Written by Megan Taylor, sports reporter covering international sports since 2020

Tom Stewart Adelaide Crows planning has become a key talking point as Adelaide prepare to host Geelong on Thursday night after their mid-season bye.

The five-time AFL All-Australian defender hurt the Crows in round three with nine intercept possessions and a goal as Geelong held on for an eight-point win.

For more AFL coverage, read Tyson Stengle Return Cleared As Geelong Forward Eyes VFL Comeback.

Crows Look To Limit Stewart

Darcy Fogarty said Adelaide know they cannot afford to keep giving Stewart chances to read the ball and cut off forward entries.

"He's a thorn in a few sides' backsides ... great player," Fogarty said.

"Ideally, not kick it to him. He puts himself in good spots.

"As a team, we're really going to work around how we can nullify him, and I guess we'll just play through it, and play good grounded footy."

Adelaide enter the match with a 6-5 record, but their losses to Geelong, Brisbane, Hawthorn and Fremantle have left questions over how they handle top opposition.

Fogarty Ready For Bigger Role

Fogarty has returned from a back injury and wants to have a stronger say in Adelaide’s second half of the season.

"I just had a little bit of a bulge (sic) disc? I was able to get some running back in under the legs, which was good, and I think that set me up really well for the second half of the season," Fogarty said.

Adelaide will be without Riley Thilthorpe through suspension and Izak Rankine because of a calf injury.

Taylor Walker will return from injury to replace Thilthorpe, while mid-season draft pick Hugo Hall-Kahan will make his AFL debut.

For Geelong, Lawson Humphries is out with an ankle injury, Mitch Edwards has been managed and Brad Close has been dropped. Jack Martin, Jack Bowes and Oli Wiltshire come into the side, with official updates available through the AFL website.