Crows attack built to thrill

Taylor Walker steps up his return from knee surgery. Picture: Sarah Reed Source: News Limited

BRENTON Sanderson says Adelaide's new-look forward line is built to thrill next season.

And he forecast it could help the club challenge its greatest goalscoring year of 2012 - Sanderson's first in charge.

The Crows averaged a club record 106 points a game last year but that slipped dramatically to 94 points this year as Kurt Tippett fled for Sydney and Taylor Walker broke down with a serious knee injury.

But with Walker back on deck and key recruits James Podsiadly (from Geelong) and Eddie Betts (Carlton) on board and burning up the track, Sanderson is excited at just how potent his new attack could be.

"It could be a very different looking forward line in Round 1, 2014, to what Round 22, 2013, looked like,'' Sanderson said.

"We still liked our forward line (this year) but you get Tex (Walker) back, you add in Podsiadly and Betts and things get a bit more exciting.

"I think we've got a great young squad with plenty of depth through our forward line."

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Two other injured forwards - Tom Lynch and Josh Jenkins - will be ready to resume full training in the new year after recovering from foot and ankle surgery respectively.

Adelaide also has talls Shaun McKernan and Lewis Johnston and the smaller Jason Porplyzia, Matthew Wright, Jarryd Lyons and Jared Petrenko to rotate through its forward half, while midfield gamebreaker Patrick Dangerfield could also spend more time in attack next season because of the cap on interchange rotations.

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"When you look at the stats we had more inside-50s in 2013 than we did in 2012 but we were the highest-scoring Crows ever in 2012,'' Sanderson said.

"With a different looking forward line and the extra improvement which is going to come from Jenkins, McKernan and these sort of players I think we're going to be a very dangerous forward

line if we stay healthy.''

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Sanderson said the cap on rotations would mean more of his midfielders, including Dangerfield, Richard Douglas and Rory Sloane, resting in attack and kicking more goals while he forecast former Blue Betts would be a revelation in the Crows tricolours.

The nippy goalsneak - signed as a free agent - booted 290 goals in 184 games for Carlton and has thrilled Sanderson with his enthusiasm and professionalism.

"He is a really class player and one who is really going to stand out,'' Sanderson said.

"He's going to be fantastic for us and has quickly become a cult figure at the footy club.

"He's going to be getting at the feet of Tex, Podsiadly, Jenkins and McKernan and he's going to be really exciting to watch play this season.''

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