NEW Crows coach Phil Walsh is rewarding pre-season form with Cam Ellis-Yolmen earning a call-up for Adelaide’s AFL season-opener against North Melbourne at Adelaide Oval on Sunday.

Ellis-Yolmen’s outstanding NAB Challenge form ensured he could not be ignored as Walsh tonight settled on his first 22 for premiership action.

Ellis-Yolmen, who earned a national cap before playing an AFL game, on Sunday will return to the Crows line-up for the first time since June 8, 2014, when he made his senior debut against Fremantle in Perth.

The ball-winning midfielder is one of three notable selections for the home-opener against North Melbourne at Adelaide Oval where the Crows have just 1500 tickets to sell.

Former Hawthorn and Melbourne defender Kyle Cheney claims his first Crows jumper to work in a new-look Adelaide defence that will pin the tasks of controlling the Kangaroos tall forwards to club champion and All-Australian Daniel Talia and Kyle Hartigan. Walsh last night did not opt for former Geelong forward James Podsiadly as a defensive option.

And former captain Nathan van Berlo returns to the Adelaide 22 for the first time since the season-closer in 2013 after having all of last year wiped out by a freak pre-season accident on January 13, 2014 that damaged an Achilles.

Podsiadly stays on the three-man emergency list with Mitch Grigg and Brodie Martin.

Ellis-Yolmen’s impressive work in the NAB Challenge series — the three-game practice competition in which he earned high possessions as an inside midfielder — eased the drain on Adelaide’s midfield options after veteran Scott Thompson (hamstring), Sam Kerridge (hamstring) and young gun Brad Crouch (broken left foot) could not be considered.

Thompson will seek his match fitness in the SANFL after not featuring in any of Adelaide’s NAB Challenge games.

“From a preparation point of view, we just felt Scott was not quite ready to play AFL,” Adelaide football chief David Noble said. “He needs to play in the SANFL to get some match fitness.”

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