Adelaide will be without Daniel Talia for Friday night's semi-final against Fremantle after scans confirmed the key defender suffered a broken arm in Saturday's loss to Sydney.

Three days after winning the AFL's Rising Star award, Talia came off the field in the fourth quarter of the qualifying final against the Swans.

The 20-year-old will undergo surgery on Monday to mend his broken right forearm after scans on Sunday made certain the worst possible news.

Adelaide coach Brenton Sanderson admitted on Saturday Talia's omission was a "huge loss" for the Crows, who host the Dockers in a sudden-death AAMI Stadium clash.

"It's amazing in footy how you can go from those highs to the lows in a few days," Sanderson said of the year's Rising Star.