Crows coach Don Pyke wants his players to do the most with a four-week window at Adelaide Oval

Coach Don Pyke is starting to get the consistency he has craved and has implored his players to do the most with a four-week window at Adelaide Oval that can set up the Crows season.

David McKay, Wayne Milera and Taylor Walker celebrate the win over the Gold Coast Suns at Adelaide Oval last night. Picture: SARAH REED

ADELAIDE coach Don Pyke is starting to get the consistency he has craved and has implored his players to do the most with a four-week window at Adelaide Oval that can set up the Crows season.

His only concern from last night is another potential hamstring injury to captain Taylor Walker — which would take the count up to seven hamstrings for the season after he reported some tightness and sat out the second half.

But the Crows comfortable 48-point win will lead to some difficult calls at selection with Eddie Betts and Rory Sloane expected to return from injury against Carlton next week.

“I thought the first half in particular we started really well,” Pyke said. “And in the second quarter we got control of the game.

“It was important for us after last week, which was a really good and solid win up in Sydney, to come back home — and we were disappointing the last time we were here.

“Our focus was to A, get a good start and B, play some of the footy we want to consistently stand for.

“It was good to go back-to-back wins.

“Obviously we’ve got a month at home now, another three games coming up, which is going to be important for us.”

One of the standouts for the Crows was Wayne Milera, who chalked up a career-best 27 disposals and kept setting up attacking forays from half back.

Pyke said it had been a natural progression for Milera to help out in defence with Brodie Smith out for the season.

“We’ve trained him as a half back this year,” Pyke said. “When he first came into the side we probably played him more as a half forward but through circumstances he has been able to go back and that was a really solid performance.”

Walker has not been ruled out for next week’s match but will have scans during the week.

Sloane will not be rushed back either, with Pyke saying the club would wait until he was at full fitness rather than to try to manage his foot injury.

Originally published as Crows coach Don Pyke wants his players to do the most with a four-week window at Adelaide Oval