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Crows face AFL selection squeeze

3 minute read

The availability of onballer Bernie Vince and ruckman Shaun McKernan have Adelaide facing a selection squeeze for Sunday's AFL game against Carlton.

Rejuvenated Adelaide face a selection squeeze with onballer Bernie Vince and ruckman Shaun McKernan available for Sunday's AFL clash against Carlton.

Vince, the 2009 club champion, has missed the past three games with a broken hand.

Vince's fellow midfielder Richard Douglas will also return to action this weekend in the SANFL after a five-game absence with a hamstring tear.

The Crows expect defender Ricky Henderson to overcome a corked thigh which caused him to be substituted during Adelaide's 50-point trouncing of Geelong last Saturday.

And McKernan has served a one-match suspension for striking, putting pressure on his ruck replacement Josh Jenkins.

Jenkins impressed on debut against the Cats, kicking a goal and taking some strong marks.

But the 23-year-old former basketballer, recruited from Essendon's rookie list, was uncertain if his output was enough to keep his spot in the team.

"I'd like to think so, but I didn't set the world on fire either," Jenkins said on Monday.

The selection pressure was a healthy factor in Adelaide's six wins from seven starts this season, said Jenkins, who admitted surprise at the speed of AFL football.

"Everywhere you turn there are big bodies moving at top speed all the time," he said.

"It's all about sprinting and keeping speed in the game.

"That was the biggest thing I realised - if you're half a second slower, then you're pretty much out of the contest."

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