ADELAIDE co-captain Taylor Walker has demanded his teammates "roll up their sleeves" and "play with a bit of heart" as the struggling Crows keep alive hope of pulling off a finals miracle.

The Crows (40 points, 103.0 per cent) – who have lost six of their past eight games – must beat the red-hot Western Bulldogs by about four goals at Ballarat on Sunday and hope other results go their way.

Provided they can beat the eighth-placed Bulldogs (44, 105.6) and make up 2.6 per cent, the Crows must then hope cross-town rivals Port Adelaide (40, 103.0) don’t defeat Fremantle by a bigger margin in the last game of the home and away season.

Ninth-placed Hawthorn (40, 106.6) can also throw a spanner in the works if it upsets reigning premier West Coast at Optus Stadium on Saturday night.

Walker wants to see a fierce response from the Crows in the wake of their 66-point thumping at the hands of Collingwood last Saturday.

"I hope blokes are ready to roll their sleeves up because we're still a chance to play finals," Walker told reporters on Monday.

"We need to play with a bit of heart and a bit of passion and play for each other and play for the guernsey.

"I'm shattered that we're producing what we are because I know we're capable of playing better footy."

The Crows are on track to miss the finals for the second straight season after reaching the 2017 Grand Final.

They had a solid first half of the year, with an 8-5 record after 13 rounds, before falling in a heap, having only beaten Gold Coast and St Kilda in the past two months.

"I don't like seeing us where we are," Walker said.

"I feel somewhat responsible as a captain of the footy club, so it's up to the coaches and the senior leaders of this footy club to turn this around and get our footy club to where we belong, and that's playing finals footy. 

"I'd imagine there would be some frustrated and disappointed fans, that's their right and it's no different to the way we're feeling."

Dejected Crows leave the field after the loss the Pies. Picture: AFL Photos

Walker said everyone at the club was under pressure, not just coach Don Pyke – who is contracted until the end of 2021 – and that the Crows would look at everything at the end of the season.

"We're just going to have to sit and review at the end of the year," Walker said.

"I've got 100 per cent trust in Pykey.

"We'll be right, we'll get out of it."

Walker will also put off discussions about whether he remains co-captain until the end of the season, with his focus squarely on their game against the Bulldogs.

"The role will continue to evolve and I'll cross that bridge at the end of the year," he said.

Defender Alex Keath is likely to play against the Dogs after making a successful return from an ankle injury in the SANFL, while Riley Knight (hip) and Jake Kelly (shin) will be assessed.