Adelaide's All Australian midfielder Matt Crouch has complete clarity on how to win back his AFL spot after being snubbed again for Saturday's game against Melbourne, coach Matthew Nicks says.
Crouch responded to being dumped for Adelaide's win over North Melbourne last week with a 42-disposal performance in state league ranks.
But Nicks while impressed says it's not enough to earn a recall for Adelaide's home fixture against the Demons despite the Crows losing three players to injury.
"He did everything asked of him - led by example, had a lot of footy," Nicks told reporters on Friday.
"We know he does that every week but there's stuff away from that we are looking for at an AFL level that he also brought to the SANFL.
"Real clarity around what it is because at his best, he's in our best team."
Nicks said he would continue deploying younger players through the midfield in the absence of the 27-year-old Crouch.
"As these next sort of eight to nine weeks play out, we will make decisions around both performing on the weekend, winning games of footy, but also that connection and cohesion of what we have got going forward," he said.
"All the individual players are important in that ... we will continue to look at a different mix and dynamic and Matty is an important part of where we're going.
" ... It is a different dynamic that we played inside (midfield) there but ... we would love to get that experience that Matty brings back into the side because we feel that makes us stronger.
"We just keep an eye on how these young guys go now."
Meanwhile, the Demons will be without a recognised ruckman after off-contract young star Luke Jackson went down with a suspected knee injury.
Premiership captain Max Gawn (ankle) is already on the sidelines and Jackson will miss the clash with the Crows after starring against the Brisbane Lions last week.
Jackson's future has been a hot topic this season with West Coast and Fremantle preparing big offers to bring him back to Perth.
Veteran utility Mitch Brown gets another chance in Melbourne's team, just his ninth AFL appearance since joining the Demons from Essendon ahead of the 2020 season.
Adelaide lost forwards Ned McHenry (knee) and Shane McAdam (ankle) and half-back Will Hamill (concussion), with Riley Thilthorpe and Lachlan Murphy summoned as replacements.
The 13th-placed Crows enter rank outsiders against the ladder-leading Demons, but Nicks' team upset Melbourne by one point last year in the corresponding fixture.
"Unfortunately there is not one thing, there's a lot of things you have got to get right when you play the Demons," Nicks said.
"That is because they're the benchmark, the best team in the competition ... they will bring a number of different challenges for us.
"It's going to be huge job. We had the same huge job last year so we look forward to that."
Australian Associated Press
