Adelaide have named a 23-man squad for their Round One crows game against Collingwood at the MCG on Saturday night, with three players set to make their AFL debuts. Toby Murray, Callum Ah Chee and Lachlan McAndrew have been named, while Isaac Cumming and James Peatling recover from low-grade hamstring issues and Jake Soligo is back after a managed workload for an irregular heartbeat. Adelaide Executive General Manager Football Adam Kelly said preparations had been solid and the club was ready to open its campaign.
Crows Game line-up and immediate changes
Adelaide announced a full 23 for the season opener, handing first AFL games to Toby Murray, Callum Ah Chee and Lachlan McAndrew. The selection will be especially memorable for Toby Murray, who will play his first senior game alongside his older brother Nick. Isaac Cumming and James Peatling have recovered from low-grade hamstring injuries sustained during pre-season and were named in the side, and Jake Soligo was included after being managed in training because of an irregular heartbeat.
Forward Riley Thilthorpe has overcome back soreness that kept him out of the club’s recent trial and is named to take the field. Chayce Jones, James Borlase and Luke Nankervis were listed as emergencies. Adelaide’s non-selected players are scheduled to line up in the club’s SANFL trial match against Central District at X Convenience Oval (Elizabeth Oval) on Saturday at 3. 20pm.
“It has been a strong pre-season and we are ready for Saturday night, ” Adam Kelly, Adelaide Executive General Manager Football, said. “Our players and staff have been very deliberate in the way in which we have prepared for the season and for our opposition this week. ” Kelly added that the squad and staff have been looking forward to the season kicking off.
Crows Game ruck debate and plans for the contest
Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks has kept selection and tactical details tight as the club plots ways to blunt a dangerous opponent, while also weighing a key ruck call. Nicks said his side would hold its cards on how it would try to limit the influence of Nick Daicos; Daicos is coming off a dominant performance with 41 disposals, seven marks and four clearances in the previous round.
On the ruck contest, former Sydney ruck Lachlan McAndrew is favoured to win a club debut ahead of Reilly O’Brien. Nicks noted that recent rule changes have challenged O’Brien’s traditional grappling style at centre bounces and that O’Brien has worked to adapt to a run-and-jump role. “Rob (O’Brien) has been challenged this year with a rule change – and it’s a big one, it’s a huge rule change, ” Nicks said. He added that while O’Brien has transformed aspects of his game quickly, Lachlan McAndrew’s height and leap put him in a strong position from a centre-bounce point of view.
What’s next
All attention now turns to the crows game at the MCG, where Adelaide’s selection choices and any in-game adjustments will be tested. The match will reveal whether McAndrew secures the ruck role and whether the tactical approaches Nicks hinted at are employed or altered during play. Adelaide’s non-selected players will contest the SANFL trial that same afternoon, and the club’s decisions in the coming hours will set the tone for the season opener and for how the crows game unfolds on the night.
