ALL THE focus ahead of Adelaide's clash with Melbourne in Alice Springs on Sunday has centered around how the Crows will deal with Demons defender Jake Lever in his first game against his old club.
But spare a thought for his replacement, Tom Doedee.
The untried 21-year-old was earmarked for a bigger role after Lever requested a trade to the Demons at the end of last season.
After two years on the list as Lever's understudy, Doedee hasn't missed a beat, playing all nine games and showing why the Crows were prepared to take a punt on him with the 17th overall pick in the 2015 NAB AFL Draft.
MATCH PREVIEW Melbourne v Adelaide
Crows defensive coach Ben Hart said Doedee hadn't been distracted ahead of the clash with his former teammate.
"Not from what I can gather, he's showing no pressure in that space," Hart told AFL.com.au.
"I think he has pressure to perform for himself and the team week in and week out.
"He's pretty focused on what he needs to do to play good footy and help the side.
"There's no pressure from any outside circumstances."
The seamless way Doedee has slotted into the Crows' backline has lessened the blow of Lever's controversial departure.
Their statistics this season are almost identical.
Doedee has the edge on Lever in disposals, with 17.8 per game compared to 15.7, while they are equal when it comes to marks, with 5.4 per game.
But Lever is slightly ahead in his most valuable area, intercept possessions, sitting sixth in the League in that category.
Doedee isn't far behind in 15th – an outstanding effort for a player with only nine games under his belt.
Expectations have always been high on Doedee when the Crows surprised everyone when they selected the Geelong Falcons product.
"He's a very level-headed kid," Hart said.
"He spent a couple years in the SANFL, so he was plying his trade there and learnt a fair bit about playing defence.
"He's really good at staying in the moment and what needs to be done against his opponent."
Doedee could get first crack at in-form Demons forward Jake Melksham, who is fresh off booting five goals against Carlton last week, but his versatility means he could move around.
"Jake Melksham's been in pretty good form, so he could end up on someone like that," Hart said.
"I think the way Tom's been playing means we're reasonably comfortable for him to roll around.
"Occasionally, he's had four or five different opponents in a game, so I'd imagine it will be a mixture."
Doedee's speed is one of his assets. He's clocked 32.8km/h in a game this year, the third-fastest from a Crow.
"He can play on a tall (forward) when required, but he's also pretty adept on the smalls," Hart said.
"He's got a bit of speed about the way he plays, and he's pretty good on the ground.
"People probably notice his marking a bit, but we're comfortable for him to play on a number of different-sized players."
