Adelaide defender Andy Otten and spoils Hawthorn's Jack Gunston. Picture: Sarah Reed Source: The Advertiser
VETERAN Crows defender Brent Reilly is pleading with coach Brenton Sanderson to not "rob Peter to pay Paul" by reassigning Andy Otten to attack.
Reilly yesterday declared the Crows cannot afford the luxury of recasting Otten as a forward, particularly after the Adelaide back six achieved its best team system on Saturday against Hawthorn.
"I don't think we can," Reilly said ahead of today's match committee session at West Lakes where Sanderson still has to find a working forward six in the wake of the Taylor Walker setback.
"Andy has had an outstanding year already down back. Personally, I like Andy down back - he helps me out in the air and he helps Ben Rutten and Daniel Talia as well.
"We need him in our back line."
Otten became Sanderson's option to cover Walker a fortnight ago when the key forward damaged his right knee on the MCG.
Sanderson opted for defender Matthew Jaensch in the new-look Adelaide attack last week, but vowed to revisit using Otten as a forward against Greater Western Sydney on Sunday.
Walker's radical surgery - with an allograft using a dead person's tendon to repair a lateral ligament - was declared a success yesterday by club doctor Andrew Potter.
Critically, the surgeons found no new damage beyond the ruptured anterior cruciate ligament and torn lateral ligament.
"There were no unexpected findings with the surgery, which was successful," Potter said. "Taylor will now rest and recuperate for three weeks before starting his rehabilitation program."
Walker will have 12 months out of football.
Adelaide will resume training tomorrow with the Scott Thompson controversy far from cleared away, despite the Crows players trying to avoid being caught in bashing umpire Ray Chamberlain's erroneous call in last Saturday's loss to Hawthorn.
Reilly was far from convincing yesterday when he asked if he knew what he can and cannot do in a marking contest.
"We just have to adapt to the game," Reilly said. "That is the way the game is going at this stage. As players we have to keep adapting to it.
"We have to adapt to every rule they have brought in. If they call a free kick, they call a free kick. We can't change their minds.
"There's a few things that as players we know what's right and what's wrong. We make mistakes and umpires make mistakes."
Reilly was more forceful in selling a message that the Crows are far from sunk with a 2-4 record.
"There is a good feeling around the footy club at the moment - the boys are up and about," Reilly said.
"We played some really good footy at the weekend. We made some mistakes that might have cost us the game in the end.
"But we're looking forward to getting to Sydney and playing some of our best footy that hasn't been seen this year."
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