Wayne Milera has been absent from the Ravens for a key part of pre-season. But the club is not worried about the rising star. Find out why.
Adelaide senior assistant coach Scott Burns says Wayne Milera will be able to face GWS in Round 1 despite being out of the club ahead of the Crows’ season opener.
Milera has been absent from the Crows due to a personal matter, which led to his early return from the Adelaide club’s pre-season trip to Perth.
He is expected to return to the club on Wednesday after being held out of key training ahead of the start of the Crows’ season.
It is clear that he has been training away from the main group.
Burns said he expected the departure would not affect the 25-year-old’s chances of facing GWS on Sunday due to his strong pre-season to date.
“There are some private reasons why he’s been away but it’s been planned for a long time and the nice thing for Wayne is we’ve got the domestic game and the Fremantle game so that’s eight quarters,” he said.
“He hasn’t been around for the past week, but he’s definitely been picking up numbers on the GPS while running away from here.
“We think he’s in a pretty good position to shoot in the 1st round.
“He’s played eight quarters out of 12, that’s a great base.
“And from where he’s been to where he is now, he’s had a fantastic pre-season and hasn’t missed a beat.”
Millera played 12 games for the Ravens in 2022 after being limited to just two the previous two seasons due to injuries.
Burns said it might be a good thing for Milera to skip the Crows’ practice game against West Coast before 2023 and focus on running.
“This can actually be a blessing in disguise, going away for a week and not getting knocked around and running in a straight line,” he said.
“That might be the best for him in 2023.”
Asked if the time off will affect Millera mentally going into Round 1, Burns said “he’s in a really good place.”
In Milera’s absence, father-son recruit Max Michalani and Patrick Parnell were able to put their hands up for the Crows defense against West Coast.
Burns said anyone on that squad who plays with the Eagles will play against the Giants.
Former Collingwood player Tyler Brown was in the squad, as was Matt Crouch, but he suffered a minor leg fracture last week.
Burns said the Ravens still have to make some calls on who will take the Giants.
“Anyone who was in that 25 or 26 (against the Eagles) is close,” he said.
“There could be one or two of those 26… we still want to look at them in training on Thursday and make a decision after that.”
THE MYSTERY OF MILERA. STAR CROW GETS AWAY AGAIN?
Adelaide expects Wayne Millera to be available for the Crows’ Round 1 clash against GWS to return to the club this week.
The 25-year-old took part in a mock Crows game against Fremantle on February 24, but pulled out of the Crows’ pre-season trip to Perth early two days later due to a personal issue.
While he was not at training on Monday, he took part in the Crows’ official team photo day earlier last week, but was also absent from training last Wednesday.
It is understood he has been training away from the main Crows group for the past fortnight.
The prodigy defender is due back at the club this week and is expected to be available for Sunday’s Round 1 clash with the Crows in Sydney.
After playing just two games in two years due to injury, Milera returned to action last year.
He played in Round 1 against Fremantle but was sidelined for the next 10 games.
He ended up playing 12 games for the Ravens.
Firmly anchored in the half-back role, Milera has impressed this pre-season.
Adelaide senior coach Matthew Nix has revealed how impressed he has been with Milera this pre-season, especially after his injuries.
In Milera’s absence, father and son draftees Max Michalani and Patrick Parnell were able to press their cases for Round 1, which would have been Michalani’s debut for The Crows.
Outside of Milera, Matt Crouch is the only senior player injured ahead of Round 1.
Crouch hurt his leg on Friday, and a scan revealed a small fracture in his right fibula.
He will not require surgery, but the Ravens do not yet have a timeline for his recovery.
They were the only players not out of the Crows flush run on Monday.
Former captain Rory Sloane missed the light run and then the football game featuring the players as he did some manual work with Josh Worrell, who is recovering from a hamstring injury.
Andrew McPherson (knee), Billy Dowling (foot) walked the rounds along with Hugh Bond.
Tom Deedy is also out of the football game, instead kicking a few kicks.
Originally published as AFL 2023. All the latest Adelaide Crows ahead for Round 1