Mark Stevens and James Begley have dispelled lingering doubts about their fitness and have signed new one-year contracts with Adelaide.
Centre half-forward Stevens (knee) and defender-cum-utility Begley (adductor) were included on the Crows' list sent to the AFL by Friday's deadline and ahead of the pre-season and rookie drafts on Tuesday week (December 14).
"We've submitted our list this morning and both Mark and James are on it," said John Reid, Adelaide's general manager of football operations.
"We sat down and had a pretty thorough assessment of it all, went through the medical notes again, and we've seen what they've been doing on the track.
"Basically, they've achieved what's required at this stage. That's no guarantee but there are no guarantees with any other player on the list. But at this stage, for what they were asked to do, they've passed with flying colours.
"Mark has had a pretty wretched couple of years. We've all had our fingers crossed he doesn't have that bit of bad luck with it. But the way he's going about it and the program the club has given him, all indications are that he'll stand up pretty well.
"What happens in games, of course, well, all players have got that same amount of risk."
Reid said Begley had got through his recent training schedule 'really well'.
"And the operation's come up really well - it looks good," he said. "It's a bit of a problem that's probably nagged him for a couple of years so hopefully that puts that to rest."
Reid said Stevens and Begley were doing what the other players were doing at training.
"That's what we needed them to show us," he said. "What we didn't want to see was that they had to interrupt that program between now and this D-day.
"It would be fair to say they're under no more pressure than anybody else. They'll need to work on it and make sure it all comes good.
"Mark won't be nursed but we have varying (fitness) programs for a lot of our players and I'm quite certain Mark will slot into that. Be assured that program will be tough and hard, and he'll cope with that.
"Mark's had problems with the knee (for some time) and it's got some degeneration in it. But the medical people believe that, handled correctly and with a bit of luck and some good management, the knee is good enough to play (on).
"It's not a big risk. Otherwise we wouldn't have put him on. But there is a risk, there's a risk with every player. We believe the risk is worth taking."
Reid said the Crows' squad had a 'few niggles and things', which it had 'quite often at this time of the year', but he dismissed suggestions the players were already training too hard and too often.
Centre half-forward Stevens (knee) and defender-cum-utility Begley (adductor) were included on the Crows' list sent to the AFL by Friday's deadline and ahead of the pre-season and rookie drafts on Tuesday week (December 14).
"We've submitted our list this morning and both Mark and James are on it," said John Reid, Adelaide's general manager of football operations.
"We sat down and had a pretty thorough assessment of it all, went through the medical notes again, and we've seen what they've been doing on the track.
"Basically, they've achieved what's required at this stage. That's no guarantee but there are no guarantees with any other player on the list. But at this stage, for what they were asked to do, they've passed with flying colours.
"Mark has had a pretty wretched couple of years. We've all had our fingers crossed he doesn't have that bit of bad luck with it. But the way he's going about it and the program the club has given him, all indications are that he'll stand up pretty well.
"What happens in games, of course, well, all players have got that same amount of risk."
Reid said Begley had got through his recent training schedule 'really well'.
"And the operation's come up really well - it looks good," he said. "It's a bit of a problem that's probably nagged him for a couple of years so hopefully that puts that to rest."
Reid said Stevens and Begley were doing what the other players were doing at training.
"That's what we needed them to show us," he said. "What we didn't want to see was that they had to interrupt that program between now and this D-day.
"It would be fair to say they're under no more pressure than anybody else. They'll need to work on it and make sure it all comes good.
"Mark won't be nursed but we have varying (fitness) programs for a lot of our players and I'm quite certain Mark will slot into that. Be assured that program will be tough and hard, and he'll cope with that.
"Mark's had problems with the knee (for some time) and it's got some degeneration in it. But the medical people believe that, handled correctly and with a bit of luck and some good management, the knee is good enough to play (on).
"It's not a big risk. Otherwise we wouldn't have put him on. But there is a risk, there's a risk with every player. We believe the risk is worth taking."
Reid said the Crows' squad had a 'few niggles and things', which it had 'quite often at this time of the year', but he dismissed suggestions the players were already training too hard and too often.
