A potentially serious knee injury to Adelaide defender Nick Murray threatens to dampen a thrilling Crows win over Essendon.
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Trailing by 15 points with seven minutes remaining, Adelaide kicked the final three of Friday night's captivating shootout at Marvel Stadium to pinch an unlikely two-point win.
Crows forward Josh Rachele booted the matchwinner, burying demons of a performance against the Bombers earlier in the season he conceded he was disappointed with.
But the wounded Crows could lose key defender Murray to a second ACL rupture in as many seasons.
Murray was subbed off after being injured in the first quarter in just his fifth game since returning from a previous injury to his same knee.
"We're all trying to think positive thoughts at the moment," Crows coach Matthew Nicks said. "He has to have scans on that.
"I don't want to say we're confident, but we're going to stay really positive and as you can imagine, he's quite emotional at the moment.
"But we'll keep just thinking positive thoughts and hopefully that one comes out the right way."
Fellow defender Jordan Butts also failed to finish the match.
"(Butts) sprained his foot and it's one that he's had a few issues with in the past...we're staying positive and hopefully that one comes out the right way as well," Nicks said.
Adelaide will face Hawthorn next week without captain Jordan Dawson, who failed a concussion test.
But veteran Taylor Walker will return to boost a forward line who kicked 17 goals, including nine during a devastating second-quarter spell.
"'Tex' (Walker) will be hopefully freshened up, hopefully he's looked after himself this week and we go into a (big) break now…he'll come back in, bring that leadership ahead of the ball," Nicks said.
Despite sitting 14th and two-and-a-half games outside of the top-eight with five games to play, Nicks is not content just making up numbers for the rest of the season.
"We're still a chance, aren't we," said Nicks when asked about trying to create problems for finals contenders in the run home.
"Our aim is to finish the season off really strongly, we don't know when that is yet."
Australian Associated Press
