Adelaide's AFL stars Taylor Walker and Travis Boak are happy for different reasons at their respective clubs. Walker is making strong progress on recovery from a long-term knee injury while Boak re-signs with Power for another 4 years.
Josh Jenkins trains in 34-degree heat. Source: News Limited
ADELAIDE'S players have stripped weight off their upper bodies to be able to stay on the ground for longer as the club prepares to drop a quarter of its interchange rotations.
The Crows were one of the busiest teams to use the bench last season and will have to make a significant change to their methods as teams are allowed to make 120 changes per game. It had been unlimited.
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It has led to a leaner team heading into the Christmas break and the weight has been taken off through relentless running more than 50km per week during first phase of the pre-season.
"With interchanges capped to 120 - we were doing up to 160 over the past two seasons and players will have to stay on the ground for longer now,'' Sanderson said.
"So you can't carry that extra weight around with you for longer. Across the board, we've been looking at 1.5kg to 2kg lighter.
"So it's mostly upper body but through the legs as well.
"But with the amount of running these guys are doing, they're certainly leaner than what they were this time last year.''
If Sanderson could have it his way, there would be no Christmas break.
He has been heartened by the results from the running and can't wait to return to training in January.
"The Christmas break always comes at an awkward time for us because we really feel like we're up and about at this time of year,'' Sanderson said. "We're doing match play already, full head to head match play.
Eddie Betts cools down. Source: News Limited
"The boys are looking sharp and you can see that they've trimmed down a fair bit, too. Most of the players across the board look a little bit lighter than they probably did last year.
"That's been a bit of a focus for us with the interchange cap, to be a bit more aerobic.''
But Sanderson is mindful the coaches will have to show some restraint, even if that means at times holding back the players.
It's a balancing act: to train them as hard as they can without pushing them over the brink where injuries become an issue.
"We're still a very young group, you know,'' Sanderson said. ``I think we're the fourth youngest or fifth youngest in the AFL, even next year, and we have to be careful that we don't overdose the players when it comes to getting aerobic work into them.
"We can't tip them over the edge. So we have to be smart in the way we prepare our players.
"We've really put them through their paces and they've been doing more than 50km a week of high intensity running.
"The boys have had a monster week and it doesn't stop for them over the Christmas break, either.
"They get two weeks off, but that's just two weeks from not being at the club. They've got very strict programs that they have to adhere to over the break and for them, it just keeps rolling.''
The player who has stood out this summer has been former Carlton forward Eddie Betts.
He's only a little fellow but has brought buckets of enthusiasm and experience.
"Eddie Betts is probably the one,'' Sanderson said. ``I'm watching him train and he really stands out.
"He's a class player. He's played a lot of footy - 180 games of AFL - and he's just going to be fantastic for us.
"He's quickly becoming a cult figure at our footy club, our fans are going to love watching him play ... with his big baggy shorts he'll be getting at the feet of Tex (Taylor Walker) and (James) Podsiadly and (Josh) Jenkins and (Shaun) McKernan and these guys. He's going to be really exciting to watch.
"The thing I love about Eddie Betts is the way he also speaks up in meetings. His leadership on the track is fantastic, right from the first day, which I really didn't expect.
"He's been running a lot of drills and he's been a great acquisition for us.''
Crows prepare for interchange cap
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Crows prepare for interchange cap
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