In just his first season at the Club, Adelaide’s former pick No.28 Sam Berry lined up for 17 games. 

But the pressure machine, who averaged 4.1 tackles and 5.2 contested possessions in the 2021 season, knows he’ll have to work to secure his spot alongside returning Crows and new recruits. 

To do so, Berry is looking to his experienced midfield compatriots for inspiration. 

“I was pretty lucky to play a bit of AFL last year and (get a feel for) the speed and the tempo,” Berry said. 

“(I’ve got) people around me - Lairdy (Rory Laird), Keaysy (Ben Keays) and Sloaney (Rory Sloane) - some really good midfielders, a couple of which have been around for a really long time.

“(They teach) a lot to do with our structure, they’re all really good leaders and use their experience really well.

“Body work, quick feet, cues that they use - there’s a whole variety of things.

“Obviously there are a lot of good boys around me that are really strong in that position but if I do get some time (in the midfield) I just want to get better."

Berry is putting those training tips into action as he guns for selection in Adelaide’s pre-season trial game against Brisbane on Friday. 

The 20-year-old said the Crows hoped to put their best foot forward in the Sunshine State. 

“The intensity and the level everyone’s at is really good, especially at this time of year,” Berry said. 

“We’re not really thinking about who’s available and who’s not but, the team that does go, doing everything that we’ve been working on during preseason and playing our game.

“It’s just good to do it against an opposition… we’re a bit sick of playing each other so everyone’s pretty excited.

Berry also had high praise for teammate Harry Schoenberg, who looked ready to fire in 2022. 

“Harry’s had a really good off-season and a really good pre-season, he’s moving really well and doing the things he was doing last year just on a more consistent basis,” Berry said. 

“I’m really excited to watch him this year and hopefully play with him.”