EMERGING youngster Kurt Tippett is likely to play in Sunday’s South Australian Showdown after scans cleared the ruckman/forward of any damage to his knee.
Tippett sent a scare through the Adelaide camp in the third quarter of round two’s record win against West Coast when he jarred his knee in a marking contest.
The 20-year-old underwent precautionary MRI scans on Monday night and trained with his teammates in a light session on Tuesday.
“It’s great to hear that Kurt has come through and that the scans showed no damage,” teammate Nathan van Berlo said.
“There would have been a few concerns on the weekend when he fell down and even amongst the playing group we were a bit worried about him, but it’s good to see that he’s back on deck and able to play this week.
“He’s improving every week and it’s exciting to see just how far he’s come in such a short period of time.”
Tippett could be one of a handful of players to make their Showdown debut on Sunday.
Midfielder David Mackay is line to face Port Adelaide in what will be just his third AFL game, while Brad Symes will play his first Showdown as a Crow since switching from the Power.
“It’s going to be a great experience for some of our young guys who haven’t played in a Showdown before,” van Berlo said.
“It’s a great opportunity for them to certainly put themselves up against a quality grand final side in Port Adelaide.”
The news on Tuesday wasn’t as good for Crows draftee Aaron Kite.
Kite will undergo arthroscopic surgery on Wednesday after injuring his knee in the warm-up for Norwood on Friday night.
He is expected to miss four weeks.