Adelaide coach Brenton Sanderson won’t chase a percentage-boosting victory against AFL newcomers Greater Western Sydney, saying he’d be happy with a one-point win.
The third-placed Crows will be without Michael Doughty against the Giants on Sunday, the veteran defender staying in Adelaide with his wife due to soon give birth.
Sanderson said Doughty would have stayed home regardless of Adelaide’s opponent, adding the Crows don’t have the luxury of resting players against the fledgling Giants.
Hawthorn last week trounced GWS by 27 goals, gaining a massive 15 percentage points, but Sanderson said Adelaide won’t aim for a massive win.
“Honestly, if you gave me a one-point win now, I would take it – and that is serious,” Sanderson told reporters on Wednesday.
“The way the competition is going, you have to keep the foot on the throat so it’s really important that you still play a brand of footy that wins you matches.
“I would take a one-point win but, if we could win by more, that is a great bonus.
“But the evenness of the competition, winning is paramount.”
Adelaide, one of four sides with 11 wins this season, has the second-lowest percentage of the top six clubs on the ladder.
Sanderson said a strength of his players was their ability to focus on the present, rather than look to a finals-bound future.
“It would be foolish to change that for this week and go up there with fat heads,” he said.
Sanderson said he wanted key forward Kurt Tippett to face the Giants, despite suffering concussion for the second time in three matches.
Tippett was likely to be named in Adelaide’s 25-man squad with a decision on whether he plays made on Saturday.