ADELAIDE midfielder Patrick Dangerfield says the bone-jarring tackle that landed him in hospital was a freak accident, and it won't change the way he plays.
Dangerfield was admitted to Melbourne's Epworth Hospital on Sunday, after being gang-tackled into the ground by three Demons players in the match at the MCG.
Club officials feared Dangerfield had sustained a serious neck injury in the ugly incident, but scans cleared the 20-year-old of any serious damage.
He arrived back in Adelaide on Tuesday afternoon and said he hadn't ruled out playing against Carlton at AAMI Stadium on Saturday.
"When it happened I was pretty concerned because of the way I came down on my neck. I heard a cracking sound … so to get the all-clear was very good," Dangerfield said.
"It's still a bit sore at the moment, but I’ll be pushing for selection this week. It could have been a lot worse, so I'm thankful."
Dangerfield has earned a reputation for his kamikaze style of play.
On a couple of occasions last season, he was concussed when going for the ball head-first and Adelaide football manager Phil Harper conceded his fearless approach was a concern.
It has been suggested that the club could employ an ex-rugby league player to help Dangerfield work on his clearance technique, but the former NAB Rising star nominee denied it was a major issue.
"I've worked on the way I approach the ball, but what happened on the weekend was just one of those freak-of-nature type accidents. I'm not too concerned about it and it certainly won't change the way I play," he said.
"Last year it was more about concussions, but I haven't had any this year so far so I’m not worried about it."
Forward Kurt Tippett, who sprained his ankle in the loss to Melbourne, is also an outside chance to play against the Blues, but Trent Hentschel (knee), Nathan Bock (hamstring) and Nathan van Berlo (back) have been ruled out.