Adelaide Crows young gun Mitch McGovern to miss Grand Final with hamstring injury

CROWS coach Don Pyke has officially ruled out Mitch McGovern from taking on Richmond in the premiership decider on Saturday.

Don Pyke talks to Mitch McGovern at Adelaide Oval on Wednesday as the young forward tried to prove his fitness. Picture: Sarah Reed

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YOUNG Crows forward Mitch McGovern is out of Saturday’s AFL grand final with Richmond at the MCG.

Adelaide coach Don Pyke ruled out McGovern, who has a left-hamstring strain, at the end of a 90-minute training session at Adelaide Oval on Wednesday.

“Unfortunately, Mitch will miss out,” Pyke said.

“He has not come up.

“It is an opportunity for someone else.”

Mitch McGovern discusses his sore hamstring with coach Don Pyke. Picture: Sarah Reed

McGovern on the sidelines with Brodie Smith, who will also miss the grand final after rupturing his ACL. Picture: Sarah Reed

Opportunity should open for veteran Andy Otten who replaced McGovern in the preliminary final win against Geelong last Friday.

McGovern strained the left hamstring in training at West Lakes the previous Saturday.

McGovern was limited in his training during the 90-minute session at the Oval in front of 7000 fans on Wednesday.

Adelaide’s other concern, upgraded rookie midfielder Hugh Greenwood, moved freely while wearing Skins on his legs to ease concerns on his calf issue. He was a quiet performer in the 61-point win against the Cats on Friday.

Adelaide would appear primed to name an unchanged line-up.

Pyke described his nerves in the lead-up to his first grand final as Crows coach — in his second year — at Adelaide as “pretty good”.

“There are nerves and butterflies as normal,” he said.

“But I trust the guys; I believe in the group.”

Adelaide will name its grand final 22 on Thursday evening while arriving in Melbourne.

The Crows will have a closed training session at the MCG before the grand final parade in the Melbourne CBD on Friday morning.

Adelaide chief executive Andrew Fagan on Wednesday again confirmed a new deal for Pyke will be announced after the grand final.

Fagan also maintained the mystique on the now famous “Crows stare” during the national anthem before the grand final.

Fagan dismissed the fuss on the “Crows stare” as part of Australian football’s insatiable search “for content” in discussing the grand final.