Adelaide recruit Callum Ah Chee appears set for another frustrating stint on the sidelines after suffering a hamstring injury in Friday night's six-point loss to the Western Bulldogs at Adelaide Oval.
Ah Chee limped from the field during the final quarter, with Crows coach Matthew Nicks confirming after the match that it was the same hamstring the 28-year-old injured while representing Western Australia against Victoria in the AFL's State of Origin during the pre-season.
"It's a hamstring, the same one (as the one he injured during the 2026 AFL Origin)," Nicks said.
"It's a tough one for Cal, we just can't quite get that one right."
It continues a frustrating start to life at Adelaide for the dual Brisbane premiership player, who arrived at the Crows during the off-season after being selected in the Pre-Season Draft.
Adelaide had explored a trade with Brisbane in October before ultimately securing Ah Chee via the draft, hoping the experienced forward could add class and composure to their line-up.
After trailing for most of last night's contest, Adelaide surged back in the final quarter and hit the front by six points following a brilliant boundary-line goal from returning star Izak Rankine.
But the fightback fell short, with the Western Bulldogs responding with two late goals to secure a 14.10 (94) to 13.10 (88) victory.
While Ah Chee was relatively quiet by his usual standards on Friday night, he still produced one of the most important moments of the game.
With Adelaide struggling to generate any real spark for much of the match, Ah Chee threw himself into a spoil in the middle of the ground, helping create a chain of play that ended with captain Jordan Dawson kicking a crucial goal.
Moments later, he again launched himself at the contest in an attempt to affect another spoil, only for the effort to end in Ah Chee injuring his hamstring.
Nicks said Ah Chee's acts of desperation had a clear impact on the group and praised the former Lion for the way he tried to inspire his teammates.
"It was a huge effort, you talk about moments... we find ourselves flat for most of the game, and then Cal does an effort that lifts the group, which is huge, and I reckon he did another three or four in between that.
"Then he lunges for one maybe he didn't need to, but the adrenalin is pumping and he's doing everything he can to get us over the line.
Ah Chee joined Adelaide after a decorated period at Brisbane, where he played a key role in the club's back-to-back premierships in 2024 and 2025.
In the 2024 grand final against Sydney, he kicked an equal game-high four goals and polled seven Norm Smith Medal votes to finish third in the count.
Before joining the Crows, Ah Chee had played 169 AFL games - 45 for Gold Coast and 124 for Brisbane.
