Midfielder Richard Douglas says he “absolutely” wants to stay with Adelaide beyond this season.

Douglas, 28, is out of contract at the end of the 2015 season, when he will qualify for Free Agency.

The 2010 Crows Club Champion’s contract status has gone under the radar to an extent as media speculation focuses on teammates Patrick Dangerfield and Rory Sloane. On Friday, Douglas said he was keen to get a new deal done with Adelaide sooner rather than later.

“It’s good someone noticed, thanks!” Douglas joked when asked about being out of contract at the end of the season.

“I’ll just, hopefully, get a kick early on and put pen to paper early in the season. I’m happy to stay around and love being in Adelaide. Hopefully, I can stay a part of it and get the ultimate success.”

Douglas, who sat out Adelaide’s NAB Challenge opener against North Melbourne, had his first hit-out of the year in the Club’s clash with Geelong on Thursday night.

The Crows started slowly against the Cats, trailing by 29 points at half time before mounting a challenge in the second half.

Douglas identified his team’s ability to fight back as a positive out of the match.

“I thought we started slowly. Geelong’s pressure was very good and it took us a little while to adjust,” he said.

“After that, I thought we probably got the game on our terms and showed some really good things. Inaccurate kicking really cost us … it was a bit blustery down there, but Geelong certainly kicked a lot straighter than us. We probably lacked a little bit of composure under pressure.

“There are a few things to work on and we get another chance against Port next weekend.”

The form of young midfielders Cam Ellis-Yolmen and Brad Crouch, and “new recruit” Nathan van Berlo were also positives. Douglas said van Berlo’s return from a long-term Achilles injury had given the team a boost.

“VB’s first two runs have been sensational. There were a few doubters about ‘VB’, but internally he’s highly respected and we know how good a player he can be,” Douglas said.

“For us, he’s like a new recruit. We didn’t have him all last year and missed him a lot. To get him back is sensational and really gives the boys a lift.

“We’re looking forward to big things from him this year.”

Adelaide will finalise its preparations for the season proper with a NAB Challenge game against Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium on Saturday, March 21.

Douglas said the match would give the Crows another opportunity to “tweak” their game style.

“We’re still building and working on our game style. A lot changes when you get a new coach in,” he said.

“We’re still tweaking a few things and still throwing some guys around in different spots. We’ll keep working on a few things against Port and, hopefully, be cherry ripe for Round One.”