Adelaide will kick off their AFLW finals campaign without injured skipper Chelsea Randall, who is in a race against time to feature at the pointy end of the season.
Randall will miss three to five weeks with an ankle injury suffered in the dying minutes of Adelaide's loss to Brisbane on Friday night.
The star Crow landed awkwardly in a marking contest, then hobbled to the bench and had her right ankle iced.
On Monday, the Crows confirmed Randall's high-grade ankle sprain would sideline her for their final two regular-season games against Geelong and St Kilda, and at least one week of finals.
"Chelsea will be pushing hard to be fit to play for finals and we will do all we can to support her in her rehabilitation," Adelaide head of women's football Phil Harper said in a statement.
The AFLW finals series is now a four-week affair, comprising elimination/qualifying finals, semi-finals, preliminary finals and the grand final.
If Randall takes the full five weeks to recover, she would be unable to play again this season unless the Crows make the grand final.
The 31-year-old has won three AFLW premierships: two as co-captain with Erin Phillips in 2017 and 2019, and last season's triumph when sole skipper.
Randall has also experienced injury heartbreak, missing the 2021 grand final defeat to Brisbane through a concussion suffered in the preliminary final.
The three-time All-Australian has been in superb form, kicking seven goals this season while averaging 19.1 disposals, 3.5 tackles and 4.6 marks per game.
Adelaide currently sit fourth on the ladder.
