ADELAIDE has suffered a setback on the eve of the season with midfielder Matt Crouch to be sidelined indefinitely with a minor fibula fracture.
The 27-year-old sustained a knock to his right leg during a training session at West Lakes on Friday.
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Subsequent scans revealed the fracture but Crouch does not require surgery.
Adelaide High Performance Manager Darren Burgess said a timeline for the 2017 club best and fairest winner's recovery would be known in coming days.
"Matt will spend the weekend resting and we will review him again in 48 hours to assess the injury," Burgess said.
"It's unfortunate timing because he has had a strong pre-season to date, but thankfully the injury should not be too disruptive to his season."
Crouch found himself on the fringes of the team for large parts of last season, managing just 11 AFL games after missing all of 2021 with a groin injury.
He is out of contract at the end of this year.