Crows make call on Walker amid racism probe

The AFL is continuing its investigation into Walker, who was absent from training on Thursday ahead of Showdown 50 against intrastate rivals the Power.

“I’m not in a position to make any comment this morning due to the fact it is a highly sensitive and highly confidential matter at the time being,” Crows assistant coach Nathan van Berlo told reporters.

“We had a discussion as a group, but we’re not going to go into details at this stage.”

Port Adelaide veteran Robbie Gray has been confirmed to return for Showdown, after overcoming an MCL injury quicker than expected.

The Crows regain young forward Riley Thilthorpe for the clash, as well as Brayden Cook.

After being dropped from last week’s clash with Syndey, Essendon’s Cale Hooker is back in the side to face the Western Bulldogs, who welcome back a star of their own in marquee recruit Adam Treloar.

Elsewhere, the Giants’ bid to return to the finals has taken a significant hit, with Shane Mumford, Jesse Hogan, Tom Green and Phil Davis among seven stars left out of the side to face Geelong on Friday. Matt de Boer, Zach Sproule and a handful of others come into the 22 as replacements.

Carlton forward Eddie Betts missed last week’s emphatic win over St Kilda but returns from an ankle injury to face Gold Coast this Saturday.

Tom De Koning, who was subbed out injured in the Blues’ round 20 victory, has also been named.

Gold Coast welcomes back Brandon Ellis for the clash as it hopes to recover from a horror fortnight and find some form as the season reaches its pointy end.

Exciting Collingwood youngster Josh Daicos will return from a finger injury to face Hawthorn in the Magpies’ relocated round 21 clash. Mason Cox, Tom Wilson and Beau McCreery have also been named. The game, scheduled for Launceston, was set to be the Magpies’ first ever regular season fixture in Tasmania but has been shifted to the MCG over Covid-19 concerns.

Cam Zurhaar (shoulder) and Tarryn Thomas (concussion) have been two of North Melbourne’s strongest performers this season and both return from injuries this weekend as the Shinboners look to avoid the wooden spoon.

Melbourne will have to contend without Jack Viney this weekend after the Demons vice-captain was hit with a two-game ban off the back of his serious misconduct charge. Sam Weideman comes into the side for his 50th game.

ROUND 21 TEAMS (all times AEST)

GEELONG CATS v GWS GIANTS

Friday August 6, 7.50pm at GMHBA Stadium

CATS

B: Henry, Blicavs, Kreuger

HB: Stewart, Z.Guthrie, Kolodjashnij

C: Holmes, C.Guthrie, Tuohy

HF: Dahlhaus, Ratugolea, Higgins

F: Dangerfield, Hawkins, Rohan

FOLL: Stanley, Selwood, Parfitt

I/C: Bews, Clark, Menegola, Close

EMG: Smith, Evans, Narkle, Constable

IN: Holmes

OUT: Smith (Managed), Narkle (Omitted)

GIANTS

B: Stein, Taylor, Cumming

HB: Perryman, Haynes, Ash

C: O’Halloran, de Boer, Whitfield

HF: Daniels, Himmelberg, Greene

F: Sproule, Riccardi, Taranto

FOLL: Briggs, Ward, Kelly

I/C: Bruhn, Brown, Peatling, Idun

EMG: Shipley, Wehr, Angwin, Buntine

IN: Stein, de Boer, Sproule, Riccardi, Briggs, Brown

OUT: Davis, Lloyd, Hopper, Green, Reid (all injured), Hogan, Mumford (both managed)

CARLTON v GOLD COAST SUNS

Saturday August 7, 1.45pm at Marvel Stadium

BLUES

B: Stocker, Weitering, Jones

HB: Newman, Plowman, Saad

C: E.Curnow, Cripps, Newnes

HF: Kennedy, C.Curnow, Silvagni

F: Betts, McKay, Martin

FOLL: De Koning, Walsh, Dow

I/C: Williamson, O’Brien, Honey, Fisher

EMG: Owies, McGovern, Casboult, Murphy

IN: Betts

OUT: Owies (omitted), Murphy (Medi-Sub)

SUNS

B: Powell, Collins, Lemmens

HB: Farrar, Ballard, Swallow

C: Ellis, Miller, Sharp

HF: Townsend, Jeffrey, Sexton

F: Burgess, King, Ainsworth

FOLL: Smith, Anderson, MacPherson

I/C: Corbett, Fiorini, Lukosius, Rowell

EMG: Bowes, Brodie, Davies, Flanders

IN: Ellis, Townsend

OUT: Flanders, Bowes, Brodie (all omitted)

RICHMOND v NORTH MELBOURNE

Saturday August 7, 4.35pm at MCG

TIGERS

B: Vlastuin, Grimes, Astbury

HB: Stack, Short, D.Rioli

C: Edwards, Cotchin, McIntosh

HF: Ralphsmith, Baker, Bolton

F: Lynch, Parker, Riewoldt

FOLL: Nankervis, Prestia, Graham

I/C: Mansell, Coleman-Jones, Lambert, M.Rioli

EMG: Dow, Garthwaite, Ross, Castagna

IN: Vlastuin, McIntosh, Ralphsmith, Coleman-Jones, M.Rioli

OUT: Garthwaite, Ross, Castagna, Chol, Aarts (all omitted), Caddy (Medi-Sub)

KANGAROOS

B: Tarrant, McKay, Bonar

HB: Ziebell, Walker, Hall

C: Dumont, Simpkin, McDonald

HF: Stephenson, Larkey, Scott

F: Anderson, Zurhaar, Mahony

FOLL: Goldstein, Davies-Uniacke, Thomas

I/C: Taylor, Turner, Ford, Campbell

EMG: Atley, Phillips, Comben, Spicer

IN: Bonar, Zurhaar, Thomas, Campbell

OUT: Bosenavulagi, Phillips (both omitted), Xerri (Injured), Polec (Managed), Atley (Medi-Sub)

ST KILDA v SYDNEY SWANS

Saturday August 7, 7.40pm at Marvel Stadium

SAINTS

B: Coffield, Wilkie, Connolly

HB: Sinclair, Webster, Hill

C: McKenzie, Dunstan, Ross

HF: Butler, Byrnes, Kent

F: King, Membrey, Sharman

FOLL: Marshall, Steele, Jones

I/C: Joyce, Highmore, Crouch, Higgins

EMG: Bytel, Allison, Lonie, Hunter

IN: Coffield, Sinclair, McKenzie, Joyce

OUT: Hunter, Long (both omitted), Clark, Howard, Billings (all injured)

SWANS

B: Cunningham, Rampe, Fox

HB: Dawson, McCartin, Lloyd

C: McInerney, Parker, Mills

HF: Papley, Heeney, Hayward

F: Wicks, Franklin, Reid

FOLL: Hickey, Hewett, Gulden

I/C: Blakey, Kennedy, Florent, Stephens

EMER: Rowbottom, McLean, Clarke, O’Riordan

OUT: Bell (Omitted)

ADELAIDE v PORT ADELAIDE

Saturday August 7, 7.40pm at Adelaide Oval

CROWS

B: Murray, Butts, Kelly

HB: McPherson, Doedee, Jones

C: Smith, Keays, Seedsman

HF: Mackay, Fogarty, Murphy

F: McHenry, Himmelberg, Walker, Thilthorpe

FOLL: O’Brien, Laird, Sloane

I/C: Cook, Lynch, Schoenberg, Hamill

EMG: Davis, Berry, McAdam, Frampton

IN: Thilthorpe, Cook

OUT: Walker, Berry, Rowe (all omitted)

POWER

B: Burton, McKenzie, Aliir

HB: Bergman, Jonas, Byrne-Jones

C: Duursma, Wines, Houston

HF: Amon, Georgiades, Butters

F: Gray, Dixon, Rozee

FOLL: Lycett, Boak, Drew

I/C: Powell-Pepper, Bonner, Ladhams, Fantasia

EMG: Marshall, Clurey, McEntee, Woodcock

IN: Gray

OUT: Marshall, Woodcock (both omitted)

HAWTHORN v COLLINGWOOD

Sunday August 8, 2.10pm at MCG

HAWKS

B: Scrimshaw, Hartigan, Frost

HB: Burgoyne, Hardwick, Bramble

C: Howe, O’Meara, Shiels

HF: Moore, O’Brien, Worpel

F: Nash, Lewis, McEvoy

FOLL: Reeves, Mitchell, Worpel

I/C (extended): Hanrahan, Phillips, Morrison, Brockman, Greaves, Morris, Koschitzke, Ceglar

IN: Hanrahan, Morrison, Morris, Koschitzke, Ceglar

OUT: Grainger-Barras (Managed), Breust (Injured)

MAGPIES

B: Quaynor, Roughead, Maynard

HB: Crisp, Madgen, Howe

C: Hoskin-Elliott, De Goey, Mayne

HF: Thomas, Cameron, Ginnivan

F: Henry, Mihocek, Elliott

FOLL: Grundy, Sidebottom, Adams

I/C (extended): Bianco, Cox, Daicos, Macrae, McCreery, Noble, Ruscoe, Wilson

IN: Cox, Daicos, McCreery, Wilson

OUT: Murphy (Medi-Sub)

WESTERN BULLDOGS v ESSENDON

Sunday August 8, 3.20pm at Marvel Stadium

BULLDOGS

B: Wood, Cordy, Williams

HB: Daniel, Schache, Dale

C: Treloar, Liberatore, La.Hunter

HF: Johannisen, Naughton, B.Smith

F: Ugle-Hagan, Bruce, Dunkley

FOLL: English, Macrae, Bontempelli

I/C (extended): Richards, Duryea, Scott, Garcia, McNeil, Smith, Le.Young, Lipinski

IN: Treloar, Richards, Duryea, McNeil, Le.Young

OUT: Hannan (Illness), Weightman (Managed)

BOMBERS

B: Laverde, Stewart, Francis

HB: Redman, Ridley, Hind

C: Cutler, Merrett, Cox

HF: Smith, Stringer, Shiel

F: McDonald-Tipungwuti, Wright, Durham

FOLL: Draper, Snelling, Parish

I/C (extended): Gleeson, Clarke, Guelfi, Perkins, Ham, Waterman, Phillips, Hooker

IN: Gleeson, Guelfi, Phillips, Hooker, Waterman

OUT: Heppell, Langford (both injured)

FREMANTLE DOCKERS v BRISBANE LIONS

Sunday August 8, 5.10pm at Optus Stadium

DOCKERS

B: Wilson, Logue, Ryan

HB: Young, Pearce, Aish

C: Tucker, Mundy, Cerra

HF: Colyer, Taberner, Henry

F: Schultz, Treacy, Crowden

FOLL: Darcy, Serong, Brayshaw

I/C (extended): Western, Blakely, Watson, Walker, Meek, O’Discoll, Hughes, Bewley

IN: Pearce, O’Driscoll, Hughes, Bewley

OUT: Banfield (Injured)

LIONS

B: Payne, Andrews, Lester

HB: Rich, Birchall, Satrcevich

C: McCluggage, Robinson, J.Berry

HF: Cameron, McStay, McCarthy

F: Cockatoo, Daniher, Bailey

FOLL: McInerney, Lyons, Zorko

I/C (extended): Robertson, Ah Chee, Berry, Coleman, Prior, Fullarton, Mathieson, Ballenden

IN: Robertson, T.Berry, Prior, Mathieson, Ballenden

OUT: Madden (Omitted), Neale (Illness)

WEST COAST EAGLES v MELBOURNE

Monday August 9, 8.10pm at Optus Stadium

EAGLES

B: Cole, H.Edwards, Hurn

HB: Duggan, McGovern, Sheppard

C: Gaff, Kelly, Redden

HF: Langdon, Darling, Cripps

F: Petruccelle, Kennedy, Allen

FOLL: Naitanui, Yeo, Sheed

I/C (extended): Waterman, Edwards, Vardy, Witherden, Nelson, Hutchings, Rotham, West

IN: Edwards, Vardy, Witherden, Nelson

OUT: O’Neill (Omitted)

DEMONS

B: Bowey, May, Petty

HB: Hunt, Lever, Salem

C: Brayshaw, Petracca, Langdon

HF: Pickett, McDonald, Spargo

F: Neal-Bullen, Brown, Fritsch

FOLL: Gawn, Oliver, Harmes

I/C (extended): Jackson, Melksham, vandenBerg, Jordon, Rivers, Weideman, Sparrow, Smith

IN: Melksham, vandenBerg, Weideman, Smith

OUT: Viney (Suspension)