Six changes won’t disrupt Adelaide’s balance heading into Saturday’s AFL clash with West Coast, according to Crows forward Ian Callinan.
The Crows go into the home game at AAMI Stadium after thrashing Greater Western Sydney by 119 points while the Eagles are coming off an upset loss to Sydney in Perth.
Adelaide have brought back a wealth of experienced players and some youthful talent with Graham Johncock, Michael Doughty, Brad Symes, Kurt Tippett, Andy Otten and Jared Petrenko all returning.
Callinan said making so many changes was not an issue for the Crows, who sit second on the ladder and have a chance to skip two games clear of West Coast.
“The coaching staff pick the side that they think is going to be the best to beat the West Coast Eagles and we’ve got faith in that,” said Callinan.
“Guys will come in and play their role.”
The Eagles have also made a string of changes with Beau Waters returning thanks to a rapid recovery from knee surgery, veteran forward Quinten Lynch resuming after a one-week suspension and Jack Darling a likely starter after overcoming hamstring tightness.
Darling needed to get through Friday’s training to secure his place but assistant coach Justin Longmuir didn’t expect him to miss out.
Longmuir said the Eagles were keen to bounce back after the 52-point loss to the Swans.
“We were very disappointed with the performance we put up,” he said.
“We were beaten in critical areas but we’ve moved on pretty quick and the boys are really keen to rectify the issues from last week.”
Longmuir said Waters’ inclusion was a testament to his healing powers and hard work.
“After he had the surgery it was all about how he would pull up,” Longmuir said.
“He’s trained all this week, ran really hard and strong and it shows how diligent he was to his recovery that he’s back so soon.”
Adelaide beat the Eagles to win the pre-season cup grand final earlier this year and Crows coach Brenton Sanderson has watched that game again this week.
He said it had reminded of the how good West Coast were in applying defensive pressure and their efficiency bringing the ball forward.
