CROWS KEEPING FAITH IN YOUTH

ADELAIDE coach Matthew Nicks will resist the temptation to plug Rory Sloane or Ben Keays in at centre bounces against a strong-bodied Richmond midfield, backing in his younger players.

The Crows’ midfield performances impressed Nicks over the pre-season and there was no urgent need to change plans following the disappointing round 1 loss to GWS, he said.

Jake Soligo (16 disposals and four clearances) and Harry Schoenberg (16 and two clearances) were the preferred options to accompany Rory Laird and Sam Berry at centre bounces against the Giants, with Nicks adamant the young pair deserved time to settle into the season.

They will face the daunting task at centre bounces of Dion Prestia and Richmond’s two new inside bulls, Tim Taranto and Jacob Hopper.

“We’ve still got a lot of faith in the young group,” Nicks said.

“Seven days earlier, we probably had one of our best performances in that area, but in saying that, we’re extremely flexible in what players we get through that area.

“On the weekend it was just a couple of key moments in the game where we gave our opponent field position . . . it was a five-minute period where if we had our time again, we’d get a couple of key points right.”

Nicks said Sloane and Keays would still be important midfield contributors this season, as the Crows tried to inject some “freshness” into their on-ball brigade.

“Keays is still very much in the mix for us on ball, as is Rory Sloane,” he said. “We’ve got no issue with who’s in at the centre bounce ... probably one of the things we’re working on is having flexibility for a number of people to go through.

“There’s a balance there, you don’t want a merry-go-round, you want players to be able to settle in and get to work ... Sloane didn’t get in there last week but he will across the coming month, and there'll be times where we need his experience and we need his freshness.”

Adelaide added more run to its team for Richmond by bringing in Lachlan Sholl for defender Jordon Butts, while Nicks said Riley Thilthorpe had been difficult to leave out after he “dominated” in the SANFL.

Sholl had been in outstanding form and was trusted to deliver for the Crows, the coach said.

The challenge for the 23-year-old was to find a way to continue having the same impact on games when opponents’ fitness caught up, he said.

“‘Sholly’ is at his best at the moment and strike while the iron’s hot . . . Sholly really starts seasons well, he’s shown that to us, the challenge is to keep it going right through the year,” Nicks said.

“There’s not many that run quite the distance he does and we feel that’s really important against Richmond.”