Adelaide have revealed young forward Josh Rachele is in "good spirits" after a rib injury from a worrying collision that is likely to place the former top 10 pick on the sidelines.
Rachele was subbed out of Sunday's win over North Melbourne after copping a knee from Roos ruckman Tristan Xerri from behind in a marking contest, with the young Crow helped from the field early into the match.
Matthew Nicks was forced to sub Rachele out of the game in the first half, with rookie midfielder Sid Draper brought into the game in the livewire's place.
Speaking after the six-goal win over North Melbourne, Nicks provided the latest on Rachele as he dealt with the rib concern.
"He's a little ginger, he's a little sore. It was quite a collision with the biggest bloke on the ground coming at speed," the Crows coach said.
"We'll have to wait and see on that, but he's kinda sore. He's in the rooms, he wasn't singing quite as loud as the rest but he's in good spirits.
"We've got some really good people in that [medical] space that know that stuff and will make the decisions around that. They would have done everything possible tp put his health and safety as a priority."
While Nicks couldn't confirm the likely extent of Rachele's setback, the Crows are unlikely to have the 21-year-old for next week's matchup with fellow undefeated side Gold Coast.
The Crows coach said the timing of Rachele's injury was "dissapointing" given his early season form but tipped him to "bounce back".
"We'll miss him. He hasn't put a foot wrong to this point," Nicks added.
"This is what we've spoken about over the first couple of weeks: the importance of a healthy list. We know that the injuries are coming, because it's a contact game.
"For us it's disappointing. It doesn't matter who it is, but Josh was in a really confident space. He was an important part of what we were doing ahead of the ball.
"A disappointing one for the team and for Josh, but he'll bounce back."
The Crows, who sit second on the ladder with three wins in as many games to start the 2025 season, will head to Queensland to face the Suns at People First Stadium on Saturday at 1:20pm (AEDT).
