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AAP
AAP
Sport
Steve Larkin

Key Crows duo return, but veteran sent to state league

The Crows welcome back imposing forward Riley Thilthorpe for the clash against Hawthorn. (Matt Turner/AAP PHOTOS)

Adelaide duo Riley Thilthorpe and Callum Ah Chee will make comebacks from injury in the high-stakes clash against Hawthorn on Thursday night.

But the Crows' all-time leading goalkicker Taylor Walker, despite being fit again after a hamstring injury, will return in the state league.

Walker had been sidelined since straining a hamstring three weeks ago.

Taylor Walker.
As he seeks to regain match fitness, Adelaide forward Taylor Walker will play in the SANFL. (Matt Turner/AAP PHOTOS)

"He is all about what's best for the squad," Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks said of the 36-year-old veteran.

"Tex playing at SANFL is him getting a game of football, otherwise we start to stretch out to five or six weeks (without playing), so it's him having a hitout.

"We can train match simulation, but it's not the same, it doesn't have the same pressures, the unknown."

All Australian forward Thilthorpe missed Adelaide's win over North Melbourne last weekend because of a back injury.

Nicks acknowledged there was some risk with his return for the clash against the Hawks in Launceston.

"There's always the risk with every player," he said.

"We're backing him in - and we had good conversations throughout the week, even leading in to last week, on why we made the decision not to play.

"He has done a hell of a lot of work to get himself back physically and they're confident he's going to come across and play well."

Prized recruit Ah Chee, a dual premiership player at Brisbane before joining the Crows at the end of last season, hasn't played in the AFL since March 20 when he tore a hamstring.

Callum Ah Chee
Callum Ah Chee hasn't played for the Crows since tearing a hamstring in March. (James Ross/AAP PHOTOS)

Forward Luke Pedlar (knee) and utility Isaac Cumming (hamstring) will miss the trip to Tasmania.

"Peds unfortunately is just a little sore ... he put nine (consecutive) games together, which is the most he's done for us; been rock-solid through this first half of the year," Nicks said.

"Could we have pushed the envelope? Maybe. But we're not going to risk that.

"And similar with Isaac Cumming, he won't play either, and that's just a five-day break (between games) with some awareness in the hamstring - it's just not worth the risk."

The Hawks made four changes, axing Calsher Dear, Henry Hustwaite, Harry Morrison and Max Ramsden, with Mabior Chol, Conor Nash, Bailey McDonald and Cameron Nairn summoned as replacements.

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