Adelaide's decision to rest key defender James Borlase after half-time due to hamstring awareness is in anticipation of a significant three-week stretch before finals.
The Crows have snatched fourth spot after Brisbane's shock loss to Carlton, and a double chance is there for the taking.
Borlase was taken off as a precaution, with Crows coach Matthew Nicks hopeful he'll be available for Richmond next week.
“James is okay, James was really a management decision,” Nicks said after the 72-point win over Essendon.
“He began tightening up a little, he hadn't come off in the first half, that's one of his weapons, that he's able to stay out.
“But we made a decision at half-time that it wasn't worth the risk, pushing him back out there, and it was a big call because it meant Max Michalanney had to play tall, and that was a really tough stretch.
“For Borlase, we're confident he'll be okay. If anything, he's probably a little frustrated, he wanted to be out there, but it's just not a risk worth taking.”
The out-of-contract 24-year-old has been a revelation for the Crows this year, playing a career-high 15 games as an important cog in defence.
Borlase has leapfrogged Nick Murray and Jordon Butts to play alongside Mark Keane and Josh Worrell. He is being hunted by the Western Bulldogs, North Melbourne and Essendon, while weighing up a two-year deal from Adelaide.
The Crows have the Tigers, before a tricky fortnight against Fremantle (Optus Stadium) and GWS.
If Adelaide win all three games, they should lock up a double chance ahead of September.
But one slip-up, and the likes of Brisbane, Geelong and Melbourne could steal a top-four position.
“Destiny's in our hands… In a way, we've earned the position that we are in; we've now got three weeks to nail that, starting next weekend,” Nicks said.
“It's something that we acknowledge; we looked at results yesterday, and we don't shy away from the fact that, you know, that opportunity is now there.
“So when you talk about that, it's okay, ‘what's our job? What's the job at hand?'
“We've got some tough games coming up, so we just lock in then on what's the next challenge. What's really important, the way that I guess the season starts to shape up for all the teams, we've just got to continue to win now.”
