Adelaide Crows coach Don Pyke has signed a three-year extension

ADELAIDE Crows has received a pre-season boost with senior coach Don Pyke agreeing to a three-year extension.

Don Pyke with Rory Sloane at Adelaide Crows training at Football Park.

ADELAIDE has received a pre-season boost with senior coach Don Pyke agreeing to a three-year extension.

It means Pyke, who was entering the final year of his contract, will be at the club until at least 2021.

Club chairman Rob Chapman announced the news to the club’s key stakeholder at the season launch in the city last night and said it brought stability to the club at an important time.

Pyke had also created a platform for the club to thrive after reaching the finals in both of his season with a list that is in or close to its prime.

Adelaide Crows coach Don Pyke at the season launch at West Lakes.

Pyke said it was an easy decision to extend his time at Adelaide.

“It’s an honour and a privilege to be able to coach at such a proud club like the Crows, and I am grateful to continue in my role,” Pyke said. “In the past two years at Adelaide I’ve loved working with the players, coaches and football staff and look forward to growing some of the relationships that have been built.

“As a football team we’ve laid some really good foundations but we continue to put in the hard work and strive to get better.

“Just like the playing group and everyone else at the Crows, I’m driven and determined to achieve sustained success for this club.”

Pyke arrived at the club at a difficult time with the club having endured the tragedy of previous coach Phil Walsh. It was his second coming to West Lakes, having previously served as an assistant to Neil Craig.

Crows coach Don Pyke during a quarter time break.

His signature settles the club, which has been surrounded by speculation over the past two years over the future of Patrick Dangerfield and Jake Lever, both of whom ended up leaving the club.

It is an important signing for the club, but the one that is still likely to cause speculation is that of Rory Sloane, who is in the last year of his contract and has family and friends in Melbourne, which could also offer more career opportunities for his wife Belinda.

Essendon great Tim Watson yesterday urged Sloane to declare his hand — regardless of whether he intended to stay or leave — to remove the distraction of constant speculation over the midfielder’s future.