Adelaide coach Don Pyke says he still hasn’t settled on a side for Round One following the Club’s final NAB Challenge match against Gold Coast on Friday night.

The Crows fielded 24 players at Metricon Stadium, including untried pair Wayne Milera and Mitch McGovern and emerging midfielders Matt Crouch and Jarryd Lyons, who all caught the coach’s eye.

Milera, 18, continued the impressive start to his AFL career, kicking two goals and assisting in a third in another composed performance. 

McGovern, who has also appeared in all three of Adelaide’s pre-season games, impressed with 14 possessions, six marks and two goals. His defensive pressure in the absence of Charlie Cameron and Riley Knight was also a feature.  

Crouch, 20, collected 28 possessions and took seven marks to cap off a strong summer, while Lyons kicked two goals (including a super goal) from 22 touches and five inside 50ms to remind selectors of his capabilities.

Midfielders Brad Crouch and Rory Atkins, who were selected in the initial squad, both missed the 25-point win over the Suns for failing to meet the Club’s preparation standards last weekend. Both will play in Adelaide’s SANFL trial against South Adelaide at Football Park on Saturday morning.

With Knight and Cameron also edging closer to a return, Pyke said it would be tough to settle on a 22 to take on North Melbourne in Round One.

“We’ve got 40 (players) available and playing at the moment, so we’ll see what best suits in terms of roles,” Pyke said.

“It’s important to bring guys in who are going to play a particular role for us and I thought that’s what ‘Gov’ (McGovern) was able to do tonight as a forward. I thought he showed some signs tonight.

“He’s a guy who has a potential look at a spot, and Wayne Milera continues to do some nice things. He sort of came in and out of the game a bit tonight, but Wayne’s another one (pressing for selection).

“There are guys who have had some good pre-seasons. Matty Crouchy has stepped up through the midfield and Jarryd Lyons tonight, I thought, put his case forward as well which was good to see.

“We’ll see what the balance looks like for North Melbourne.”

After a low-scoring and scrappy first half in humid conditions, the Crows set up their second win of the NAB Challenge with a seven-goal third quarter.

The wayward Suns won a lot of the key statistics, but Adelaide showed more polish at crucial times.

Pyke praised Gold Coast’s pressure, saying the home team forced the Crows into errors.

“At times, we lost control around the stoppage and the contest,” he said.

“When you do that, the ball tends to be down the other end and played in the opposition’s half.

“I thought in the third quarter we came out and won our share and started to use the ball more effectively and a bit smarter. Obviously, (kicking) seven goals for the quarter was a good result.”

After playing an undermanned West Coast in week one of the pre-season competition, and leaving out several senior players for week two, Pyke said the match against the improved Suns was ideal preparation for the season proper.

“We got a really good hit-out in a game against a very competitive opposition and the 90 rotations, it gave us a look at that,” he said.

“There are a lot of positives out of it and there is still work to do – that’s this time of year. That’s why we do the pre-season training.

“We’ve got two weeks now to get organised for North Melbourne in Round One.”

It was Pyke’s first pre-season at the helm of the Crows.

The former Eagles and Adelaide assistant coach said his Club felt well prepared for the year ahead.

“In terms of what we wanted to achieve out of pre-season, I’m comfortable we’ve done that,” he said.

“I think we’ve seen improvement through patches in the pre-season. Overall, it’s a good pre-season and sets us up to tackle Round One.”