Matthew Nicks is torn between wanting Izak Rankine to play in the AFL Gather Round opener against Geelong and longer-term concerns.
The Crows star has a calf muscle injury and remains in doubt for Thursday night's massive Adelaide Oval match.
They will train at suburban Prospect on Wednesday afternoon and the Adelaide coach admits "I would love to see him out there" against the Cats.
But Rankine's high-speed running and his hamstring injury last year mean the Crows will take no chances.
"It's one we have to be mindful of, the speeds he gets up to and the pressure he puts on that calf. The last thing (we want to do) is lose him for a month or so," Nicks said on Tuesday.
"Izak enjoys a big stage, so he's pushing and he really wants to play. It will be a joint decision.
"We put some faith in him to make the right decision, but we may have to step in if needs be.
"It will almost be a game-day decision, but we'll get some more info (on Wednesday)."
Fellow onballer Matt Crouch is likely to return against the Cats after he was rested for their controversial loss to Gold Coast.
Late in Saturday's match, Rankine was denied a mark or free kick near goal and the AFL later admitted to the umpiring error.
It is the latest of several admission by the league of incorrect decisions against the Crows.
While Nicks admitted the latest umpiring blunder could be used as motivation in the future, for now the Crows are focused on Geelong.
"We move on pretty quickly as a playing group and a coaching group when it comes to that sort of stuff," the Crows coach said.
"It's one we may use longer term, down the track as motivation in some way or another. But it's definitely not front of mind.
"It's not something that we need to waste energy on. I know there's a lot of commentary externally, but there's none (in the club).
"We've probably learned some good lessons in that over the last three or four years - just our ability to stay in the moment."
