Adelaide’s star midfielder Rory Sloane appears likely to overcome concussion and play in Friday night’s AFL blockbuster against Geelong.
Sloane, who was knocked out in last Saturday night’s win against Melbourne, completed Adelaide’s full training session on Wednesday.
“He looked great today … he’s doing everything he can to play,” teammate Andy Otten told reporters.
Sloane passed concussion tests earlier this week and will undergo further testing on the eve of the Adelaide Oval game between the ladder-leading Crows and second-placed Geelong.
“He will do that again tomorrow and see where he’s at and if he passes that … it will be the doctor’s final call,” Otten said.
“Rory is not going to put himself in jeopardy, I’m sure, and neither is the club.
“We’re going to be smart about, he’s going to be smart about it. But if he’s right, he’s right, and if not he won’t play, it’s as simple as that.”
Adelaide defender Jake Lever appears less likely to front against the Cats because of hamstring tightness – he didn’t take part in Adelaide’s training session on Wednesday.
“He did a bit of work outside the main group today. We have still got a training session tomorrow so we’ll see where he’s at there,” Otten said.
Geelong megastar and former Adelaide club champion Patrick Dangerfield remains in doubt for the match because of a foot injury.
And while Cats coach Chris Scott on Wednesday rated Dangerfield only a 40 per cent chance of playing, the Crows were preparing for their ex-teammate to play, possibly solely as a forward.
“He is just another player that we will have to worry about in a very good Geelong side,” Otten said.
And the utility said Crows players were deliberately trying to steer away from the hype surrounding the top-of-the-table match.
“You feel it,” Otten said of the hype.
“It’s a Friday night game, everyone loves playing on the big stage, and it is first versus second, so it’s going to be a high quality game.
“Players really look forward to standing up in these big games.
“(But ) you don’t hype it up too much early in the week or else you drain a lot of energy, so we will prepare normally.”