Josh Jenkins has addressed enduring speculation regarding his playing future at Adelaide.
Jenkins was spotted catching up with the club’s football manager Brett Burton recently as reports continue to swirl around his time as a Crow.
The 30-year-old is currently out of the side after being dropped for the second time this season and despite admitting it will be tough to return to the senior team in 2019, he does hold hope of continuing with the club next year and beyond.
“I caught up with ‘Birdman’ (Burton). It’s not that uncommon to catch up with the head honchos around the footy club,” he said on SEN SA Breakfast.
“It was great on Brett’s behalf to come down and have a coffee and give a bit of a different perspective to what I need to do and what’s happening and what the future looks like. It was a great conversation.”
Asked what was discussed, Jenkins admitted part of it was to do with his absence from Don Pyke’s side, plus the overall culture at the Crows as well as some family aspects.
“If I could have shared it, I would have worn a mic down there, but it was more around ensuring that I had enough clarity why I wasn’t going to be in the side,” he added.
“It was a general catch-up. My little one (daughter Lottie) has been up and down with her health in the last six weeks so we spoke about that for quite a while.
“Also some of my thoughts around where we need to go in terms of leadership and what we should do from a cultural perspective.
“It was a great two-way conversation and nothing too sinister.”
The key forward is under contract until 2021 but is yet to receive assurances over his future unlike veteran small forward Eddie Betts, who has been linked with a potential shock departure.
“I haven’t had any guarantees as such. So perhaps that’s a bit worrying if Eddie’s getting these assurances and I haven’t,” Jenkins said further.
“I haven’t sought an assurance or a guarantee of any sort. I guess you fall back on your contract which is there. I’ve got one for 24 months after this season.
“I understand the landscape but the piece of paper says I’ll be around for another couple of years.”
Regarding his thoughts on remaining at Adelaide for the foreseeable future, Jenkins responded vehemently, but knows the nature of modern day footy could throw up any sort of possibility.
“Yeah, I’d like to (stay). I’ve been pretty clear as to how much Hannah and I are entrenched in Adelaide,” he said.
“We’ve purchased a house that we intend on living in for a long, long time.
“We’ve done some good things at the footy club thus far and ideally that (staying) would be the case.
“There are a lot of possibilities in life and I guess that’s (leaving) one of them. I’d certainly like to think that’s not the case but there is a possibility, yes.”
Listen to Jenkins on SEN SA Breakfast below: