Young Crows midfielder Brad Crouch is “a couple of weeks away” from making a comeback from a fractured leg, says coach Brenton Sanderson.

Adelaide’s best-performed midfielder in the latter half of last season, Crouch suffered a break in his left leg against Port Adelaide in Round Two. The 2013 Rising Star runner-up was initially expected to miss 6-8 weeks, but sought advice of a specialist after experiencing pain while running as part of his rehabilitation. The specialist reassured Crouch the injury was healing, albeit, slower than hoped.

Sanderson said he expected Crouch to be back on the footy field in June.

“Our initial planning was 6-8 weeks. It’s been eight weeks now and ‘Crouchy’ is probably still a couple of weeks away from resuming,” Sanderson said on Friday.

“It’s hard with breaks, they can heal more slowly or fast – no two are the same. He’s still on track to get back in the next couple of weeks. He’s just a few weeks behind what we initially thought.”

Crouch is yet to play a full game this year after starting as the substitute in Round One and injuring his leg late in the game against Port. Sanderson said the Ballarat product would return in the SANFL.

“Crouchy missed a fair bit of the pre-season with an Achilles injury, so he just needs to get some match fitness,” Sanderson said.

“Expect him to play a couple of weeks in the State League before we see him again at SANFL level.”