Adelaide midfielder Matt Crouch’s season is over and he will not take part in the remaining SANFL finals series.

The Club has made the decision in the best interest of Crouch’s physical preparation for 2024 after the 28-year-old this week signed a two-year contract extension to remain at West Lakes.

Crows Head of Football Adam Kelly said the decision was made in consultation with Crouch, coaches and high performance staff.

“There are many factors that needed to be weighed up regarding Matt’s availability for the SANFL finals campaign and on balance we have decided that he will not participate,” Kelly said.

“It was only back in 2021 that Matt was confronted with hip and groin issues that wiped out his season and it has been a hard road for him to build himself back up to the powerful inside midfielder that he is, and that was on display this year.

“He has worked incredibly hard over the past 12 months to be able to perform strongly at AFL level over the last six weeks of the season and has been rewarded with a two-year contract extension during the week.

“We believe this decision is best for his preparation for the 2024 season and are confident that our SANFL midfield will continue to perform strongly throughout the finals series after an impressive win over Sturt last weekend.”