Adelaide defender Mitch Hinge will miss up to five weeks with a hamstring injury after scans confirmed on Friday that he suffered a moderate strain in Thursday's win over Carlton.
Hinge returned to the senior side to open Gather Round after recovering from a persistent back issue that had plagued his pre-season.
Crows Coach Matthew Nicks was despondent when asked about the rebounder's injury, which he suspects isn't good.
"We think hamstring. To what grade, we don't know yet," Nicks said on Thursday.
"It's disappointing for him, because he's worked so hard to get himself back. Even in the short period that he was out there, I thought you saw a little bit of that drive and that penetration we get from him off half-back.
"I'll be guessing, but it didn't seem that good."
The dashing rebounder was ticked off by the medics last week, returning through the reserves side in the SANFL before being recalled to face the Blues.
Nicks also lifted the lid on the quarter-time spray as the Crows conceded seven goals, whilst also being smashed in clearances by Carlton.
"I thought I was quite calm," Nicks laughed.
"It looked a little bit rougher than maybe what I thought it was. I think I started the conversation with, 'I'm not going to yell. I may have gone there.
"I think it was more disappointing for them. We'd had a big week in that space, and we knew the theory, we knew what it was, we knew how we had to get it done against a very good opposition, and we just weren't able to execute it.
"I tried to explain to them, nicely, what that method was that we'd spoken about. To their credit, they turned it around instantly in the second quarter.
"Nathan Van Berlo had a little bit of a chance to get that right after I'd maybe made a mess of it. I think he did a good job of it."
