“You’re going down…” Leppa bullish as Crows ring changes
Justin Leppitsch admits he could have easily dumped half his team in the wake of last week’s catastrophic showing against Port Adelaide.
Instead, he will give the battling Lions another chance to prove themselves when they travel to take on the Power’s cross-town rival Adelaide in what looms as another likely bloodbath tomorrow night.
The Lions were smashed to the tune of 94 points by Port last weekend, renewing the pressure on Leppitsch ahead of an end-of-season football review that will determine his future in the job.
However, Leppitsch resisted the urge to make wholesale changes this week.
First-year forward Josh Schache and 20-year-old defender Darcy Gardiner return from layoffs, replacing Michael Close and Tom Cutler.
“You have a week when we have a lot of players down, you don’t want to throw the baby out with the bathwater,” Leppitsch said.
“It’s the sort of week where you can drop 15 blokes or stick with them and we’re probably more in the stick-with-them phase.”
That will please the Crows, who last night announced probably the biggest selection shakeup of their season – a season in which a lack of injuries has contributed to Adelaide using the fewest number of players of any team in the league – bringing in Cam Ellis-Yolmen for his first run of the year after a string of standout SANFL performances.
He replaces the rested Scott Thompson, while Mitch McGovern – whose workload is being similarly managed – makes way for the return of skipper Taylor Walker, despite kicking four goals and turning in his strongest performance yet against the Bombers last Sunday.
As forecast, young ruckman Reilly O’Brien will debut while Sam Jacobs recovers from an ankle strain.
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The debutant won’t have to face imposing Lions big-man Stefan Martin, who remains sidelined, battling a variety of niggling injuries.
Brisbane are the AFL’s worst defensive team while the Crows – who beat Essendon by 82 points last week – are the competition’s most potent in attack.
“It’s not a good combination is it?” Leppitsch said.
“Obviously defence has to be our focus and we’re working hard on that, structurally and the skill-based stuff, sticking tackles and things like that, both are falling apart at the moment.”
But a bullish Leppitsch said the Lions were still aiming to win, despite the Crows’ daunting form and strong record at Adelaide Oval, and Brisbane’s continued woes.
“I know exterior people think ‘you’re going down and it’s just the margin’, but I don’t think like that,” he said.
“I go to every game to win and I want our players to feel the same… we know it’s a difficult challenge but we accept the challenge.
“You accept it or you don’t, that’s the two options you’ve got in footy.”
Port is happy to accept its key attacking option Charlie Dixon back from injury for the Power’s last roll of the dice to keep its season alive against Sydney at the SCG tomorrow.
In his first game since injuring his ankle against North Melbourne in Round 17, Dixon replaces Melbourne recruit Jimmy Toumpas, who has struggled to cement a senior spot since crossing to the Power.
North Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs have taken contrasting approaches at the selection table ahead of their own crunch Saturday night clash.
The Kangaroos made one change for the Etihad Stadium showdown that will shape the top eight, recalling Majak Daw in place of injured forward Jarrad Waite.
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The Bulldogs opted for four changes to the team who were beaten in Geelong, promoting fit-again veterans Dale Morris and Matthew Boyd as well as Nathan Hrovat and Lukas Webb.
Injured midfielders Tom Liberatore and Jack Macrae were both enforced omissions for the Bulldogs, while Jed Adcock and Koby Stevens were dumped.
The ladder-leading Hawks have made just one change for tomorrow’s MCG clash with Melbourne, but it is an imposing one, recalling the ominous Cyril Rioli at the expense of Blake Hardwick.
The Demons dropped Josh Wagner, Matt Jones and Chris Dawes, with debutant Sam Weideman, Clayton Oliver and Tomas Bugg earning call-ups.
Out west, the big men will fly in the local derby, with Fremantle’s giant ruckman Aaron Sandilands to make his long-awaited return from broken ribs against West Coast on Sunday, when Eagles counterpart Nic Naitanui will also make his comeback from an achilles tendon issue.
Sandilands, Hayden Ballantyne, Michael Apeness and Ethan Hughes were included in an extended Fremantle squad, with suspended defender Zac Dawson the only confirmed omission.
The Eagles swung the axe, adding Naitanui, Tom Barrass, Elliot Yeo, Jack Redden, Xavier Ellis, Lewis Jetta and Jackson Nelson to a 25-man squad.
Eric Mackenzie and Malcolm Karpany were dropped, while Sam Butler (groin) and Liam Duggan (calf) are sidelined with injuries.
Meanwhile, Collingwood and Richmond both settled on two changes for tonight’s dead rubber meeting.
The Magpies called on Mason Cox and Jarryd Blair to replace Darcy Moore (hamstring) and Jordan De Goey (omitted), while the under-fire Tigers included Ben Griffiths and Andrew Moore in place of Reece Conca (hamstring) and Kane Lambert (omitted).
Dylan Shiel (groin) and Adam Kennedy (omitted) will miss Greater Western Sydney’s trip to the Gold Coast, with Nick Haynes and Lachie Whitfield to tackle the Suns in their absence.
Veterans Dale Thomas and Sam Fisher are set to return for their respective sides on Sunday at the MCG, when Carlton face St Kilda in Andrew Walker’s farewell game.
And off-season recruit Scott Selwood is set to play his first game for Geelong on Sunday when they face Essendon at Etihad Stadium.
The Cats also promoted Lachie Henderson, Josh Caddy, Shane Kersten and Darcy Lang in a 25-man squad.
-AAP
