Classy Adelaide attacker Jason Porplyzia has again delayed shoulder surgery in the hope he might contribute to a Crows finals campaign in 2008.

Porplyzia's shoulder dislocation during the Crows' loss to Collingwood on Saturday was the third such instance for the talented small forward since it popped out in the April showdown against Port Adelaide.

Each dislocation has brought further pain and strain to Porplyzia, and Saturday's - after an innocuous tackling attempt in the first term against the Magpies - was unable to be corrected at the ground.

Shoulder surgery now would have ended Porplyzia's season at a time when the Crows are battling desperately to keep theirs afloat.

Instead, club doctor Andrew Potter confirmed Porplyzia will spend the next two to three weeks trying to rest and rehabilitate the joint in order to present himself for selection around the time of Adelaide's round 19 home match against Richmond.

Midfielder Tyson Edwards said the club had already put tremendous pressure on Porplyzia by playing him over the past few months.

"I don't know the ins and outs of it, he's a fantastic player for us, we'd love to have him out there, but if the time is right to have the operation and get it done then that's what he's got to do," Edwards said.

"We're putting a fair bit of pressure on him to play in that sort of pain week in week out with a chance of it popping out again."

Brett Burton's ruptured anterior cruciate ligament is also a factor as the Crows assess what remains of their forward line.

Possible inclusions Luke Jericho and Nick Gill are hardly world-beaters, and Trent Hentschel remains susceptible to soft tissue injuries on his long and difficult road back from knee surgery in late 2006.

Teenager Taylor Walker, a natural goal-scorer, is yet to convince Adelaide's match committee he has the discipline and defensive skills necessary to make his senior debut.

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