Adelaide could welcome back a trio of key players for Sunday's Showdown with their cross-town rivals on Sunday afternoon.
Eddie Betts, Brad Crouch and Jake Lever are all in line for selection as the Crows look to maintain their four-point buffer atop of the AFL ladder.
Betts, who had his appendix removed last week causing him to miss Adelaide's thrilling draw with Collingwood, has returned to light duties and will be monitored throughout the week with a final decision on the small forward to be made closer to the weekend.
“Eddie will see the surgeon this week and we’ll be guided by him on his return to play,” Crows general manager of high performance Matt Hass told the club's website.
“Eddie will be pushing to do everything he can to play Port Adelaide.”
Lever has missed the past two games with an hamstring injury and is pushing hard to line up on Sunday afternoon.
“Jake’s done really well. He’s ticked every box that he’s needed to,” Hass said.
“He’ll train with the main group on Thursday and, should he get through that, he’ll be available this weekend.”
Crouch is the least likely of the trio to appear in Sunday's crunch game, with his fractured cheekbone still requiring medical clearance before being allowed to lace up the boots.
Key defender Kyle Hartigan will not be available for selection after leaving the side's SANFL clash with hamstring tightness.
“We took a no-risk approach with Kyle,” Hass said.
“Early indications are that it’s quite minor.
“He won’t play this weekend and he’ll be an assessment for the following weeks.”
