There should be no discounting the impact Adelaide ruckman Reilly O'Brien will have on the Crows' premiership plans this year, should you ask his skipper.
The 29-year-old, who ranked No.1 in the AFL for hitouts last year, has "put together a great pre-season" to date after a campaign that also saw him fall out of favour at West Lakes.
A selection axing ahead of the club's Round 13 clash with Richmond saw the 2020 Malcolm Blight Medal winner out of coach Matthew Nicks' side for a fortnight, with O'Brien demoted to a pair of SANFL matches.
Entering a season off-contract, O'Brien has put his best foot forward over the summer to buoy his teammates ahead of a critical 2025 campaign.
"Since I've been at the Crows he's been a real driver of the standards that we have at the club," Adelaide captain Jordan Dawson told Zero Hanger.
"Off the field, he's been one of the better leaders I've been involved with given his ability to connect the group. From that aspect, he's going to be massive for us.
"Then on field, he's a battler. He's not the best looking ruckman in the comp' but he works so hard for us, and he's put together a great pre-season. He's going to be one that we're going to rely on a fair bit throughout the year and his durability is probably his biggest weapon.
"I'm excited about where his headspace is at and where his form been in the pre-season. So hopefully he just continues to build on that and has a good year."
O'Brien will play an integral role within what will be a dynamic and new Adelaide engine room, with the Crows ruckman set to feed Dawson, livewire Izak Rankine, contested bull Matt Crouch and new recruits James Peatling and Alex Neal-Bullen.
Another addition to Nicks' midfield ranks is Pick 4 selection Sid Draper, who has firmly put his name in the Round 1 selection mix.
Noted as "one to watch" this year, Draper has been backed to reach great heights in the top flight if his summer stint is anything to go by.
"He's been fantastic. You've got to admire these guys coming in nowadays, they're professional to start day one and they know exactly what they need to do. They work hard," Dawson said of the South Adelaide junior.
"He's done all of those things. And on top of that, he's got great attributes that at AFL level will be fantastic. How much he plays or how he goes will be up to him on how he kind of handles it. But I feel like he's he's done everything right from our point of view.
"If he gets in and plays a few games, that'd be fantastic for him, he's got speed, he's got power. He's an exciting young player, so hopefully we see him.
"He's gonna be one to watch."
While the excitement surrounding Adelaide's midfield cohort has been a highlight, the ex-Swan is hopeful the Crows don't go away from what has worked in the past.
Viewed as a midfield pack capable of finding the contested ball, Adelaide are hoping to add a new weapon in the middle of the field rather than take away from their strengths.
"We never want to lose our identity," Dawson said.
"I think the contested hunting kind of mentality that we have is what we pride ourselves on, but then being a bit more dynamic with the personnel in there and hurting teams a bit more with our stoppages.
"I think the last few years we've been pretty good on field position from stoppage but going forward we want to be a bit more dynamic along with our contested ball and be harder than we always have.
"[Soligo] has been progressing really nicely the last couple of years. He's adding things to his game, he's starting to really explode out of stoppage and kick more goals. He's put together a great block of pre-season, as have many guys.
"Izak has been in there, James Peatling has added another dynamic with his quick feet and his explosiveness. We've got a different mix in there this year, along with myself and 'Crouchy' and a few more guys going through there."
Adelaide's next test will come against reigning premiers Brisbane at the Gabba on Thursday as part of the Community Series, with that game to be the Crows' final outing before a Round 1 bout with St Kilda at Adelaide Oval on March 16.
