The Kangaroos have had a tough run with injuries this season, allowing those outside their ‘best’ 22 to shine. With Brent Harvey and Daniel Wells both suspended, opportunities will open up again.
"That's two of their best players (Harvey and Wells) that we don't have to worry about so much but, I think they're sixth... you're not in that position from not having depth," Crows’ midfielder Brodie Martin said.
"Teams these days pride themselves on having depth, so they're going to have people to come in and fill those roles."
Jamie Macmillan, Kayne Turner and Liam Anthony are likely to be among those pushing for a call-up. Nevertheless, Harvey was one of his team’s best when the teams last met in Round 13, racking up 31 disposals and kicking 2 goals. There's no doubting he's a big loss.
Minus arguably its most dangerous pairing, the likes of Andrew Swallow and Nick Dal Santo could come in for more attention in the coming weeks. But perhaps not against the Crows.
"We don’t put a whole lot of effort into people individually, so it's still about doing those processes right and defending as a team," Martin added.
For Adelaide, a win is a must to keep its finals ambitions on track. At 10 wins and 10 losses, the Crows are level with three other sides on points.
Like North, inconsistency has riddled their season, no more obvious than in the loss to the Tigers.
"Pretty much it was just our defence, we didn't defend well. I think we allowed high-50 inside 50's and if you do that for any team you're going to struggle to stop them scoring."
The likely return of Adelaide on-baller Scott Thompson will no doubt make things a little easier at Blundstone Arena, while wingman David Mackay is set to undergo a concussion test in order to prove his availability.
