After a 272-day wait between games, Paul Seedsman is just happy to be back amongst the action.

Seedsman played his second game of the year in Saturday’s 36-point SANFL victory over Central District.

The long-kicking Crow has been forced to watch from the sidelines for the first half of the season due to a lingering groin issue. His previous outing at any level came in last year’s SANFL Semi-Final at Adelaide Oval over nine months ago.

Injured players often find it difficult to watch their teammates from the grandstands, and the 25-year-old said he was no different.

“It was a long time! I’m loving being back out there,” Seedsman said.

“It’s hard to watch the AFL boys every week. It’s even harder watching two games every week. It’s much better playing in one of them!

“I’m just loving being out there with all the guys again.”

Understandably, Seedsman played limited minutes in his return against Norwood a fortnight ago but was let loose on Saturday at My Money House Oval.

Seedsman relished the wide wings at Elizabeth to play an important role in Adelaide’s convincing SANFL victory over the Bulldogs, collecting 24 possessions and a team-best six inside 50ms in a promising display.

“I actually feel more spent this week than last week!” Seedsman laughed.

“It’s a bigger oval here so there’s a lot more ground to cover. But it’s nice to get a couple of kicks and the fitness is coming along well, and that’s only going to get better with every game.”

SANFL stats: Round 10 v Central District

Continuity is key for the former Magpie as he continues to build his way back towards his best.

A return to AFL action is the obvious target, and Seedsman knows the areas he needs to focus on to earn a spot back in the senior side.

“The coaches want me to work forward and back, get those handball receives, break the lines and then use the ball well,” he said.

“Defensively I also want to work hard to get back and impact the ball to help the defenders out.

“It’s nothing out of the ordinary really, I’ve just got to play good, consistent football and keep putting my hand up.”

Despite his injury-interrupted start to the year, Seedsman has relished more leadership responsibility in his second season at the Club.

Adelaide’s SANFL side on Saturday featured 10 players under 21 years of age, including six teenagers, and 12 Crows with no AFL experience.

Seedsman, who has 64 AFL games to his name, said the future was bright for the Club’s next wave of young talent.

“We’ve got such a young group this year and they’re all eager to learn,” Seedsman said.

“That’s going to be the Club’s future down the track. It’s so important to teach them the way we want to play and to build those standards.

“We’ve got such a good culture here at the Club and these young blokes have got the best opportunity to succeed.”