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Adelaide coach Don Pyke says there is no chance his AFL pacesetters will put the proverbial cue in the rack next weekend.
The Crows slipped to a three-point loss to Sydney on Friday night but are still guaranteed a top-two finish.
But Pyke says he won’t be resting players in next Sunday’s last regular-season match, against West Coast in Perth.
“We will take a no-risk policy with guys,” Pyke said after the loss to the Swans.
“But you have got be very careful because then you get a week’s break, and then you go into the finals.
“So if guys don’t play next week, there’s a chance they won’t have played a game for nearly 20-odd days into the first final.
“We want to go to West Coast and play to win. It will be the same mentality … I’m a great believer that at the end of it, the way we want to play is habit.
“And we need to keep building those good habits.”
Pyke was far from downcast at the defeat to Sydney, saying it offered a great learning opportunity.
“When you finish the wrong side of the ledger by three points, you’re disappointed. But that is life, sometimes you end up there,” Pyke said.
“We did a lot right but we didn’t get the result.
“We learn every game and what we learnt was we’re more than capable of matching it against a side like Sydney and pushing them right to the end.
“That is what high-pressure, finals-type footy is about – it’s an arm wrestle.
“And you have just got be able to stay in the arm wrestle for long enough to get your opportunities.”
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