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AAP
AAP
Sport
Justin Chadwick

Crows don't want Showdown win to be a flash in the pan

Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks (c) has challenged the Crows to string a few wins together. (Richard Wainwright/AAP PHOTOS) (AAP)

Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks has set his side the challenge of stringing multiple wins together as the Crows attempt to follow up their Showdown triumph with victory over Fremantle on Saturday.

The Crows haven't won more than three games in a row since 2019, when they had a four-match winning run from rounds five to eight.

Adelaide started 2023 with losses to GWS and Richmond, but they bounced back last week with a gutsy 31-point win over arch-rivals Port Adelaide.

The Crows host Fremantle and Carlton over the next fortnight before taking on Hawthorn in Tasmania.

Nicks doesn't want the victory over Port to be a flash-in-the-pan moment.

"It's one win. We've got to get another win now," Nicks said.

"That's something we haven't done in previous years, is string together two, three, four wins.

"That's our challenge, and we just keep our heads down."

The Crows were tipped to be big improvers this year, but doubts started to grow after their 0-2 start to the season.

A five-goal haul to Riley Thilthorpe last week and four goals to prized recruit Izak Rankine ensured the Crows didn't slip to 0-3.

Nicks said the victory over Port was important for belief.

"Everyone enjoys winning," Nicks said.

"There's an outside noise, and an inside noise.

"It was disappointing to be 0-2. The outcomes, they pile up and noise becomes deafening from outside.

"But internally we knew we were doing a lot of things right. The win is a reinforcement of belief. It's giving you that (confidence that) we're on the right track.

"So as a coach, I do smile after those because I know from the group's point of view we come out of it with more momentum."

Fremantle beat the Crows by a point in Adelaide in round one last year courtesy of some goal-line heroics from Dockers defender Heath Chapman, who punched a goal-ward bound kick back into play in the dying seconds of the match.

Chapman won't be available for Saturday's re-match after injuring his calf in last week's 41-point western derby win over West Coast.

The Dockers were dealt another blow when speedster Michael Frederick was ruled out with an eye injury.

Bailey Banfield and Brandon Walker come back into the side, with midfielder Will Brodie again overlooked.

Adelaide included small forward Ned McHenry and last week's substitute Chayce Jones in their 22 in place of forward Luke Pedlar (suspended) and midfielder Sam Berry (rested).

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