The Crows are out of finals contention, having won just four of their first 13 games but could prove to be an obstacle for September-bound teams if their form last weekend was anything to go by.
Adelaide all but ended Melbourne’s finals aspirations, with a 44-point win at AAMI Stadium on Sunday and are looking for a repeat performance against Essendon this weekend.
Bombers coach Matthew Knights has declared the next month of games to be make of break for his inconsistent side, but Symes said the Crows would have their own motivation to win this weekend.
“We haven’t won consecutive games this season and it’s something we’ve spoken about,” Symes said on Tuesday.
“We played some good footy in the first half of the year, but only in patches. We’ve had some good wins, but then lost the next week.
“We’ve ticked one win off [since the mid-season break] and Essendon on Saturday night is a good chance to have two wins in a row for the first time this year.”
The Crows will be without midfielder David Mackay for the clash with Essendon.
The club is yet to put a timeframe on Mackay’s return, but early indications are that he’ll miss up to six weeks, after badly spraining his ankle in the win over Melbourne.
Defender Nathan Bock (groin) should be available for selection, but it’s possible the medical staff will take an ultra-conservative approach to the injury-hit All-Australian and keep him on the sidelines for another week.
The Bombers will recall key pair David Hille and Angus Monfries from injury, but still face a tough challenge in beating Adelaide at AAMI Stadium.
The Crows have won eight of the last 11 games between the two sides, including a 96-point demolition of Essendon at AAMI Stadium in last year’s elimination final.
Adelaide has won its past four games at home and Symes said it was a streak the players were keen to extend.
“We wanted to start with a bit of a clean slate after the mid-season break and see what we could do for the last 10 games of the year. I think our effort, intensity and enthusiasm was really good on the weekend,” Symes said.
“We’ve created a pretty good perception throughout the AFL over the last few years of being a really competitive team and maybe we lost a little bit of that through our start to this year.
“We’ll be working hard over the next eight or nine weeks to really get that perception back among other AFL clubs that we’re going to be tough to play any day.”
