Adelaide Assistant Coach Nathan van Berlo says Matt Crouch is pushing hard to return to the footy field after undergoing surgery on his groin in May.

Crouch has been on the sidelines this season after having surgery to stabilise a tendon to alleviate persistent pain in his right groin.

Speaking to the media on Tuesday, van Berlo said the 26-year-old had got through training unscathed and was tracking well in his bid to play AFL before the end of the year.

“Crouchy has been itching for a little while now,” van Berlo said.

“You would’ve seen him out at training today, he’s moving pretty well and he’s really keen to play some footy.

“Hopefully if he gets through Thursday and gets the all clear from the medical guys then we might be able to see some footy minutes from Matty this weekend, which will be great for us but also for Matty.

“We’ve seen over a large period of time what Matty has been able to do around the ball.”

Van Berlo said the loss to Essendon on Friday night was frustrating but players and coaches had to quickly turn their attention to the clash with West Coast at home this Sunday.

The former Crows skipper was expecting the Eagles to come out firing following a loss to North Melbourne on Monday night.

“Our midfield, in particular on the weekend, just got out worked and out hunted around the ball, which has been one of our strengths for a large part of the year,” van Berlo said.

“It was really disappointing and I know it hasn’t sat well with them (the players) over the last few days.

“All we can do is get back to training good habits and backing in the large body of work we have put in for the year and back in the response against West Coast who are probably searching for a similar response.

“It’s going to be a massive challenge for us but I know our boys are up for it.”

Adelaide takes on West Coast at Adelaide Oval on Sunday at 4.10pm ACST (4.40pm AEST).