Injury cloud over two Crows players

Tom Lynch at Adelaide Crows training on Saturday. Picture: Sam Wundke. Source: News Limited

ADELAIDE expects to line up as selected despite injury clouds hanging over two players ahead of Sunday's game against Greater Western Sydney at Adelaide Oval.

The Crows on Saturday held defender Sam Shaw and utility Brodie Martin out of their SANFL side as cover for two unnamed players who had reported sore spots during the week.

Shaw's presence at Saturday's final training session could indicate Adelaide is concerned about the fitness of one of its key defenders.

Ben Rutten, Kyle Hartigan and Daniel Talia all appeared to complete training without issue, although Talia spoke to a trainer briefly as he exited the field.

The trio will need to be at their best to combat exciting Giants trio Jeremy Cameron, Jon Patton and Tom Boyd in defence.

Boyd cut an imposing figure at Giants training on Saturday. GWS coach Leon Cameron expects the 18 year old to be nervous on Sunday but was excited about seeing last year's No. 1 draft pick make his debut.

"Naturally any first gamer is going to be nervous. He's going to be looking for his first touch of the footy, his first tackle," Cameron said.

Adelaide Crows coach Brendon Santerson admits his defenders face a daunting prospect when they come up against GWS Giants forwards Tom Boyd, Jeremy Cameron and Jonathan Patton this weekend.

"He's a key component in the future of the Giants and we look forward to seeing him strut his stuff tomorrow."

Cameron was full of praise for Adelaide, despite its 1-3 start to the season, suggesting the Crows' 86-point win against St Kilda was a better reflection of their ability.

"They're a terrific side. Their start to the year would have been disappointing - they acknowledged that," he said.

"But their win last week was full of authority ... we expect Adelaide to be a top eight side come the end of the year."

The Crows torched the Giants in Sydney last season - the day Tom Lynch bagged 10 goals.

But Cameron is confident his side has closed the gap, particularly in its ability to limit opposition scoring.

"I think the biggest area (of improvement) is our defence. We've concentrated on that over the preseason," he said.

"Whether that's tackle pressure or transition running ... we feel as though as a whole team we're defending a bit better than we were last year."

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