's run session on Wednesday, but after being named later that evening he was then given the all-clear to feature in the hours before the match.

Adelaide had already made two changes for the Gather Round opener, with Matt Crouch and Zac Taylor replacing Lachie Murphy and James Borlase, while Geelong initially replaced Jack Henry and Clohesy with Mark Blicavs and Mitch Knevitt.

The Crows (3-1) suffered their first loss of the season last time out, falling to Gold Coast in a controversial thriller, while Geelong (2-2) recorded a much-needed win over Melbourne last week, having fallen to back-to-back losses before that.

The Crows have welcomed back midfield pair Matt Crouch and Zac Taylor for the game, while James Borlase and Lachie Murphy have been omitted.

Adelaide v Geelong at Adelaide Oval, 7.10pm ACST

LATE CHANGES
Adelaide: Nil
Geelong: Tom Stewart, replaced in the selected side by Ted Clohesy

SUBSTITUTES
Adelaide: Zac Taylor
Geelong: Ted Clohesy