Adelaide Assistant Coach Nathan van Berlo is excited for former teammate and close friend Rory Sloane to make his long awaited return to competitive footy this Friday.

Van Berlo expected the former Skipper to take part in a large portion of the trial match at Richmond Oval, saying Sloane was “ready to go.”

“It’s really exciting for Rory, he has put in a mountain of work throughout his rehab,” van Berlo said.

“He’s done everything to the letter and he is ready to go, which is surprising to some, but for us internally seeing the way he has gone about it is a credit to the work he has put in.

“For him to be out there playing I know it just reinvigorates him and the boys love having him out there as well.”

The intraclub trial game is set to be the first time newly-appointed Captain Jordan Dawson takes the reins in a competitive aspect.

Speaking to the media on Wednesday, van Berlo, who served as Crows Skipper from 2011 to 2014, reflected on his experience and his expectations for Dawson. 

“From a personal point of view it’s an incredibly humbling experience and one that I probably didn’t understand the enormity of until I had finished and retired and looked back at what my career was,” van Berlo said.

“I appreciated the task at hand and the responsibility but I was really fortunate that I had some great leaders around me and had leaders before me and leaders come in after.

“I know that Daws will be the exact same, he will lead the way that he does on game day. 

“He’s a terrific human being and leader around the footy club but he will rely heavily on the rest of the leadership group - I don’t think it is going to be too much of a change.”

Friday’s internal trial will be a chance for Members and fans to watch the Crows in a competitive hit-out for the first time this year.

Van Berlo said a focus of this pre-season for the Crows was building on their success around the contest.

“We have a really solid core that we know we can go to and trust to perform but I think it is about finding that right balance to get those young, fresh, different dynamic players through the midfield,” van Berlo said.

“That’s been a really good challenge, particularly this pre-season and hopefully shows our supporters a bit more of what our future is going to look like.”