ADELAIDE forward Riley Knight is in doubt for round one and will miss the Marsh Community Series after suffering an Achilles tendon injury.

The Crows said Knight, who had enjoyed a strong pre-season, would now be sidelined from competitive work for up to a month.

Adelaide opens its season against Sydney on March 21, with the 24-year-old racing the clock to be fit.

"After completing most of the pre-season, Riley will not complete competitive loads for three to four weeks," Adelaide head of medicine and science Steve Saunders told the club's website.

Knight, who signed a one-year extension for 2020, played 15 games last season as both a small forward and a run-with player.

He recorded career-best disposal figures (15.6) and took his career games tally to 54 before being linked with a move to Sydney during the NAB AFL Trade Period.

The Crows open their pre-season campaign against Melbourne at Casey Fields on Saturday, with key defender Kyle Hartigan (ankle) expected to be available.

Saunders said second-year Crow Ned McHenry needed to be cleared for contact work before being available for selection after sustaining a knee to his abdominal wall last week.

Meanwhile, defender Tom Doedee is expected to play in an under-23 trial match against Port Adelaide on February 29 as he enters the final stages of his recovery from a knee reconstruction.

The 22-year-old ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in round one last year and shapes as a key player for the Crows in 2020.

PRE-SEASON FIXTURE Check out your team's Marsh Community Series games

"Tom has been accumulating the workloads required to return to AFL football," Saunders said.

"It was always the plan for him to return for the under-23 trial game and he is on track for that."