\n The Crows have made a decision on Josh Rachele’s availability for their meeting with the Magpies\n <\/p>\n
Adelaide\u00a0forward Josh Rachele has been ruled out of a comeback in the qualifying final against Collingwood.<\/p>\n
The dynamic attacker had hoped to play on Thursday night for the first time since suffering a knee injury on July 6.<\/p>\n
But Rachele, while close to returning, has been scratched from selection for the Adelaide Oval final.<\/p>\n
“He won’t be available for Thursday night’s game, but tracking really well, training really well,” Adelaide’s coaching director Murray Davis told reporters on Monday.<\/p>\n
“And (he) continues to knock on the coach’s door and remind him of how well he’s going.<\/p>\n
“He’s pretty close … but just at this stage, won’t be available.”<\/p>\n
Rachele tore the posterior capsular in his left knee along with sustaining a bone compression injury in a round 17 clash against Melbourne.<\/p>\n
He has re-joined full training and would be “in the mix” for the Crows’ following final, Davis said.<\/p>\n
The winner of Thursday night’s fixture advance to a home preliminary final after a week off. The loser is pitched into a sudden-death semi-final the next week.<\/p>\n
The Crows have cleared Max Michalanney to return on Thursday night after he missed the past four games with a hamstring strain.<\/p>\n
Luke Pedlar is also in the selection frame after recovering from a hamstring injury which sidelined him for the past two matches.<\/p>\n
The Crows pipped Collingwood by three points at Adelaide Oval in round 23, ending an 11-game winless streak against the Pies dating back to 2016.<\/p>\n
But Davis forecast a different style of game than the recent encounter, which became a rain-affected tactical slog when both clubs deployed a loose man in defence.<\/p>\n
“It was a real battle of who would hold their nerve for the longest,” Davis said.<\/p>\n
“Both teams probably look at that game and think there were things that we could do differently.<\/p>\n
“A little bit of it may be condition-based. In regards to that night, it was fairly slippery and pretty wet at different stages so that did contribute to it.<\/p>\n
“I’m sure both teams will have different levers that they can pull (on Thursday night) if they need to.”<\/p>\n
The Crows face the Magpies at Adelaide Oval on Thursday at 7.10pm.<\/p>\n