Adelaide stalwart Scott Thompson's AFL career isn't finished despite being dumped from the side, Crows coach Don Pyke said.
Thompson, a dual club champion and All Australian midfielder, was dropped after making minimal impact last weekend in his first AFL game this season.
But Pyke said the 34-year-old still has a role to play at AFL level.
"He would be the first to admit last week he didn't have the game he would have liked," Pyke told reporters on Friday.
"We know the quality of the guy, the experience. I expect he will still have a role to play for the rest of the year."
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Pyke, who favoured first-year midfielder Hugh Greenwood for Saturday night's fixture against Melbourne in Darwin, was adamant Thompson's cards hadn't been marked.
"He's a professional footballer, he understands the nature of the game which is performance based," Pyke said.
"And he was as disappointed as anyone with how he played last week.
"But he will go back and I expect he will perform really well at SANFL level and put his name up for selection again really soon."
