Speed-based training is taking up much of Adelaide’s early pre-season focus and Vice Captain Ben Keays says there is one young Crow who’s impressing him the most.

Adelaide’s full squad returned for pre-season training last week and is putting in a short block before breaking for Christmas next week.

Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Keays said he was enjoying his sixth pre-season at West Lakes and was buoyed by the strong shape his teammates had returned in.

“We’ve been doing quite a lot of high-speed conditioning still early in the pre-season, which has been great,” Keays said.

“Guys are running really well, so it’s definitely been one of the tougher ones, but I am really enjoying it.

“Hugh Bond is impressing me, he’s been great and certainly set the tone with the running.

“It’s been great to be back, it’s been lots of fun, lots of hard work.”

This past season marked Adelaide’s first finals appearance since 2017, after finishing the minor round top, but the team fell in both its major round matches.

Keays said the squad knew what areas of its game it needed to improve, with a focus set to be on executing better under pressure.

“It’s (the finals losses) just extra motivation to want to get back in as soon as possible and start doing the work,” the forward/midfielder said.

“We’ve looked at clips of all areas of our game, as we do every pre-season, but of course those (finals) games feature since they were late in the year.

“It’s probably just doing everything under fatigue, which we are, and then just having a massive emphasis on executing.

“It’s really on the leaders to drive that when we are out there, and when the fatigue creeps in, making sure we just get the most out of every drill and get the most out of this period, and then that sets us up for when the games roll around.”

Keays returned to pre-season training fresh from conquering Peru’s iconic Machu Picchu with teammates Reilly O’Brien, Max Michalanney, Mitch Hinge, and former Crow Harry Schoenberg.

The 28-year-old said trekking the UNESCO-listed site was a rewarding challenge and helped him build his fitness.

“I didn’t know much about it before I went but it was awesome to do something different like that,” Keays said.

“It was a different type of fitness with that steep walk up the trail, but it was so rewarding and so fun to do something outdoorsy and challenging as well with the boys was fantastic.

“The weather was tough there. Altitude was one thing, then the heat as well as you got higher was tough.

“It was one that I’ll keep in the memory bank for sure and a bucket list achievement, so it was great fun.”