Crows made of scary stuff: Port AFL coach

Adelaide Crows are made of "scary stuff", according to Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley.

Adelaide Crows coach Don Pyke (l) and Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley

Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley (r) and Adelaide Crows coach Don Pyke. (AAP)

Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley says arch rivals and AFL leades Adelaide are made of "really scary stuff".

But Hinkley says fifth-placed Port's four-game losing streak to the Crows is irrelevant entering Sunday's much-anticipated clash.

"I don't worry about the four in a row, I mean, I don't really care," Hinkley told reporters on Thursday.

"I would have much rather won them but I really care about this week, that's the facts.

"Every stat is there to be broken at some point."

Hinkley was more concerned with matching it with a Crows outfit he described as "the best side in the competition".

"They are sitting top of the ladder for a reason," he said.

Hinkley watched with awe last weekend when the Crows came from 50 points down to draw with Collingwood.

"There was some really scary stuff," he said.

"A side that is down by 50 points be able to get back, you go 'wow'.

"You know what is coming (this week) and you expect the best, that is the crucial part for us.

"Defensively this year we have been incredibly strong. We are going to get tested to the max this week."

Adelaide expect key trio Eddie Betts (appendicitis), Jake Lever (hamstring) and Brad Crouch (fractured cheekbone) to return for the finals-shaping fixture.

"The signs are positive on all three of the guys," Crows coach Don Pyke told reporters.

"We will get through training this morning and assess them from there."

While Adelaide's highest-scoring attack meets the Port's league-best defence, Pyke believed midfield duels would determine the outcome.

"At the start of the year there were a lot of questions around our midfield and their capacity," he said.

"The growth of some of the individuals in there ... and the way they have actually developed their game this year has been really pleasing."


Share

2 min read

Published

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world