Adelaide may yet lose quality midfielder Scott Thompson for Saturday's AFL clash against Collingwood at the MCG after he complained of hamstring discomfort on Wednesday.

Thompson has been battling soreness throughout this week and was restricted during competitive drills on Wednesday, opening up another possible gap in the team following experienced defender Graham Johncock's withdrawal to mourn the death of his mother.

The Crows have gained great confidence from the emergence of numerous younger players over pre-season, with the likes of Andy Otten, Taylor Walker, Jared Petrenko and Myke Cook all pushing extremely hard for a start against the Magpies.

The first three seem near certainties to play, while Cook's odds of a debut will be largely determined by Thompson's left hamstring.

Adelaide skipper Simon Goodwin, who has himself been rejuvenated by a return to half-back this year, said the senior players had been greatly encouraged that there was plenty of depth in the club's youngest list for some years.

"What's given us great confidence is the guys coming into the team can perform and we've actually got some really good depth coming through the footy club now," he said on Wednesday.

"There's less of a burden on us as players to lead by example and as a playing group we've got the depth there to really perform each week and be super competitive.

"I think we've got seven or eight guys ready to play, Petrenko, (Jarrhan) Jacky, Cook, Otten, (Patrick) Dangerfield, (Rory) Sloane, all those guys are ready, it's just a matter of going out there and doing it."

Jason Porplyzia, Ben Rutten and Nathan van Berlo are all in line to be fit for the match, though there will be some sort of uncertainty surrounding Rutten's ideal match-up among the Collingwood forwards.

In last year's elimination final he was beaten by young Magpie John Anthony, who would appear a better opponent for the more agile Scott Stevens.

All-Australian Nathan Bock will take Travis Cloke, while Goodwin, Andrew McLeod and the other small defenders will look after Paul Medhurst and Alan Didak.

"The defence is shaping up well, we've got some quality big defenders in Ben and Bocky, and then you throw in some youth and experience around them and you start to get a really good backline," Goodwin said.

"We've obviously lost Nathan Bassett so it'll be interesting to see how we cover that one, but very confident in our defence."

Brought to you by AAP © 2024 AAP