Written by Megan Taylor, sports reporter covering international sports since 2020
Wayne Milera return hopes have lifted Adelaide Crows ahead of Saturday night’s AFL clash with Gold Coast, with the All Australian contender expected to come back from a hamstring strain.
Milera has missed Adelaide’s past three matches, but coach Matthew Nicks said the halfback is tracking well as the fifth-placed Crows look to strengthen their finals push.
The injury watch comes during a key stage of the AFL season, with Hayden Young’s injury cloud hitting Fremantle before a Sydney Swans blockbuster.
Milera Nears AFL Comeback
Adelaide held Milera back last week as a precaution, knowing how important his run and ball use are from defence.
"We're very mindful of getting ahead of ourselves because we haven't yet had a week where we got through unscathed and haven't had a late change," Nicks said.
"He's right up there in All Australian discussions, as he should be," Nicks said.
"Him not being there has challenged us, but it's been great that guys have been able to step up ... but we look forward to him being available, hopefully."
Milera’s return would give Adelaide more speed and cleaner rebound from halfback against a Gold Coast side looking to end a six-game losing run.
Thilthorpe, Ah Chee And Pedlar In Mix
Riley Thilthorpe is also expected to return after illness, giving Adelaide another strong marking target inside forward 50.
Callum Ah Chee and Luke Pedlar could also return from hamstring strains through the state league.
Ah Chee’s first season at Adelaide has been badly interrupted, with four hamstring injuries and only four AFL matches since joining from Brisbane Lions.
"We're in dialogue with Cal around his experiences, and the way he's worked in the past," Nicks said.
"There's no perfect way to come back, every player is different, so we're just working our way through that with with Cal.
"We're not going to throw him in the deep end. We know how important he is to us and we want him there at the business end of the season."
Official AFL fixtures and club updates are available through the AFL.
Crows Wary Of Suns
Pedlar’s AFL return will not come against Gold Coast, despite the Suns sliding to 14th.
"Don't look at win-loss; it's not always about win-loss," Nicks said when asked about Adelaide’s favouritism.
"When you see how close the ladder is at the moment, there are 10 or 12 teams that are fighting out.
"It's going to be similar to last year, where it comes right down to the wire,.
"They (the Suns) have lost some games that maybe they could have won. There's a lot of teams in that same boat."
