Adelaide captain Jordan Dawson has hinted at a marquee match-up towards his Carlton counterpart Patrick Cripps within the opening conflict of the AFL’s Gather Round.
Dawson has moved from defence to the midfield prior to now two matches – and each have been wins for his Crows forward of Thursday night time’s encounter towards the unbeaten Blues.
Dawson has been a star performer in each video games – a reality famous by Cripps.
“He has been pretty good, hasn’t he, probably best-on (ground) in the last two games,” Cripps instructed reporters on Wednesday.
“The best thing about him is he’s tough, he’s efficient, he damages you.
“But they’ve quite a lot of weapons in there … our job as a midfield is to try to win that battle and get territory.”
Dawson, asked if he would play on Carlton’s prime mover Cripps, tried to remained tight-lipped.
“I can not say. We will in all probability come throughout one another a bit greater than we have now prior to now,” he stated.
“I’m trying ahead to it. Going into the midfield, I’ve loved it … I’m loving my time in there.”
Dawson said his seventh-placed Crows were relishing the prospect of hosting the Blues, who have banked three consecutive wins after a season-opening draw.
“We know the way good their footy could be,” he stated.
“They’re the benchmark. They have not misplaced for a cause.”
Cripps’ fellow midfielder Sam Walsh will play his first game of the season after recovering from a back injury.
“He has accomplished an enormous block of labor,” Cripps stated,
“He has been fairly affected person with it, the way in which he has rehabbed has all gone to plan … I anticipate him to return in and hit the bottom operating.
“He probably put his hand up (for selection) two weeks ago … the club just held him back to make sure he’s right.
The Blues also recalled from injury on-ballers Matthew Kennedy and Blake Acres.
“Adelaide play a very contested model of footy so that they (Kennedy and Acres) are going to be actually necessary to the way in which we play,” Cripps said.
Carlton axed Lochie O’Brien and Josh Honey, while Sam Docherty will be unavailable for at least a month because of a knee injury.
Adelaide named key forward Darcy Fogarty, who has missed two games with a knee injury, while also picking Luke Pedlar after his one-match suspension.
The Crows dropped Ned McHenry and younger ahead Lachlan Gollant.
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
