BLAMING Adelaide's senior players for the club's poor form is unfair and the impact of losing two key players has been underestimated, says vice-captain Scott Thompson.

 

On the back of three consecutive losses and in 11th place on the ladder, midfielder Richard Douglas said the club's senior players "need to find a way to get back into form and drag a few guys along as well".

 

While admitting that having the club's better players playing well set the tone for the rest of the group, Thompson insisted responsibility to perform fell on the entire list.

 

"I've heard a few players come out and say 'we're not getting enough output from our senior players' and all the rest of it, but what we need is weight of numbers," Thompson said to AFL.com.au. 

 

"If you don't have every player out on the field playing their role, your chances of winning drop dramatically.

 

"It's not worrying about whether a bloke that's been around for a long time, a so called senior player, whether he's performing – yes, we want that – but if we're relying on just that, I think we're in a bit of trouble anyway."

 

Thompson also claimed the significance of losing veteran defender Michael Doughty to retirement last season, where the Crows fell agonisingly short of a Grand Final berth, had been sold short.

  

The pre-season also saw Kurt Tippett leave the club in sensational circumstances and the resulting suspensions of CEO Steven Trigg and football manager Phil Harper.

 

While the focus has been on the hole Tippett left in Adelaide's forward line and the season-ending injury to forward Taylor Walker, Thompson believed Doughty's departure had been overlooked.

 

"I definitely think what he gave us down back, especially with developing young defenders was huge," Thompson said of Doughty.

 

"[Ben] Rutten and [Brent] Reilly still offer that, but just the way he played the game as well and his experience was definitely beneficial for the side.

 

"There's been a lot said about the loss of Tippett but you take Taylor Walker out of the side, you take out Michael Doughty's experience down back and on-field leadership and stability that he gave us, they're actually big losses.

 

"They're pretty key members of your side that you lose just purely through the leadership and experience that they provide."

 

Doughty's defensive output has been partially made up by young defender Luke Brown; at 181cm Brown was a like-for-like replacement, physically speaking.

 

But the 20-year-old hasn't been able to make up for Doughty's on-field presence.

 

"Luke Brown's going to be a great player for the club, he's shown already that he's a quality player, in 10 years time we might talking about Luke Brown in the same way," he said.

 

"But when you take out a player with Michael's experience, he played over 200 games, he was a vocal player on the field and Luke at this point in time's not that.

 

"When you lose experience and quality it takes time to replace it."

 

Thompson conceded the Crows were dangerously close to bowing out of this year's finals race; to win the seven or eight games needed for a top-eight finish was going to be "pretty tough".

 

Whatever happens over the next 10 weeks, he said it would prove a crucial time for the club's future.

 

"I'd love to still play finals footy this year, it's going to be a huge challenge for us to win seven of our next 10, but I think we're capable of doing that," he said.

 

"But whether we make the finals or not this year, the rest of the season is so important for everyone going forward.

 

"If we're good enough to win seven or eight of our next 10 we sneak into the finals and who knows what happens from there, but for development and what we're trying to create as a culture for years to come, every game's important."