AFTER its biggest win in Victoria against Essendon, Adelaide will be hunting a finals berth.
A win on Saturday would likely secure their 2015 destiny, but the 17th placed Lions may well hold the cards to change the final eight with an upset over the Crows.
“Adelaide have had two really good weeks, they beat Richmond the week before who were going well,” Assistant Coach Murray Davis said in this week’s Vero Coaches Preview.
“We’ll expect them to bring a really hard running game, we’ll have to match them in that area.”
Patrick Dangerfield, Eddie Betts and Taylor Walker were dangerous against the Bombers and Davis says the Lions will be wary.
“In the midfield, certainly (Patrick) Dangerfield is in good form.
“Rory Sloane’s a quality midfielder and then up forward they’ve got (Tex) Walker and (Eddie) Betts who are causing a bit of havoc as well so we’ll have to be at our best to defend them.”
The Lions travel to Adelaide Oval for the second time; their last trip didn’t end well, losing to Port Adelaide by 113 points in round four last season.
Last weekend the Lions kicked their highest score of the season – 20.11 (131); it was just the third time the club has reached 100 points this year.
But Davis is confident with the bigger bodies of Jono Freeman, Trent West and Luke McGuane, the Lions will have reliable marking targets.
“Ball movement and transitioning and locking the ball in our forward half will be really important.
“We need to make sure that we don’t allow Adelaide to rebound against us so we’ll be trying to lock that ball in our forward half as much as we can.”