Hugh Greenwood already knows he’s made the right decision to switch sports and pursue his AFL dream.

Greenwood retired from a promising basketball career to sign with the Crows as a Category B rookie in September. The 192cm, 90kg Tasmanian trained tirelessly at the Club throughout the offseason to prepare his mind and body for the code switch.

A gifted junior in the sport, Greenwood played his first game of football in eight years against Port Adelaide in the Club’s first SANFL trial, and looked even more at home in Saturday’s second practice match against South Adelaide.

The rookie still has much to learn before he can put his hand up for an AFL debut, but a smiling Greenwood said he’s not backing down from the challenge.

“One hundred per cent. It’s the best decision that I’ve made,” he told afc.com.au after the clash with the Panthers.

“It’s been fun just being around the Club, the environment and the standards that we have here.

“It’s a challenge that I look forward to every day. I’m excited to be here.

“The boys have really made an effort to get around me and support me through my first few games. It’s been a long pre-season for me, so it’s finally good to get out there and have a hit-out with someone else rather than ourselves.”

Greenwood admitted he was nervous lining up for his first match since his mid-teens at Alberton a fortnight ago.

“I was pretty relaxed coming to the game, but then the boys starting checking in on me and asking how I was feeling in the rooms pre-game,” he said.

“That actually put the nerves into me!

“I was actually pretty nervous when the first siren went, but once the ball was thrown up, you stop worrying about it. You have to trust the work that you’ve done over the pre-season.“

After a promising outing against the Magpies, Greenwood looked even more comfortable in Saturday’s close loss to South Adelaide. The 24-year-old moved well up forward and also spent time in the midfield, showing no hesitation in embracing the physical nature of the game.

“That was one of the things that was going to be really hard for me coming back,” Greenwood said.

“The sport’s very physical. But I’ve worked really hard in the weights room and trimmed down my body at the same time too. I feel strong, but I can still handle the running side of the game as well.”

The SANFL Crows couldn’t hold on against the fast-finishing Panthers at Football Park on Saturday. While Adelaide tested itself in accordance with the SANFL’s new rotation cap, South Adelaide used its interchange without limit, helping the visitors ultimately overrun the tiring Crows by four points.

SANFL Stats: Trial Two v South Adelaide

The hot and humid conditions further tested the players’ endurance once Adelaide exhausted all 50 of its rotations during the final term.

“Conditioning is definitely something that I need to continue to work on, and that’s one way to do it!” Greenwood said.

“I thought it was a good test for the boys. With the 50 (rotation) cap, we had to do a lot of changes all over the ground all game, so communication was key. I thought we handled it pretty well.

“The ability to deal with that adversity was really good today, even though we didn’t quite get the result we wanted.”

Greenwood collected 12 possessions (four contested), three marks and had two score assists in the trial. His first goal for the Club was also one to remember, with the left-footer nailing a crafty snap from the north-eastern pocket during the second term.


“She’s all a blur! I don’t even remember it,” he said.

“I think it just came to me. Someone made a contest and it just fell into my hands and I was lucky enough to kick it.”

Adelaide will open its SANFL premiership season against reigning premiers West Adelaide on Saturday, March 26 at City Mazda Stadium.