Search

Crows in bid to gatecrash Kennedy farewell

West Coast forward Josh Kennedy will be aiming to end his decorated AFL career with a win against Adelaide when he lines up for his final match.

JOSH KENNEDY.
JOSH KENNEDY. Picture: Michael Dodge/Getty Images

Adelaide will be aiming to put a week of bedlam behind them when they attempt to rain on Josh Kennedy's farewell parade in Sunday's AFL clash with West Coast.

The ghosts of Adelaide's ill-fated 2018 pre-season camp resurfaced this week with the release of Eddie Betts' autobiography.

Betts detailed the trauma experienced by himself and other players on the camp, and he has since received apologies from the Crows and AFL.

Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks, who wasn't at the club at the time of the camp, has been dealt the unenviable task of keeping his group united and focused ahead of the trip to Perth.

The Crows also face the additional challenge of facing a West Coast outfit who are desperate to send out retiring great Kennedy on a winning note.

Kennedy announced his AFL retirement during the week, and he will be the centre of attention come Sunday.

"We've got a huge challenge because we go over to Perth, which is a tough road trip at the best of times against West Coast, but we've also got Josh Kennedy playing his final game for the footy club," Nicks said.

"He's been an incredible player ... and I'm pretty sure they'll pack out the stadium.

"It will be a great experience for our guys but also a challenging one."

Nicks hopes his players won't be affected by the drama engulfing the club.

"We're heads down, process, and go to work," he said.

"We've got a job to do and it's going to be a tough one."

Kennedy's aim is to snare a win that will help 17th-placed West Coast (2-17) avoid the wooden spoon.

West Coast have named Nic Naitanui again despite the star ruckman still battling soreness.

Naitanui has twice been sidelined by knee injuries this season, and the Eagles will carefully monitor him.

"He's not 100 per cent, but it's not a risk in terms of injury from what I've been told," Eagles coach Adam Simpson said.

"Hopefully he's better this week. He was pretty good last week, especially after half time.

"He's gone about his craft a bit differently, but he's fit and available."

West Coast have recalled Kennedy, Samo Petrevski-Seton and Zac Langdon after losing Jai Culley (suspended), Connor West (wrist) and Jack Petruccelle (hamstring).

The Crows go in unchanged after producing a stunning 29-point upset over Carlton last week.

Match Center

{{getRoundsNames}}
Error occured
No matches found.

LIVE

{{match.timer ? match.timer : ""}}

{{match.listOfParticipatingTeams[0].isHomeTeam ? getScores('Live', match.listOfParticipatingTeams[0].score) : getScores('Live', match.listOfParticipatingTeams[1].score)}} - {{ !match.listOfParticipatingTeams[0].isHomeTeam ? getScores('Live', match.listOfParticipatingTeams[0].score) : getScores('Live', match.listOfParticipatingTeams[1].score)}}

live

{{group.date | formatDate}}