IN WHAT he describes as possibly the "toughest" call he's made as Adelaide coach, Brenton Sanderson has denied Brent Reilly his 200-game milestone against Collingwood on Thursday night.
The veteran defender had played six games this year after recovering from a shoulder reconstruction.
Reilly, who was named in the 2012 All Australian squad, had struggled to recapture that form, with Sanderson urging the 30-year-old to work on his defensive game during his break from the senior side.
But he insisted Reilly's axing wasn't permanent, claiming his milestone game won’t be too far away.
"We've left Brent Reilly out this week which is probably the toughest decision I've had to make as a senior coach so far," Sanderson said.
"On the eve of a milestone game it seems like it can be quite cold…he's going to be fine though, he's played with a lot of resilience, he's obviously got a lot of experience – he'll be back, he will be a 200-game player.
"Brent gets the ball for us but he's had some goals kicked against him as a defender the last couple of weeks – that’s probably the main message for him.
"He won't be out of the side for long."
While Reilly will drop out, Sanderson said the Crows would be boosted by the returns of Richard Douglas and Taylor Walker.
After booting seven goals in two games in the SANFL, Thursday night will be Walker's first game at AFL level since undergoing a knee reconstruction last year.
Sanderson said there was no pass mark for Walker's return, he just wanted to see him compete.
"He's the spirit of our football team, Tex…when he's up and about, when he's playing well, we're typically playing well," he said.
"We have to be patient with him, he's had 12 months out. What we've seen in the state league's been really promising and really exciting – he's stronger, he looks fitter than before he got injured, but we'll have to wait and see.
"The fairytale is that he comes in and kicks a lot of goals for us but we're just looking for a really good even balance of attack and defence from him."
There's little doubt though that Walker’s inclusion significantly strengthens an Adelaide forward line now boasting some serious weapons.
Walker will line up alongside James Podsiadly, Josh Jenkins and Eddie Betts; add to that exciting young forward Charlie Cameron (who will debut against the Magpies) and Sanderson said it was the type of attack that would pose its opposition real problems.
"Our forward line now would have to be the envy of a lot of other clubs, when you look at Jenkins, Podsiadly, Walker, Betts…that forward line looks pretty dangerous.
"If we can get the ball in there enough and get the ball in there with a bit of time and space, I think that'll give the opposition a few headaches."
