ADELAIDE is unsure whether running defender Brodie Smith will be able to front up against West Coast next week after he was stretchered off with concussion during the second term in Saturday night’s Showdown against Port Adelaide.
Smith was felled by an accidental kick to the back of his head after being thrown from a marking contest.
He sat up after the contact but medical staff promptly lay him down and called for the stretcher.
Smith missed two games last season after a second concussion in five weeks.
Pyke insisted any decision about Smith’s ability to play would be decided by the club’s doctors.
“We’ll assess him during the week, and it’s well known these days we don’t take any risks with our players when it comes to head knocks,” Pyke said.
“So hopefully he’ll be around for next week…I’ll leave that with our doctors - I don’t profess to be an expert in concussion.
“It’ll depend on the symptoms he displays…he seemed OK [after the game].”
The Crows were forced to work far harder for the win than most expected, with the Power rising to the occasion of Showdown 41.
Port nailed six goals in the third term to move to within a point at the final change and then pushed the second-placed Crows to the final siren.
Adelaide’s three games leading into Saturday night resulted in wins of 82, 138 and 72 points - hardly the sort of competition that prepares a side for a finals campaign.
Pyke was well aware and said Saturday night’s slog was exactly what his players needed.
“You can get caught up in some patterns which exist through winning by easy margins,” he said.
Brodie Smith leaves the ground on Saturday. Picture: AFL Photos
“For us [Saturday] was a really good game to have based on our previous three games which have been comfortable wins, it was good to get a tough-fought win.”
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Adelaide will host a Nic Naitanui-less West Coast next weekend, after the star ruckman ruptured his ACL on Friday night.
Despite the significant injury blow for the Eagles, Pyke, who was an assistant at West Coast last year, said they still had ruck depth that could cause Sam Jacobs issues.
“Clearly that’s going to be a big out for West Coast, but he was out for a number of weeks in the middle of the season.”
“(Scott) Lycett, or bring (Jonathan) Giles back in - we’ll obviously plan for West Coast without Nic Naitanui."
