Adelaide coach Neil Craig admits he faces a fine balancing act in deciding just how many of his underdone stars he can afford to risk in the Crows' season opener against Fremantle in Perth in a fortnight's time.
The Crows rounded out their pre-season build-up with a one point win over Carlton at Visy Park on Friday night - a performance that was even more impressive considering the Blues were near full strength and the Crows were missing a host of key players.
While Adelaide's two most experienced players in Andrew McLeod and Tyson Edwards are certain to return for Round One after being rested against the Blues - Craig is unsure whether star forwards Brett Burton (knee) and Jason Porplyzia (groin) as well as gun midfielders Nathan Van Berlo (back) and Bernie Vince (back-related hamstring) will have had sufficient match practice under their belts to play given they have been sidelined throughout the pre-season.
And star wingman Chris Knights (foot stress fracture) is definitely out for the three rounds while Andy Otten (knee reconstruction) will miss the season.
But if Burton and Porplyzia, the Crows' leading goalkickers in the past two seasons, are ready for Round One - Craig will face the pleasing dilemma of having to work out just how to squeeze them in given the good form of fellow forwards Taylor Walker, Kurt Tippett, Trent Hentschel and much-improved youngster Jared Petrenko against the Blues.
"We are not out of the (injury) woods by any stretch of the imagination yet," Craig said.
"Because even though we have got a dozen guys to come back who have played a fair bit of footy and their names look good on paper, they haven't played a lot of (recent) footy."
"Van Berlo hasn't played at all in pre-season, Knights is out for five or six weeks, Burton and Porplyzia might be available in Round One or Two but they haven't played so it will be a real juggling act for us."
"We have got our fingers crossed for Bernie (Vince), we thought he had a hamstring but it's more back-related so it looked like that has settled down."
"But we won't fit them all in (due to the risk of taking in too many underdone players at the start of the season) and Porplyzia will be touch and go but he is one of those ones where he hasn't trained."
"He has done all the running and physical work but in terms of his timing and his reading of the play that is where he hasn’t the preparation."
However in the absence of so many key players throughout the pre-season, the Crows looked to have unearthed some talented youngsters with Petrenko (nine games in his debut year last year) looking like one player who will become a regular this year while Shaun McKernan, Phil Davis, Rory Sloane and rookie forward Ricky Henderson have all shown promise.
"We could get four or five or six (senior players) back but it’s going to be a real balancing act to make good decisions on guys who look good on paper but who haven't had the preparations to play (in Round One)," Craig said.
"But it will be a nice problem to have once we get all those guys back and available (given the good form of the Crows' youngsters in pre-season)."