Adelaide coach Don Pyke has challenged young Crow Darcy Fogarty to push his case for AFL selection in the coming weeks.

The 19-year-old started 2019 in the backlines as the coaching staff explored his ability to play in defence, but has returned to the forward line in recent weeks.

“We’ve swung him back forward… he played some time down back and we were happy with what he did but he’s had a couple of games back as a forward now,” Pyke said.

“He’s now looking for the next level, to really push his claims at AFL level.”

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Pyke said he believed Fogarty could play at either end of the ground.

“I think he sees himself as a natural forward, which we’re happy to explore with him at the moment,” Pyke said.

“I like some of the stuff he did down back, but we just need to give him the opportunity to play forward.”

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The Crows SANFL side has only played one game in the past three weeks due to fixturing - something Pyke said had impacted Fogarty’s chances of proving his capabilities.

“He probably hasn’t been helped by the lack of continuity given the [SANFL] bye - he’s only played one game in three weeks,” Pyke said.

“I’ll be keen to see him push on and start really banging the door down for selection but he’s just not quite there yet.”

Last month, Fogarty discussed his move to defence with AFC Media, stating he believed it would make him a better forward.