Winless Adelaide is grappling with the extended absences of a key trio who have become the latest victims of the AFL club's injury curse.

All Australian defender Nathan Bock, young gun Patrick Dangerfield and utility Trent Hentschel all are likely to miss chunks of the season after being injured in Sunday's loss to Melbourne.

Forward Kurt Tippett is also unlikely to recover from an ankle sprain for Saturday's home fixture against Carlton, a game Adelaide enters with 14 of 40 players on their injured list.

Bock's hamstring strain will force the creative defender out for about three matches, while a flare-up in Hentschel's troublesome right knee will sideline him indefinitely.

Dangerfield remained in Melbourne on Monday and had further scans on his neck after being sandwiched by three Demons players in a crunching tackle during the MCG match.

The 20-year-old was cleared of a neck fracture but his longer term prognosis remains uncertain.

Hentschel missed the entire 2007 and 2008 AFL seasons and needed four operations to repair his damaged right knee, and experienced swelling in the same joint after just 10 minutes of Sunday's match.

The Crows hold hopes midfielder Nathan van Berlo (back) and defender Scott Stevens (concussion) will return against the Blues, and dashing backman Graham Johncock (broken thumb) is a chance for his first game this season.

"You have just got to move on," Adelaide ruckman Ivan Maric said on Monday.

"It's just like anything in life I suppose, there is no point dwelling on things you can't control."

Adelaide is also hampered by lack of match fitness to players including Maric, Jason Porplyzia, Chris Knights and Brett Burton - who all missed the majority of pre-season matches.

Despite the winless start and 15th place on the ladder, Maric said the Crows' stated aim of a top four finish was not impossible.

"We are not going to believe that, this group has got a lot of belief in ourselves and our game style and how good we can be and that is what we are going to focus on," he said.

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