THE SENIOR coach was nowhere to be seen, but that didn’t stop former rookie Greg Gallman from impressing in the Crows’ first training session for the 2008 season.

While Neil Craig enjoyed the last few days of a family holiday to the United States, Gallman pitted his physical abilities against teammate, and the club’s resident running machine, Nathan van Berlo.

The 18-year-old was brimming with enthusiasm during Monday’s two-hour session, which was his first since being elevated to the senior list four weeks ago.

Gallman is determined to run shoulder-to-shoulder with van Berlo over the summer in a bid to crack into Adelaide’s midfield.

“Fitness is something that I’ve come back and decided to make a strength of mine. When you come back at this time of the year; your fitness is something that can help put your name in the front of the coaches’ minds,” he said.

“If they see you running first, second or third in the kind of runs that we do, which are very tough, it makes them take notice.

“I aspire, in every run, to be like Nathan van Berlo, who just continually pushes the rest of the group at the front.”

Gallman, who was selected with Adelaide’s final pick in the 2007 Rookie Draft, was the only rookie on the Crows’ list to be offered a contract for next year.

The North Adelaide defender enjoyed a standout season, which saw him climb from the under 19 competition to the Roosters’ losing SANFL grand final side.

Gallman also took out the A.D. Treloar award for North Adelaide’s most promising reserves player despite missing 11 games after being called up for the league team.

The 188cm utility showcased his versatility playing as a full-back, a rebounding defender and also as a midfielder throughout the course of the season.

“I think talking to the coaches and to [Crows development manager] Alan Stewart, they really wanted to develop me into a running player. I put a fair bit of work into my running ability and being able to push through games,” Gallman said.

“I played a couple of games in the reserves for North Adelaide in amongst the midfield. As a running player, it’s something I’d really like to get into - maybe as a negating midfielder, or something like that, where you can use your want and ability to run.”

While Gallman is determined to play AFL next season, he’s more focused on achieving the “smaller” goals which he believes will pave the way to his debut.

“It’s definitely an aim of mine, and it has been for years now, to pull on the Adelaide jumper. But at this stage I’ve set all my goals about pre-season and just developing on last season,” he said.

“I’ve set myself some smaller goals, whether it be working on a certain skill, getting the next time [in the trials] or especially as a younger player in the weights room, adding that little bit of power.

“The sky’s the limit really, as long as you keep trying, you can get places. But I’m just trying to keep grounded as I can at the moment and to keep working on the next goal.”

Gallman, not content with rivalling van Berlo’s mantle as the fittest Crow, is also preparing to challenge the West Australian as the smartest.

The 18-year-old deferred his tertiary studies this year, but in February will commence a degree in Aerospace Engineering at Adelaide University.

Van Berlo studied Geophysics before being drafted to Adelaide and is now partway through a Bachelor in Science.

“I’m going to study Aerospace Engineering. Yes, Aerospace Engineering - everyone always repeats it after I say it. It’s like they are thinking, ‘footballers can’t do that’,” he laughed.