Don Pyke says Mitch McGovern will stay a Crow but will run next pre-season ‘differently’

ADELAIDE coach Don Pyke says star utility Mitch McGovern will remain at West Lakes in 2018 and addressed concerns about the Crows’ pre-season as it prepares to take on Hawthorn in a must-win Saturday night clash.

Mitch McGovern takes a strong mark and goals in Showdown 44 against Port Adelaide before succumbing to an ankle injury. Picture SARAH REED

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ADELAIDE coach Don Pyke says star utility Mitch McGovern will remain at West Lakes but will run the club’s next pre-season “differently” following negative player feedback.

Pyke was unimpressed by reports this week saying 44-game gun McGovern, 23, wanted to break his three-year deal signed last year, believing the club paid unders in his contract negotiations.

Mitch McGovern takes a strong mark and goals to put the Crows in front during the last quarter of Showdown 44. Picture Sarah Reed

Adelaide Crows coach Don Pyke arrives to speak to the media at Football Park on Friday. Picture: AAP Image/David Mariuz

“No, I think that has been dismissed by his manager (Colin Young),” said Pyke.

Pyke maintained Adelaide was still a happy place to play despite indications of disharmony.

“We will try and control what we can control and the environment we have for our players is ideal for them to perform at their best and that is a work in progress,” Pyke said.

Asked if the club would repeat its controversial Gold Coast camp conducted by Collective Minds which was designed to push mental and physical boundaries, Pyke said: “We would do it differently, some of the activities we undertook and how that worked. We move on.”

Fan favourite Eddie Betts has led criticism from Adelaide’s indigenous players about activities and terminology that was offensive to Aboriginal culture on the January pre-season camp.

Adelaide had sought to address the mental capitulation of its 2017 grand final loss to Richmond on the Gold Coast camp but aspects proved counter productive.

Some players were pushed over the edge with reports of blindfolding while a Collective Minds facilitator has been axed in a damaging aftermath of the summer camp.

Adelaide, an initial premiership favourite, is a game out of the eight approaching Saturday night’s clash at the MCG against Hawthorn.

“We reviewed that and there were some positive things that came out of it and other things which were a bit of a miss and that has been dealt with. Now we concentrate on winning games of AFL footy,” said Pyke.

Adelaide has brought in rookie Patrick Wilson for his AFL debut on Saturday. He comes into the side along with Kyle Cheney, who will make his first appearance in two years against his old club, Jordan Gallucci and veteran Andy Otten.

Luke Brown misses out with an ankle injury while Darcy Fogarty, Cam Ellis-Yolmen and Lachlan Murphy have been omitted.