Adelaide coach Don Pyke is upbeat that captain Taylor "Tex" Walker will be fit for next Saturday's crucial Showdown.
Walker suffered an elbow ligament strain in the second term on Friday night and it proved a turning point in the Crows' loss to Geelong.
While he played the game out, Walker clearly was affected by the injury.
But Pyke is optimistic that Walker will not miss the latest instalment of their fierce rivalry with Port Adelaide.
"We'd hope so - we'll have to see how it settles down," Pyke said.
"After the game, he seemed confident."
Adelaide could also regain fellow forward Tom Lynch from a calf muscle injury.
It is now 16 years since the Crows won at GMHBA Stadium, but more importantly they blew a chance to potentially break into the top four.
"The reality is, where we sit now (and) dropping this game, we have to keep winning to give ourselves an opportunity to play finals footy," Pyke said.
"It's so even that a loss here or there puts you back into the pack and unfortunately that's what (Friday night) does.
"It means we don't move forward, we stay where we are and others probably come up to us.
"The Showdown - another big game, they're always big games."
While Cats tall utility Mark Blicavs was hailed for his crucial role after he was moved from defence into the ruck, Pyke felt Adelaide's problems were more widespread.
He also was impressed with how well young ruckman Reilly O'Brien battled against Rhys Stanley and Blicavs.
Pyke said Adelaide lost their way in the contest after a strong start.
"We lost some critical contests and lost field position and in the third quarter, clearances became an issue," he said.
"From then, we were on the back foot."
Pyke said he would have a closer look at Bryce Gibbs' game before making a call on how his return had gone.
Gibbs had a quiet match, but Pyke noted he was far from the only Crows midfielder to post low numbers.
