Dein erstes Forum » the meantime, all the speculation only

Adelaide coach Don Pyke says his side will go into the AFL finals battle-hardened after a bruising 15-point win over rivals Port Adelaide.The Crows withstood a late surge from Port to claim a 15.19 (109) to 14.10 (94) win at Adelaide Oval and climb to second on the ladder.Both sides had predicted Saturdays Showdown would be a fierce encounter despite the distance between the Crows and 11th-placed Power on the ladder.The game lived up to the hype and in the end it was only Adelaides potent forward line that proved the difference, with late goals to Josh Jenkins, Mitch McGovern and Eddie Betts sealing the win.It was a far cry from the Crows three previous outings - against Fremantle, Brisbane and Essendon - which they won by a combined 292 points.With Adelaide facing a six-day break before a final-round clash with West Coast on Friday, Pyke said he was pleased to see his players physically tested.For us it was, in some respects, a really good game to have based on the previous three games which have been comfortable wins, he said.Tonights game and next weeks game will give us a really good lead-in (to the finals).West Coast have been in hot form, dispatching of premiership contenders Hawthorn and Greater Western Sydney in successive weeks, but will go into the clash at Adelaide Oval without star ruckman Nic Naitanui after he tore his anterior cruciate ligament.Pyke, who was an assistant coach with the Eagles before taking a senior role with Adelaide this year, said he was sad to see Naitanui injured.I know having worked with Nic the last couple of years hes a terrific guy, and its always disappointing when you see the best players in the league get injured, Pyke said.Clearly its going to be a big out for West Coast but he was out for a number of weeks in the middle of the season so I expect theyll adjust around that with (Scott) Lycett or theyll bring (Jonathan) Giles in.Crows defender Brodie Smith, who was concussed after copping an accidental foot to the head from Ports Aaron Young, will be assessed during the week, Pyke said. 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As St Kilda young gun Paddy McCartin recovers from his third concussion this season, Saints skipper Nick Riewoldt has implored for a stop to the speculation about the 2014 No.1 draft picks future.McCartin suffered a head knock against Gold Coast on Saturday, having also been concussed against Collingwood in Round 3 and Adelaide in Round 11 this season.It was the fifth time he has been concussed since 2014.St Kilda on Monday ruled McCartin out of this Sundays clash against Essendon but the Saints havent yet discussed his playing future beyond that.Riewoldt, who has suffered several concussions during his 16-year career with the Saints, believes those without intimate knowledge of the issue had to stop speculating on it.As someone whos gone through it earlier in the year and last year, the external noise and speculation isnt helpful; it doesnt do anything but make the situation more stressful than it needs to be for the person involved, Riewoldt told ESPN.Its not doing Paddy any favours. Obviously the most significant aspect is the duty of care towards Paddy, and the people best placed to comment on that are our club doctors and specialists.Its not as clear-cut [as a regular injury] - the only people that are qualified to give opinions are those who are specialists in the field who have first-hand knowledge of Paddys case.For people who arent medical experts to suggest they know better or throw up their opinions on whether he should or shouldnt play is simply ludicrous.Riewoldt, an ESPN columniist who wrote a fascinating article about his experiences with concussion in April, said even St Kildas football department wouldnt be across the finer details of McCartins situation.ddddddddddddIt is 100 percent a medical department decision, not a football department decision, he said.Paddy was at the club today going through the normal concussion protocols [but] it just comes down to what the specialists think. In the meantime, all the speculation only puts more pressure on a young man who has a long career in front of him.Concussion is a growing area of concern for the AFL and most contact sports.Already this season, exciting Brisbane defender Justin Clarke had to retire due to a head knock at training, while Melbourne duo Heritier Lumumba and Angus Brayshaw have both spent significant time on the sidelines due to their own concussion issues. ?Riewoldt said it would take time before the wider football community fully understood the issue.Theres probably going to be a bit of a lag between what those externally understand about the issue, he said. Its great that theres a lot more being done in this space - the game has never been safer from that point of view - and players wellbeing is recognised and valued far more than it used to be, he said.Until then, none of the people commenting or speculating on [McCartin] have anything concrete to base their opinions on. ' ' '