The bad news continues for Adelaide, with captain Nathan van Berlo now to miss up to a month in the AFL.
The midfielder suffered a knock to his knee in the Showdown loss to Port Adelaide and the Crows were initially hopeful he would be available for Sunday’s home match against the Western Bulldogs.
But they have revealed he has bone bruising, with fellow midfielder Scott Thompson to captain the team in his place.
“It will be a great opportunity for all players to step up in the captain’s absence and display their leadership qualities to fill the void,” Crows football administration manager Phil Harper said in a statement.
The Crows have made a worrying start to the season after narrowly missing last year’s grand final.
After losing to Essendon at home and beating Brisbane, they gave up a 31-point lead on Sunday against their fierce local rivals and lost by nine points.
Van Berlo is unlikely to be the only change to Adelaide’s side, with key defender Ben Rutten admitting some team-mates could lose their spots because of form.
The Crows should beat the Bulldogs, who are rebuilding and suffered a 67-point loss to Richmond last weekend.
But former Adelaide captain Mark Ricciuto said in a local newspaper column on Tuesday that the Crows could miss the top eight.
“(Adelaide) have major issues … I’m serious when I say if they do not change quickly, they could be 4-8 heading into the bye,” Ricciuto said in The Advertiser.