Crows coach Don Pyke says he expects Mitch McGovern to be at the club in 2019 despite playing the returning 23-year-old in the SANFL this weekend.
McGovern — who has been out with a shoulder injury — has been overlooked for Saturday night’s AFL clash with GWS.
He is contracted at Adelaide until the end of 2020 but there has been speculation he could request a trade at the end of the year.
“I expect him to be here next season,” Pyke said on Friday. “I haven’t heard anything further on that.”
“The reality is for him, it’s about getting some games under his belt, getting his match conditioning and form back to a point where he can contribute the way we know he can.
“He’s in our best 22, it’s just a matter of him getting back to that condition and form to be able to play.”
McGovern missed 10 weeks with an ankle injury this season before returning to the side in round 18.
Don Pyke expects Mitch McGovern to remain a Crow in 2019. https://t.co/JjbDtTWgim
— AFL.com.au (@AFLcomau) August 10, 2018
*Correction: an earlier version of this story inaccurately said McGovern had been ‘dropped’.
