Key Crows Tom Lynch and Kyle Hartigan will be ready for the start of pre-season after recovering from serious injuries.

Lynch, 24, spent a month in a brace after suffering a small fracture in his neck in a sickening front-on collision during the Club’s Round 20 clash with the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba.

Adelaide’s 2013 leading goalkicker has received medical clearance and will train with his teammates when the full group returns to West Lakes on November 17. Lynch endured a wretched run with injury in 2014, faced with foot, shoulder, jaw and neck complaints.

Hartigan, 22, missed the last month of the season as the result of a nasty clash while playing for Adelaide’s SANFL team.

The promising key defender narrowly avoided losing his spleen after suffering internal bleeding in a heavy collision during the SANFL Showdown in July. The former rookie, who played seven AFL games this year, spent three days in Intensive Care where he was diagnosed with a lacerated spleen, fractured rib and sprained AC joint.

Hartigan has also been cleared medically and will start pre-season when Adelaide’s 1-4-year players return on Wednesday (November 5).

Physical Performance Manager Nick Poulos said the pair had made full recoveries.

“Lynchy is back training 100 per cent. He’s been cleared and will be raring to go in full training. Kyle’s also back running and training as normal, so there are no issues there either,” Poulos said.

“It’s great to see both boys back in good health and out on the track.”

Captain Nathan van Berlo will also be ready for day one of pre-season after missing the entire 2014 campaign because of a ruptured Achilles.

“If we’d made finals, we might have seen ‘VB’ play before the end of the season. In the end, he missed out by a couple of weeks,” Poulos said.

“He’ll be jumping out of his skin."

A handful of Crows will be eased into full training after post-season surgery.

Forwards Eddie Betts and James Podsiadly both had minor hip operations, while Club Champion Daniel Talia and veteran midfielder Scott Thompson had minor knee surgery. Talia is already back running as is young defender Sam Siggins, who had wrist surgery.

“Eddie had a cyst removed from his hip. He’ll be running a little bit at the start of pre-season and will progress over the first couple of weeks,” Poulos said.

“Scott Thompson is also likely to be on a modified program for the first few weeks. Both Thommo and Eddie are experienced players with strong training bases behind them, so it won’t affect them too much. They won’t be far away.

“Pods will have a progressive re-entry to training. Knowing Pods, he’ll want to be out there running around from the start but given his age and profile we have to be careful and make sure we don’t bring him back too early.

"At this stage, we’ll have more players on the track earlier this pre-season compared to last year and that will put us in a good position."

Adelaide has two longer-term injury concerns in defenders Andy Otten and Sam Shaw.

Otten is three months into his rehabilitation from a second knee reconstruction.

“For someone who is recovering from his second knee reconstruction, Andy’s in amazing spirits. I’ve never seen someone, who has done an ACL, so positive about his rehab,” Poulos said.

“If he has that attitude now, I’ve got no doubt he’ll come out the other side even better.”

Shaw is recuperating from hamstring surgery and will be monitored closely upon his return to training after Christmas.

Shaw had surgery as a result of a full review into his ongoing hamstring issues.

“Sam had surgery mid-September and it went very well,” Poulos said.

“He’ll aim to be in full training just before the start of the season.”