Crows may get Gill to do a Burton in AFL
Adelaide may look to injury-blighted forward Nick Gill as the action man to replace Brett Burton while he serves his two match AFL suspension for high contact on Essendon's Henry Slattery.
Gill, 25, has endured a lengthy series of treatment table misadventures since being picked up by the Crows at the end of 2006, initially affected by a chronic hamstring problem and more recently kept out of action with a calf injury.
However in his brief time as the lead-up spearhead of Adelaide's forward line late last year Gill looked quite literally capable of anything.
Gifted Crows midfielder/forward Jason Porplyzia said Gill would be a shrewd replacement for Burton given his combination of height (192cm), presence and running power - provided he is fit enough after injury.
Knee reconstruction victim Trent Hentschel is another player showing good form in the SANFL, but he is highly unlikely to be risked just yet.
"We saw last year the impact he had in a few games he played, he was a big presence for us up there, a strong marking guy and his running capacity is up there with Brett so he's certainly someone we are looking forward to having back in the side," Porplyzia said.
"It's a tough one, they (Gill and Hentschel) had a long time off and if rushed back it's probably not ideal but if they were to come back they'd be expected to perform at a certain level and I'm sure they'd be able to do that."
One area Gill isn't expected to help in is goalkicking, his set shot yips causing a good deal of mirth among AFL watchers last year.
Adelaide face a week of concerted effort to improve in that department ahead of their Saturday afternoon meeting with Richmond at the MCG following returns of 5.17 and 9.20 over the past two weeks.
"It's certainly not good enough, and it's up to us to change that and quickly," Porplyzia said.
"The responsibility lies with guys having shots, Burton, (Simon) Goodwin, Kurt (Tippett), myself have to make sure we're doing everything we can to make sure we kick the goals."
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