Sam Jacobs says he’s welcomed the challenge of having another genuine, experienced ruckman at West Lakes.

In trade week the Crows sought to add to their ruck depth, recruiting Angus Graham from Richmond.

Jacobs enjoyed a brilliant season in 2012. The 24-year-old was included in the initial All-Australian squad and was unlucky to miss out on final selection after topping the competition in hit-outs to advantage. He received support in the ruck from forwards Josh Jenkins, Shaun McKernan and Kurt Tippett at different stages, but missed only one game for the year.

Coach Brenton Sanderson said it was unrealistic to think Jacobs could sustain such a heavy workload for the rest of his career, vowing that the former Carlton rookie would receive more help.

Jacobs said he was already reaping the benefits of training against Graham, who at 201cm and 106kg is one of the biggest and strongest players at Adelaide.

“We’re pushing each other really hard,” Jacobs said of his relationship with Graham.

“It’s good to have another big fella around because last year we didn’t have too many after Ivan (Maric) left.

 “I’ve enjoyed the challenge and I think it’ll be good for both of us.”

The Crows experimented with playing three talls (Jacobs and two of Jenkins, McKernan or Tippett) in 2012, but settled on two in the business end of the season. Jacobs said he expected the Club to adopt a similar approach next year.

“I’m not sure whether we’ll go with two ruckmen every week. If I’m good enough to be playing every week again, there might be times when I need a spell because it’s such a long season.

“We’ve got Josh Jenkins and Shaun McKernan, who can provide a chop-out in the ruck and will vie for the second spot behind Angus or myself.”

Adelaide has also added a budding ruckman in former basketballer Jack Osborn to its rookie list. The 205cm Tasmanian, who eclipses Jacobs (202cm) as the tallest Crow, spent the past four years playing US College basketball, but played Australian Rules up until the age of 17.

“Jack is very raw, but he’s a big boy,” Jacobs said.

“He’s really talented and he’s picked up the game well for someone so new to it. He did play footy when he was younger back in Tasmania, so having that background helps.”

The coaching staff has also been impressed with the development of another latecomer to the game, Ben Dowdell, who has already showed significant improvement in his running this summer.

Jacobs said the early stages of pre-season training had followed a similar path to last year.

“It’s been good being back around the boys. Everyone is working hard,” he said.

“It’s not too different to last pre-season. There are a lot of familiar faces. The coaching staff is basically the same. We have a few new players, and that is probably the biggest change, but everything is going along well similar to last year.”